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Air Forces comparison: Flag of North Korea North Korea vs Flag of Russia Russia

Russia's air force fields 5,312 active aircraft — 4.5:1 North Korea's 1,179.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of North Korea North KoreaWorld #23 14.4
AIRS Index / 100

Russia leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of Russia RussiaWorld #3 51.7
  • 80 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 117
  • 571 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 1,480
  • 253 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 1,586
  • 275 Transportweight ×10 518
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 96
  • 0 UAVsweight ×10 1,074
  • 0 Trainersweight ×1 441
North Korea Russia Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by generation tier, helicopters by era; the enabler, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
North Korea Russia Ratio
Official name Korean People's Army Air Force Russian Air Force
Active aircraft 1,179 5,312 🇷🇺 4.5×
Aircraft on order 0 605 🇷🇺
Combat aircraft 571 1,480 🇷🇺 2.6×
Combat share of fleet 48.4 % 27.9 % 🇰🇵 1.7×
Aircraft types in service 21 55 🇷🇺 2.6×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 70 % Ex-USSR · 59 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 80 117 🇷🇺 1.5×
Helicopters 253 1,586 🇷🇺 6.3×
Transport aircraft 275 518 🇷🇺 1.9×
Special-mission aircraft 0 96 🇷🇺
Trainers 0 441 🇷🇺
UAVs 0 1,074 🇷🇺
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇰🇵 North KoreaAn-2 Colt ×270J-5 Fresco ×241MiG-19 Farmer ×97
🇷🇺 RussiaMi-8 Hip ×781Mi-24 Hind ×324Su-24 Fencer ×294
Fleet evolution · North Korea
Fleet evolution · Russia
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has more military aircraft with 5,312 active aircraft compared to North Korea's 1,179, a difference of 4,133 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has more combat aircraft with 1,480 fighters and attack aircraft compared to North Korea's 571.
Which country has more military helicopters, North Korea or Russia?
Russia operates more military helicopters with 1,586 compared to North Korea's 253.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has more transport aircraft with 518 compared to North Korea's 275.
How do the North Korea and Russia air forces compare in size?
Russia's air force is 1.9 times larger than North Korea's in terms of total active aircraft (518 vs 275).
Which country has more aircraft on order, North Korea or Russia?
Russia has 605 aircraft on order compared to North Korea's 0.