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

North Korea's air force fields 1,131 active aircraft — 5.5:1 Vietnam's 205.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of North Korea North KoreaWorld #19 20.3
AIRS Index / 100

North Korea leads on 4 of 5 categories

Roundel of Vietnam VietnamWorld #58 8.4
  • 80 Bombersweight ×100 · price 0
  • 571 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 71
  • 205 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 42
  • 275 Transportweight ×10 17
  • 0 Trainersweight ×1 75
North Korea Vietnam Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by unit price, helicopters by era) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
North Korea Vietnam Ratio
Official name Korean People's Army Air Force Vietnam People's Air Force
Active aircraft 1,131 205 🇰🇵 5.5×
Combat aircraft 571 71 🇰🇵 8.0×
Combat share of fleet 50.5 % 34.6 % 🇰🇵 1.5×
Aircraft types in service 20 14 🇰🇵 1.4×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 68 % Ex-USSR · 58 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Bombers 80 0 🇰🇵
Helicopters 205 42 🇰🇵 4.9×
Transport aircraft 275 17 🇰🇵 16×
Trainers 0 75 🇻🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇰🇵 North KoreaAn-2 Colt ×270J-5 Fresco ×241MiG-19 Farmer ×97
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-27 Flanker ×46Mi-8 Hip ×30Su-17 Fitter ×25
Fleet evolution · North Korea
Fleet evolution · Vietnam
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea has more military aircraft with 1,131 active aircraft compared to Vietnam's 205, a difference of 926 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea has more combat aircraft with 571 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Vietnam's 71.
Which country has more military helicopters, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea operates more military helicopters with 205 compared to Vietnam's 42.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea has more transport aircraft with 275 compared to Vietnam's 17.
How do the North Korea and Vietnam air forces compare in size?
North Korea's air force is 16.2 times larger than Vietnam's in terms of total active aircraft (275 vs 17).