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Air Forces comparison: Flag of France France vs Flag of Portugal Portugal

France's air force fields 1,017 active aircraft — 10:1 Portugal's 100.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of France FranceWorld #7 30.6
AIRS Index / 100

France leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Portugal PortugalWorld #49 9.7
  • 264 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 33
  • 451 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 28
  • 167 Transportweight ×10 23
  • 59 Special missionweight ×8 5
  • 31 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 45 Trainersweight ×1 11
France Portugal 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
France Portugal Ratio
Official name French Air and Space Force Portuguese Air Force
Active aircraft 1,017 100 🇫🇷 10×
Aircraft on order 323 16 🇫🇷 20×
Combat aircraft 264 33 🇫🇷 8.0×
Combat share of fleet 26.0 % 33.0 % 🇵🇹 1.3×
Aircraft types in service 37 12 🇫🇷 3.1×
Main supplier France · 79 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 451 28 🇫🇷 16×
Transport aircraft 167 23 🇫🇷 7.3×
Special-mission aircraft 59 5 🇫🇷 12×
Trainers 45 11 🇫🇷 4.1×
UAVs 31 0 🇫🇷
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇫🇷 FranceRafale ×146SA340 Gazelle ×104H125M / AS550 Fennec ×97
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28AW101 ×12C-295 Persuader ×12
Fleet evolution · France
Fleet evolution · Portugal
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Portugal vsBelgiumSwitzerlandRomaniaBelarusDenmark

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, France or Portugal?
France has more military aircraft with 1,017 active aircraft compared to Portugal's 100, a difference of 917 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, France or Portugal?
France has more combat aircraft with 264 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Portugal's 33.
Which country has more military helicopters, France or Portugal?
France operates more military helicopters with 451 compared to Portugal's 28.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, France or Portugal?
France has more transport aircraft with 167 compared to Portugal's 23.
How do the France and Portugal air forces compare in size?
France's air force is 7.3 times larger than Portugal's in terms of total active aircraft (167 vs 23).
Which country has more aircraft on order, France or Portugal?
France has 323 aircraft on order compared to Portugal's 16.