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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Iraq Iraq vs Flag of Syria Syria

Iraq operates 396 active military aircraft vs 414 for Syria.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Iraq IraqWorld #35 10.4
AIRS Index / 100

Iraq leads on 4 of 5 categories

Roundel of Syria SyriaWorld #42 9.3
  • 53 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 225
  • 213 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 153
  • 24 Transportweight ×10 5
  • 7 Special missionweight ×8 2
  • 99 Trainersweight ×1 29
Iraq Syria 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
Iraq Syria Ratio
Official name Iraqi Air Force Syrian Arab Air Force
Active aircraft 396 414 🇸🇾 ≈
Aircraft on order 18 0 🇮🇶
Combat aircraft 53 225 🇸🇾 4.2×
Combat share of fleet 13.4 % 54.3 % 🇸🇾 4.1×
Aircraft types in service 25 17 🇮🇶 1.5×
Main supplier United States · 43 % Ex-USSR · 78 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 213 153 🇮🇶 1.4×
Transport aircraft 24 5 🇮🇶 4.8×
Special-mission aircraft 7 2 🇮🇶 3.5×
Trainers 99 29 🇮🇶 3.4×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇶 IraqMi-8 Hip ×43407 ×40F-16 Fighting Falcon ×34
🇸🇾 SyriaMiG-23 Flogger ×87SA340 Gazelle ×62MiG-21 Fishbed ×50
Fleet evolution · Iraq
Fleet evolution · Syria
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Syria has more military aircraft with 414 active aircraft compared to Iraq's 396, a difference of 18 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Syria has more combat aircraft with 225 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Iraq's 53.
Which country has more military helicopters, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq operates more military helicopters with 213 compared to Syria's 153.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has more transport aircraft with 24 compared to Syria's 5.
How do the Iraq and Syria air forces compare in size?
Iraq's air force is 4.8 times larger than Syria's in terms of total active aircraft (24 vs 5).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has 18 aircraft on order compared to Syria's 0.