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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Japan Japan vs Flag of Taiwan Taiwan

Japan operates 1,299 active military aircraft vs 728 for Taiwan.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Japan JapanWorld #5 28.7
AIRS Index / 100

Japan leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Taiwan TaiwanWorld #12 22.9
  • 344 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 319
  • 427 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 239
  • 114 Transportweight ×10 26
  • 113 Special missionweight ×8 18
  • 2 UAVsweight ×10 28
  • 299 Trainersweight ×1 98
Japan Taiwan 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
Japan Taiwan Ratio
Official name Japan Air Self-Defense Force Republic of China Air Force
Active aircraft 1,299 728 🇯🇵 1.8×
Aircraft on order 369 68 🇯🇵 5.4×
Combat aircraft 344 319 🇯🇵 1.1×
Combat share of fleet 26.5 % 43.8 % 🇹🇼 1.7×
Aircraft types in service 36 22 🇯🇵 1.6×
Main supplier United States · 64 % United States · 62 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 427 239 🇯🇵 1.8×
Transport aircraft 114 26 🇯🇵 4.4×
Special-mission aircraft 113 18 🇯🇵 6.3×
Trainers 299 98 🇯🇵 3.1×
UAVs 2 28 🇹🇼 14×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇯🇵 JapanF-15 Eagle ×200UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" ×93Mitsubishi F-2 ×90
🇹🇼 TaiwanF-16V Viper ×138F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo ×129AH-1W Super Cobra ×62
Fleet evolution · Japan
Fleet evolution · Taiwan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more military aircraft with 1,299 active aircraft compared to Taiwan's 728, a difference of 571 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more combat aircraft with 344 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Taiwan's 319.
Which country has more military helicopters, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan operates more military helicopters with 427 compared to Taiwan's 239.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more transport aircraft with 114 compared to Taiwan's 26.
How do the Japan and Taiwan air forces compare in size?
Japan's air force is 4.4 times larger than Taiwan's in terms of total active aircraft (114 vs 26).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has 369 aircraft on order compared to Taiwan's 68.