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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Russia Russia vs Flag of Ukraine Ukraine

Russia's air force fields 5,378 active aircraft — 16:1 Ukraine's 342.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Russia RussiaWorld #3 53.3
AIRS Index / 100

Russia leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of Ukraine UkraineWorld #31 12.5
  • 120 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 0
  • 1,524 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 137
  • 1,604 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 136
  • 514 Transportweight ×10 27
  • 96 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 1,078 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 442 Trainersweight ×1 42
Russia Ukraine 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
Russia Ukraine Ratio
Official name Russian Air Force Ukraine Air Force
Active aircraft 5,378 342 🇷🇺 16×
Aircraft on order 677 2 🇷🇺 338×
Combat aircraft 1,524 137 🇷🇺 11×
Combat share of fleet 28.3 % 40.1 % 🇺🇦 1.4×
Aircraft types in service 52 17 🇷🇺 3.1×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 62 % Ex-USSR · 68 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 120 0 🇷🇺
Helicopters 1,604 136 🇷🇺 12×
Transport aircraft 514 27 🇷🇺 19×
Special-mission aircraft 96 0 🇷🇺
Trainers 442 42 🇷🇺 11×
UAVs 1,078 0 🇷🇺
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇷🇺 RussiaMi-8 Hip ×789Su-27 Flanker ×468Mi-24 Hind ×325
🇺🇦 UkraineMi-8 Hip ×73MiG-29 Fulcrum ×45Mi-24 Hind ×39
Fleet evolution · Russia
Fleet evolution · Ukraine

Analyst Assessment

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Verdict
Edge: Russia

Russia holds a decisive quantitative and qualitative advantage over Ukraine in the air, fielding roughly 4,300 aircraft including 1,524 combat types and 120 bombers against Ukraine's 342 aircraft and 137 combat types, with a domestic industry able to replace losses. Ukraine's air force remains combat-hardened and is progressively re-equipping with Western types such as the F-16 and Mirage 2000, but it cannot contest airspace at scale or conduct deep strike with manned aircraft.

Domain by domain
Fighter & multirole fleet Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia1,524 combat aircraft: 468 Su-27, 296 Su-24, 256 MiG-29K, 142 Su-34, 128 MiG-31 with long-range AAMs, plus 78 Su-57 on order. Depth allows sustained sortie generation across multiple theatres.
🇺🇦 Ukraine137 combat aircraft: 45 MiG-29, 31 F-16, 23 Su-27, 19 Su-25, 13 Su-24, 6 Mirage 2000. Western types add modern radars and munitions, but numbers permit only defensive, dispersed employment.
Strike & bombers Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia120 bombers, the only long-range strike arm in the pair, with 50 Tu-160 on order; Su-34 and Su-24 provide tactical strike mass and glide-bomb delivery.
🇺🇦 UkraineNo bomber force. Strike rests on Su-24, Su-25 and F-16 carrying stand-off munitions in limited numbers; reach is tactical rather than strategic.
ISR / AEW & tankers Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia96 special-mission aircraft, including AEW and ELINT platforms, with 31 Il-78 tankers on order supporting extended-range operations.
🇺🇦 UkraineNo special-mission aircraft in service; two Saab 340 AEW&C on order would be a first organic airborne early-warning capability, offset meanwhile by partner-provided ISR.
Helicopters & rotary lift Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia1,604 helicopters: 789 Mi-8, 325 Mi-24, 138 Ka-52, with 138 Mi-28, 100 Ka-60 and 41 further Ka-52 on order.
🇺🇦 Ukraine136 helicopters, chiefly 73 Mi-8 and 39 Mi-24 of the same Soviet lineage, roughly a twelfth of Russia's fleet and with no significant order book.
Procurement pipeline & industry Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia677 aircraft on order across bombers, fighters, transports and helicopters, largely from domestic plants; 77 percent ex-USSR fleet supports established spares and overhaul lines.
🇺🇦 UkraineTwo aircraft on order. Regeneration depends almost entirely on transfers of second-hand Western airframes and on dwindling Soviet-era stocks for its 68 percent ex-USSR fleet.
Wildcards
  • Ground-based air defence Neither side has achieved uncontested control of the air. Dense surface-to-air systems on both sides confine manned aviation to stand-off profiles, blunting Russia's numerical superiority more than any Ukrainian aircraft count suggests.
  • Partner supply and access Ukraine's F-16 and Mirage 2000 fleets, plus the Saab 340 AEW&C order, depend on continued partner deliveries, training pipelines and depot support abroad — a variable outside Kyiv's control.
  • Fleet mix and sustainment Operating 17 types on 342 airframes, Ukraine faces a fragmenting logistics chain as Soviet stocks deplete. Russia's 49 types on 4,300 airframes are largely domestically supported, easing attrition replacement.
  • Combat experience Both air arms have accumulated extensive wartime experience in contested airspace, including stand-off strike and suppression tasks — an equalizer that partly offsets the raw disparity in inventory.
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Analysis generated by a language model from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has more military aircraft with 5,378 active aircraft compared to Ukraine's 342, a difference of 5,036 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has more combat aircraft with 1,524 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Ukraine's 137.
Which country has more military helicopters, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia operates more military helicopters with 1,604 compared to Ukraine's 136.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has more transport aircraft with 514 compared to Ukraine's 27.
How do the Russia and Ukraine air forces compare in size?
Russia's air force is 19.0 times larger than Ukraine's in terms of total active aircraft (514 vs 27).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has 677 aircraft on order compared to Ukraine's 2.