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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Angola Angola vs Flag of South Africa South Africa

Angola operates 280 active military aircraft vs 192 for South Africa.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Angola AngolaWorld #56 8.6
AIRS Index / 100

South Africa leads on 4 of 5 categories

Roundel of South Africa South AfricaWorld #42 10.7
  • 87 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 25
  • 115 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 84
  • 36 Transportweight ×10 22
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 4
  • 42 Trainersweight ×1 57
Angola South Africa 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
Angola South Africa Ratio
Official name National Air Force of Angola South African Air Force
Active aircraft 280 192 🇦🇴 1.5×
Aircraft on order 4 0 🇦🇴
Combat aircraft 87 25 🇦🇴 3.5×
Combat share of fleet 31.1 % 13.0 % 🇦🇴 2.4×
Aircraft types in service 26 15 🇦🇴 1.7×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 58 % South Africa · 25 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 115 84 🇦🇴 1.4×
Transport aircraft 36 22 🇦🇴 1.6×
Special-mission aircraft 0 4 🇿🇦
Trainers 42 57 🇿🇦 1.4×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇦🇴 AngolaMi-8 Hip ×65MiG-21 Fishbed ×23MiG-23 Flogger ×22
🇿🇦 South AfricaAtlas Oryx ×37JAS 39 Gripen ×25AW109 ×24
Fleet evolution · Angola
Fleet evolution · South Africa
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Angola or South Africa?
Angola has more military aircraft with 280 active aircraft compared to South Africa's 192, a difference of 88 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Angola or South Africa?
Angola has more combat aircraft with 87 fighters and attack aircraft compared to South Africa's 25.
Which country has more military helicopters, Angola or South Africa?
Angola operates more military helicopters with 115 compared to South Africa's 84.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Angola or South Africa?
Angola has more transport aircraft with 36 compared to South Africa's 22.
How do the Angola and South Africa air forces compare in size?
Angola's air force is 1.6 times larger than South Africa's in terms of total active aircraft (36 vs 22).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Angola or South Africa?
Angola has 4 aircraft on order compared to South Africa's 0.