Army comparison: 
Iran vs 
Israel
Iran's army fields 6,676 active vehicles — 4.3:1 Israel's 1,570. Additionally, Iran has 0 and Israel has 5,918 vehicles in storage.
Ground forces pillar (ARMS Index) face-off All armies →
IranGround pillar #10
72.4
Ground pillar / 100
Iran leads on 6 of 7 categories
IsraelGround pillar #33
61.0
Iran
Israel
Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS ground pillar (vehicles × category weight, active + 0.3 × stored) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| Iran | Israel | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total vehicles | 6,676 | 1,570 | 🇮🇷 4.3× |
| In storage | 0 | 5,918 | 🇮🇱 |
| On order | 800 | 0 | 🇮🇷 |
| Main battle tanks | 1,513 | 400 | 🇮🇷 3.8× |
| Artillery pieces | 3,798 | 280 | 🇮🇷 14× |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | 1,365 | 890 | 🇮🇷 1.5× |
| Active military personnel (all branches) | 610,000 | 169,500 | 🇮🇷 3.6× |
| Reserve military personnel (all branches) | 350,000 | 465,000 | 🇮🇱 1.3× |
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
| Infantry fighting vehicles | 610 | 0 | 🇮🇷 |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 640 | 890 | 🇮🇱 1.4× |
| Self-propelled artillery | 292 | 250 | 🇮🇷 1.2× |
| Towed artillery | 2,030 | 0 | 🇮🇷 |
| Rocket artillery | 1,476 | 30 | 🇮🇷 49× |
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
Analyst Assessment
Run the wargame simulation →Verdict
Edge: Israel
Iran fields by far the larger ground force — roughly 610,000 active troops and 6,676 vehicles against Israel's 169,500 and 1,570 — but Israel's army is qualitatively newer, more mechanised and far more combat-tested. On balance Israel holds the edge in a decisive engagement, while Iran's advantage lies in mass, artillery volume and depth.
Domain by domain
Armour
Edge: Israel
🇮🇷 Iran1,513 MBTs, mostly legacy: 540 Safir 74, 480 T-72, 168 M48A5 Patton. Numbers over protection; 800 domestic Bani Hashim Karrar on order would modernise only part of the fleet.
🇮🇱 Israel400 Merkava 4 — a single, uniform, modern class with heavy frontal protection, active protection and crew-survivability design, backed by a large stored reserve pool. Fewer than a third of Iran's count, but generationally ahead.
Artillery & rocket forces
Edge: Iran
🇮🇷 Iran3,798 tubes and launchers: 985 M-46, 540 D-30, 2,030 towed pieces total, plus 700 Type 63 MRL and 600 Fajr 1. Mass fires, largely towed and short-ranged, 292 self-propelled.
🇮🇱 Israel280 pieces: 250 M109 Paladin self-propelled and just 30 M270 MLRS. Precision- and air-centric fire support rather than volume; roughly a thirteen-to-one deficit in tubes.
Mechanised infantry
Edge: Israel
Reserves & mobilisation
Even
🇮🇷 Iran610,000 active and 350,000 reserves, plus paramilitary depth. Manpower is abundant, but no reported vehicle storage pool — 0 in storage — limits equipment for surge formations.
🇮🇱 Israel169,500 active and 465,000 reserves built on rapid call-up, with 5,918 vehicles in storage versus 1,570 active — a mobilisation base sized to equip reserve brigades quickly.
Doctrine & combat experience
Edge: Israel
🇮🇷 IranDoctrine emphasises attrition, dispersal, indirect fire and irregular partners; ground formations are largely defensive and rarely conduct large mechanised manoeuvre outside national territory.
🇮🇱 IsraelCombined-arms armoured doctrine with continuous operational cycling, tight air-ground integration and habitual use of Merkava-Namer teams in dense terrain. Sustained recent operational tempo.
Wildcards
- Geography and reach The two armies do not share a border; roughly a thousand kilometres of third countries separate them. Neither can readily bring its ground mass to bear, which favours the side with standoff fires over the side with tanks.
- Sustainment and industry Iran's fleet is domestically maintained under sanctions, with local production such as the Bani Hashim Karrar. Israel builds Merkava and Namer at home but depends on external supply for munitions and key components during high-intensity use.
- Fleet coherence Israel operates roughly six vehicle types; Iran more than a dozen from Soviet, Chinese, American and domestic sources. Fewer supply chains ease spares, training and battlefield repair; Iran's diversity complicates all three.
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Editorial assessment produced 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 armored vehicles, Iran or Israel?
Iran has a larger ground force with 6,676 vehicles compared to Israel's 1,570 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Iran or Israel?
Iran operates more main battle tanks with 1,513 compared to Israel's 400.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Iran or Israel?
Iran has 610 infantry fighting vehicles compared to Israel's 0.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Iran or Israel?
Israel operates 890 APCs compared to Iran's 640.
Which country has more artillery systems, Iran or Israel?
Iran fields 3,798 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to Israel's 280.
How do the Iran and Israel armies compare in size?
Iran's army is 4.3 times larger than Israel's in terms of total vehicles (6,676 vs 1,570).