America’s first combat jet to exceed 500 miles per hour was the Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star. This aircraft first flew during World War II, but the war was over before the Shooting Star ever saw combat. With the F-80C came a new era of increasingly advanced fighter jets. Today, the US leads the way with the most fighter jets in its fleet. But China follows close behind. (Also see the fastest fighter jets in existence.)
24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of 20 countries with the most extensive fighter jet fleets by reviewing the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked countries on the number of fighter jets designated for combat in each nation’s active military fleet. We’ve included additional information about the overall fleet size and the most common fighter jet from FlightGlobal.
Why Are We Covering This?
The first fighter jets changed the course of warfare during World War II when the German Me 262 attacked a British aircraft in 1944. Since then, fighter jets have evolved tremendously, with the U.S. currently testing jets piloted by artificial intelligence. Driven by the competition with China, these new technologies are sure to lead the shift of what’s to come with fighter jets around the world. 24/7 wants you to be aware of which countries are leading the race to have the air force with the most fighter jets in its arsenal.
Here is a look at the countries with the largest fighter jet fleets.
20. United Kingdom
- Total fighter jets: 149 (22.44% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 664 (#14 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: Eurofighter Typhoon (120 aircraft)
19. Spain
- Total fighter jets: 151 (29.43% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 513 (#19 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: EF-18M/F/A-18A (71 aircraft)
18. Greece
- Total fighter jets: 194 (30.70% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 632 (#15 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16C (115 aircraft)
17. Turkey
- Total fighter jets: 205 (19.18% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 1,069 (#9 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16C (157 aircraft)
16. Germany
- Total fighter jets: 210 (33.98% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 618 (#16 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: Eurofighter (133 aircraft)
15. Iran
- Total fighter jets: 218 (39.56% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 551 (#18 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-4D/E/RF-4E (63 aircraft)
14. France
- Total fighter jets: 224 (23.05% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 972 (#10 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: Rafale B/C (92 aircraft)
13. Syria
- Total fighter jets: 225 (49.78% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 452 (#20 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: MiG-23 (87 aircraft)
12. Japan
- Total fighter jets: 253 (17.34% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 1,459 (#6 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-15J (155 aircraft)
11. Israel
- Total fighter jets: 280 (45.75% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 612 (#17 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16C/I (175 aircraft)
10. Taiwan
- Total fighter jets: 286 (38.13% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 750 (#13 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16A/V (111 aircraft)
9. Egypt
- Total fighter jets: 326 (30.19% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 1,080 (#8 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16A/C (168 aircraft)
8. Saudi Arabia
- Total fighter jets: 364 (39.82% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 914 (#12 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-15C/S/SA (211 aircraft)
7. South Korea
- Total fighter jets: 452 (28.68% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 1,576 (#5 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-5E (153 aircraft)
6. Pakistan
- Total fighter jets: 477 (33.26% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 1,434 (#7 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-7 (135 aircraft)
5. North Korea
- Total fighter jets: 572 (60.15% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 951 (#11 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-5 (Shenyang) (106 aircraft)
4. India
- Total fighter jets: 736 (32.06% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 2,296 (#4 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: Su-30 (266 aircraft)
3. Russia
- Total fighter jets: 1,539 (36.17% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 4,255 (#2 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: Su-27/30/35 (409 aircraft)
2. China
- Total fighter jets: 1,578 (47.76% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 3,304 (#3 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: J-7 (417 aircraft)
1. United States
- Total fighter jets: 2,317 (17.54% of total fleet)
- Total military aircraft fleet: 13,209 (#1 most of 145)
- Most common fighter jet: F-16C (738 aircraft)
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The post Dominating the Skies — The Countries With the Most Fighter Jets appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..
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Author: Jennifer Geer
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