24/7 Wall St. Insights
- NATO’s “collective defense” policy makes attack helicopters crucial for member countries to provide support.
- Attack helicopters do more than their names suggest: they can also be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and defense.
- The top NATO member on this list has 1,000 attack helicopters, while the other 12 members have a collective 456.
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As the Russia-Ukraine war wages on, one power involved in the fight has made a controversial and potentially devastating move. The Kyiv Post reports that Russian forces may have deployed a Shahed kamikaze missile that landed and detonated in Romania. At the time, Russia was conducting a missile operation in the Ukrainian city of Izmail. The problem for Russia here is that Romania has been a NATO member for two decades. NATO has a policy of collective defense; if one NATO member is attacked, the other members are compelled to collectively step in. Attack helicopters might be used as part of the response. (The U.S. has the strongest military in NATO, but #2 might surprise you.)
Attack helicopters offer a variety of support and militaristic function to the 32 NATO members. Helicopters can provide rapid response in emergency situations, enhance monitoring and surveillance in certain areas, and use multiple weapons to improve combat efficiency. For NATO, attack helicopters deter potential aggressors while also improving members’ defense. Outside of these offensive capabilities, attack helicopters help NATO’s reconnaissance and surveillance efforts. They are equipped with sophisticated sensors and targeting systems that provide intelligence and situational awareness. (Check out the combat helicopters most widely used by the world’s militaries.)
Here, 24/7 Wall St. more closely examines the attack helicopters within the NATO Alliance. To determine the NATO countries with the most attack helicopters, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 military strength report from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. We ranked these countries according to which countries have the most military helicopters. We included supplemental information regarding each country’s current air force and overall military strength ranking. Luxembourg and Iceland were excluded from this list because neither has military helicopters. #1 on the list has more attack helicopters cumulatively than the remaining 12 nations.
Why Are We Covering This?
Helicopters are broadly used across the military in different capacities. Some military helicopters partake in rescue missions, others in resource or equipment delivery. Attack helicopters are essential to NATO members because of their multifunctional roles and operational capacity. Ultimately, their integration within the military alliance forces allows for more flexible and successful fighting. Although NATO is not currently engaged in any conflict (though the Russia-Ukraine war is causing tensions to rise), it pays to be prepared.
Here are the NATO members with the most attack helicopters:
13. Czechia (Czech Republic)
- Total attack helicopters: 3
- Total helicopters: 33
- Total military aircraft: 88
- Total fighter aircraft: 12
- Total attack aircraft: 16
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
12. Bulgaria
- Total attack helicopters: 4
- Total helicopters: 27
- Total military aircraft: 65
- Total fighter aircraft: 11
- Total attack aircraft: 5
- Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
11. Hungary
- Total attack helicopters: 8
- Total helicopters: 38
- Total military aircraft: 62
- Total fighter aircraft: 12
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
10. Spain
- Total attack helicopters: 17
- Total helicopters: 121
- Total military aircraft: 513
- Total fighter aircraft: 139
- Total attack aircraft: 12
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
9. Netherlands
- Total attack helicopters: 21
- Total helicopters: 66
- Total military aircraft: 143
- Total fighter aircraft: 26
- Total attack aircraft: 26
- Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145
8. Greece
- Total attack helicopters: 29
- Total helicopters: 289
- Total military aircraft: 632
- Total fighter aircraft: 194
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
7. Poland
- Total attack helicopters: 30
- Total helicopters: 215
- Total military aircraft: 468
- Total fighter aircraft: 59
- Total attack aircraft: 34
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
6. United Kingdom
- Total attack helicopters: 52
- Total helicopters: 276
- Total military aircraft: 664
- Total fighter aircraft: 120
- Total attack aircraft: 29
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
5. Germany
- Total attack helicopters: 55
- Total helicopters: 318
- Total military aircraft: 618
- Total fighter aircraft: 133
- Total attack aircraft: 76
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
4. Italy
- Total attack helicopters: 57
- Total helicopters: 402
- Total military aircraft: 800
- Total fighter aircraft: 90
- Total attack aircraft: 67
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
3. France
- Total attack helicopters: 69
- Total helicopters: 447
- Total military aircraft: 972
- Total fighter aircraft: 224
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
2. Turkey
- Total attack helicopters: 111
- Total helicopters: 502
- Total military aircraft: 1,069
- Total fighter aircraft: 205
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
1. United States
- Total attack helicopters: 1,000
- Total helicopters: 5,737
- Total military aircraft: 13,209
- Total fighter aircraft: 1,854
- Total attack aircraft: 896
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
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