Thousands of Brand New Fighter Jets Are on the Way to These Countries

24/7 Wall St. Insights

We used data from the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website.
One of the most popular aircraft on order by member states of NATO is the F-35 Lightning II.
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Following the end of World War II, a multinational, peacetime military alliance was formed. Its purpose was to promote democracy and provide for a common defense for each member nation. At this time, there are 32 members, most recently including Sweden. Each nation’s military assets are at the disposal of the group if an attack is made on one of them.

With the addition of Sweden, the alliance grew stronger, allowing Sweden’s sizable navy and other military assets to be available to NATO. While naval power is an important facet of NATO’s forces, the combined air forces of these member nations are monumental.

Logistical aircraft like transports and tankers may be common among NATO aircraft, but combat aircraft and helicopters fill out a large portion of its ranks. The United States military might have the most aircraft in the world, but other member nations of NATO have sizable fleets as well, and they are only getting larger.

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is looking at NATO members who are purchasing the most military aircraft. To determine whether NATO countries buy the most military aircraft, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked these countries according to which countries were ordering the most military aircraft in total. We included supplemental information from GlobalFirePower regarding each country’s current air force and overall military strength ranking. We excluded countries that are not in the process of ordering military aircraft.

One of the most popular aircraft on order by member states of NATO is the F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Hundreds of these aircraft are on order as NATO members are looking to stock up on the next generation of fighter jets.

Operationally, the F-35 is one of the most versatile aircraft on the market. It can act as an interceptor or strike fighter and perform covert reconnaissance missions with its advanced stealth technology. While the Lightning II is only one of the aircraft NATO forces are buying, there are hundreds more aircraft that will fill a series of roles within any NATO country’s military forces.

Why Is This Important?

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As a member of NATO, the United States and other countries are asked to contribute 2% of their national income on defense. In 2024, 23 of the countries are expected to meet this goal, which is an increase from three in 2014. The US contributes 16% of the NATO budget, which has been a source of contention on the political stage and even more so now that there is a coming national election.

Here is a look at the NATO countries buying the most military aircraft.