Fighter jets are instrumental in militaries across the world, necessary to take to the skies and protect national interests. These jets saw advancement amid the chaos of World War II, dropping bombs over enemy territory. Since this great war, these jets have continued to evolve. Globally, these jets are deployed during times of conflict, and any military without fighter jets is vulnerable to other nations with air superiority.
These multi-purpose aircraft have several capabilities needed in combat. They can intercept threats, conduct reconnaissance, and perform surveillance missions. At other times, fighter jets aid ground missions. While many nations have at least a few fighter jets, other countries have far more by comparison. For example, the United States and China both own significantly more fighter jets than comparable nations. These fleets are mainly the result of both countries’ investments in their massive air forces.
Here, 24/7 Wall St. examines the air power of other countries across the globe with a list of the top 21 countries with the most fighter jets. We used data from the 2024 report, World Air Forces, from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website to bring you this list. We based our rankings on the number of fighter jets in each country’s active military fleet. Additionally, we’re providing you with information on the overall fleet size and the most common fighter jet, also via FlightGlobal. We’ve added military expenditure amounts from 2022 using data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Military Expenditure Database. This is the most recent data at the time of publication.
Why We Are 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 are the countries with the largest fighter jet fleets:
21. Singapore
- Total Fighter Jets: 100 (40.4% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 247 (ranking 40 out of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16C/D (60 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: Unlisted
20. United Kingdom
- Total Fighter Jets: 149 (22.4% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 664 (ranking 16 out of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: Eurofighter Typhoon (120 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $68.5 billion (ranking 6 out of 172)
19. Spain
- Total Fighter Jets: 139 (27.1% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 513 (ranking 23 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: EF-18M/F/A-18A (71 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $20.3 billion (ranking 16 of 172)
18. Greece
- Total Fighter Jets: 194 (30.6% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 632 (ranking 17 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16C (115 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $8.1 billion (ranking 31 of 172)
17. Germany
- Total Fighter Jets: 209 (33.8% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 618 (ranking 18 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: Eurofighter (133 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $55.8 billion (ranking 7 of 172)
16. Iran
- Total Fighter Jets: 209 (37.9% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 551 (ranking 22 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-4D/E/RF-4E (63 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $6.8 billion (ranking 34 of 172)
15. Turkey
- Total Fighter Jets: 205 (19.1% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 1,069 (ranking 9 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16C (157 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $10.6 billion (ranking 23 of 172)
14. France
- Total Fighter Jets: 224 (23.0% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 972 (ranking 10 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: Rafale B/C (92 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $53.6 billion (ranking 8 of 172)
13. Syria
- Total Fighter Jets: 225 (49.7% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 452 (ranking 29 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: MiG-23 (87 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: Unlisted
12. Japan
- Total Fighter Jets: 253 (17.3% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 1,459 (ranking 6 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-15J (155 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $46.0 billion (ranking 10 of 172)
11. Israel
- Total Fighter Jets: 280 (45.7% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 612 (ranking 19 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16C/I (175 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $23.4 billion (ranking 15 of 172)
10. Taiwan
- Total Fighter Jets: 286 (39.3% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 726 (ranking 14 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16A/V (111 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $12.5 billion (ranking 21 of 172)
9. Egypt
- Total Fighter Jets: 326 (30.2% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 1,080 (ranking 8 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16A/C (168 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $4.6 billion (ranking 46 of 172)
8. Saudi Arabia
- Total Fighter Jets: 364 (40.5% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 897 (ranking 12 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-15C/S/SA (211 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $75.0 billion (ranking 5 of 172)
7. Pakistan
- Total Fighter Jets: 477 (33.3% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 1,434 (ranking 7 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-7 (135 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $10.3 billion (ranking 24 of 172)
6. South Korea
- Total Fighter Jets: 452 (28.7% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 1,576 (ranking 5 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-5E (153 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $46.4 billion (ranking 9 of 172)
5. North Korea
- Total Fighter Jets: 572 (60.4% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 947 (ranking 11 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-7 (120 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: Unlisted
4. India
- Total Fighter Jets: 736 (32.1% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 2,296 (ranking 4 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: Su-30 (266 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $81.4 billion (ranking 4 of 172)
3. Russia
- Total Fighter Jets: 1,539 (36.1% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 4,255 (ranking 2 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: Su-27/30/35 (365 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $86.4 billion (ranking 3 of 172)
2. China
- Total Fighter Jets: 1,578 (47.8% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 3,304 (ranking 3 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: J-7 (387 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $292.0 billion (ranking 2 of 172)
1. United States
- Total Fighter Jets: 2,750 (20.8% of total fleet)
- Total Military Aircraft: 13,209 (ranking 1 of 145)
- Most Common Fighter Jet: F-16C (738 aircraft)
- Defense Expenditure: $876.9 billion (ranking 1 of 172)
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The post These Countries Have the Most Superior Air Forces in the World appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..