The United States Air Force remains the world’s largest air force by far, but did you know that, when counting is restricted to just crewed aircraft, the USAF has been shrinking for decades and is set to continue shrinking for the foreseeable future? The US military aviation boasts a much larger lead when the aircraft of the US Navy, Marines, and Army are added. However, a major factor influencing the numbers is whether trainers and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) are included.

The US is looking to stem its numerical decline by introducing Collaborative Combat Aircraft and other UAVs of various descriptions into its fleet starting in the late 2020s. Let’s take a closer look at the largest air forces in the world, noting that estimates are ballpark figures, and Chinese and Russian numbers could vary significantly.

The US Air Force: The World’s Biggest

The US Air Force is easily the world’s biggest air force by any measure, except for helicopters, as that is the US Army’s domain. Excluding trainers and uncrewed aircraft, the US Air Force has around 3,600 aircraft of all types in inventory. If trainers and large UAVs are included, then the fleet numbers rise to around 5,000 aircraft. The number is expected to soon dip below 5,000 for the first time since the Second World War.

Not only does the US Air Force have more aircraft, but it also has more capable aircraft than other air forces, as the US boasts far more special mission aircraft and around 75% of the world’s tanker aircraft. While a lot of emphasis is often put on fighter jets, it is almost impossible to overstate how important these special mission and tanker aircraft are to the fighter jets’ ability to project power.

No other air force (apart from the US Navy/Marines to some extent) has the ability to project power almost anywhere in the world as the US Air Force can. At the end of WWII, the US Army Air Forces had around 72,000 aircraft in service, while the US Navy and Marines added another 40,000 for a total of around 112,000. Today, in raw numbers, it’s around 10% of that.

The US’s Other ‘Air Forces’

The US Navy, Marine Corps, and Army all operate aviation arms that essentially amount to air forces of their own. Depending on the estimate, the Army Aviation may field more crewed aircraft (mostly helicopters) than the US Air Force, excluding trainers and UAVs. Estimates for the US Army Aviation size range from around 3,500 to 4,000, rising to around 4,600 once UAVs and trainers are accounted for.

The US Navy and Marines together boast what is essentially the world’s second most powerful air force. The Navy possesses around 1,900 crewed aircraft (excluding trainers), while the Marine Corps adds another thousand for a total of around 2,900. That rises to around 3,700 once trainers and UAVs are added.

Taken together, US military aviation is around three times larger than the next largest combined military aviation in the world. The US possesses a total crewed non-trainer force of somewhere in the ballpark of 10,300 aircraft, or 13,000 with trainers and high-end UAVs. The US has almost double the number of transport aircraft than the next-biggest, around four times more combat helicopters, and around five times more training aircraft.

Russia: An Air Force In Decline

Numerically, Russia’s air force still ranks as second, but it is a position it will not be able to hold, as production is weak, and aircraft are aging out en masse. Combat losses in Ukraine make Russia’s fleet size harder to estimate, but that is not the biggest factor. Indeed, the main factor is that so much of the fleet is aging that it’s difficult to know how much of it remains operational and how much of it is little more than rotten hulks stripped of parts.

During Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web, which blew up around 20% of Russia’s operational strategic bombers, some aircraft hit were visibly non-operational, often sitting there without engines amongst operational bombers. The Russian military is estimated to have a total of 3,500 crewed aircraft, excluding trainers, and a fleet of around 4,200 with trainers and UAVs.

The US has around 3,500 more aircraft stored at the Davis-Monthan boneyard, and so these aircraft are not counted in the US figures. It’s unclear how many aircraft in the Russian Air Force would meet the boneyard’s criterion. A good example to highlight is point is its fighter jet fleet, as various estimates claim Russia’s combat fleet is around 1,500 fighter jets.

However, this includes essentially obsolete aircraft like MiG-29s, Su-24s, Su-27s, and Su-25s, many of which may no longer be flightworthy, let alone combatworthy. Reflecting this, the think-tank Rusi recently estimated Russia’s relevant fighter jet fleet size at up to 560. The paper was not interested in discussing those older fighter jet types now rarely seen in combat.

China’s Air Forces

According to US DoD estimates, in 2023, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and PLAN Aviation possessed over 3,150 aircraft, excluding trainers and UAVs. Of these, around 2,400 are estimated to be combat aircraft (fighters, strategic bombers, tactical bombers, multi-mission tactical, and attack aircraft). The DoD described the PLAAF as « rapidly catching up to Western air forces. » The report estimated the PLAAF and PLAN Aviation together field around 1,900 fighters.

Of these, over 1,300 are fourth-generation fighters, excluding trainers. The DoD also says that « the PLAAF is rapidly receiving and fielding its fifth-generation J-20, which is designed to provide the PRC with a high-end air superiority capability. » In 2025, OSINT accounts reported China had delivered at least 300 J-20 fighter jets while the J-35 had also entered serial production.

One of the critical areas where China is advancing is in developing its aircraft carrier fleet.

The third aircraft carrier, the Type 003 Fujian, entered service in 2025, and the next, possibly nuclear-powered, aircraft carrier has recently been seen under construction. The US is currently struggling to maintain its fleet of 11 super carriers, with the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) likely to be decommissioned before the next carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), enters service. Even so, for now, the Chinese PLANAF is diminutive compared to the combined US Navy/Marine aviation branches.

Fighter Jet Production Rates

Around 550 frontline fighter jets were delivered in 2025, with around 85% of that number coming from just the US and China. While it’s possible to state the fighter jet deliveries for countries like the US and France precisely (thanks to contractors reporting their deliveries), deliveries need to be estimated for countries like Russia and China, with a large margin of uncertainty with China.

The US industry delivered 234 fighter jets, plus or minus one or two, as end-of-year F-16 deliveries have not been reported. A significant percentage of these jets were exported, while the F-35 dominated deliveries with a record 191 Lightning IIs delivered. Chinese deliveries are estimated to have amounted to between 220 and 290, likely putting it ahead of the US.

Russian fighter jet deliveries were between 33 and 39, with a limited number exported to Belarus and Algeria. European deliveries amounted to around 41 (Rafales, Eurofighters, and Gripens), with the Rafale leading at 25 deliveries. US deliveries are insufficient to keep up with retirements, China appears to be growing its fleet after retirements, and Russia’s deliveries are woefully inadequate to keep up with aging and obsolescence outside of its core Flanker-based fleet.

The Switch To More Capable But Less Numerous Aircraft

In 2017, the US Air Force had around 5,500 aircraft. Now the figure is dipping below 5,000, although it remains the world’s biggest. New aircraft are far more expensive and capable than the older aircraft they replace and are rarely replaced one-for-one. The F-35 is immensely more capable than the aircraft it replaces, and fewer of them are needed to achieve the same effect. Even so, this means a loss of mass, which is important in a high-end, long-lasting conflict.

To make up the numbers, the USAF is turning to loyal wingman drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft. While it only expects to purchase 185+ upcoming extremely capable 6th-generation F-47s, it is planning to purchase over 1,000 CCAs. The Marines, Navy, and other air forces in the world are doing the same. For example, the German Air Force now has an urgent need for 400 high-end UAVs.

The line between fighter jets and other systems is blurring. Not only are high-end drones filling some fighter jet roles, but fighter jets are filling missile/drone roles. For example, China is known for equipping many of its obsolete J-7 fighter jets as zombie one-way attack drones. It should be stressed that numbers are not the same thing as capability. For now, the US Air Force remains the world’s largest, and the US military aviation is by far the biggest, although crewed aircraft numbers are falling.