Modern military doctrine leans heavily on the concept of air superiority, meaning for nations to be successful in military operations they must control the skies. Although most think of the United States, China and Russia when it comes to superior air forces. However, African nations have been making an effort in fleet modernization in recent years, and some are quite formidable now. (This African country has the most military manpower, and it’s not even close.)
Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at African nations that have the most military aircraft. To determine the African countries with the most military aircraft, 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 aircraft. We included supplemental information regarding each country’s current air force and overall military strength ranking. Nations that did not have any military aircraft were excluded.
Egypt ranks as one of the top 10 nations in the world in terms of its fleet of fighter jets. It has pulled from both the United States and Russia in terms of modernizing its fleet over the past few decades. The air force that Egypt has built now is easily one of the strongest, and more African nations are following its example. (These are the strongest militaries in Africa.)
As these African nations seek to maintain or extend their strategic influence, the role of acquiring more fighter jets and military aircraft will continue to be a top priority.
Here is a look at the African countries with the most military aircraft:
Why Are We Covering This?
Source: Kichigin / iStock via Getty Images
Understanding the military dynamics of Africa is important due to the continent’s strategic geopolitical significance. The continent is known for some instability, and military power is one way of ensuring stability both political and economic. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly and the continued stability of this region is crucial.
36. Benin
Source: njnationalguard / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 3
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 2
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 3.8912 – #141 out of 145
35. Sierra Leone
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 4
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 4
- Total attack helicopters: 2
- Military strength score: 3.5433 – #138 out of 145
34. Madagascar
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 5
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 5
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 3.0655 – #133 out of 145
33. Central African Republic
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 6
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 0
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 3.5316 – #137 out of 145
32. Ivory Coast
Source: Sean MENDIS / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 9
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 2
- Total attack helicopters: 1
- Military strength score: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
31. Republic of the Congo
- Total military aircraft: 14
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 2
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 8
- Total attack helicopters: 1
- Military strength score: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
30. South Sudan
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 16
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 15
- Total attack helicopters: 6
- Military strength score: 2.4376 – #119 out of 145
29. Ghana
- Total military aircraft: 20
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 11
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145
28. Eritrea
Source: Clay Gilliland / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 20
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 1
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 13
- Total attack helicopters: 6
- Military strength score: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
27. Mozambique
Source: Bob Adams / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 21
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 8
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 8
- Total attack helicopters: 2
- Military strength score: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
26. Burkina Faso
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 21
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 3
- Total helicopters: 11
- Total attack helicopters: 2
- Military strength score: 2.8501 – #127 out of 145
25. Niger
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 24
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 2
- Total helicopters: 13
- Total attack helicopters: 1
- Military strength score: 2.5988 – #121 out of 145
24. Mauritania
- Total military aircraft: 24
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 4
- Total helicopters: 4
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.9277 – #131 out of 145
23. Gabon
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 24
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 6
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 15
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145
22. Namibia
Source: tienvijftien / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 32
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 9
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 7
- Total attack helicopters: 2
- Military strength score: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
21. Cameroon
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 35
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 21
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145
20. Tanzania
Source: Hansueli Krapf / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 39
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 14
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 12
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.0587 – #103 out of 145
19. Senegal
Source: usairforce / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 39
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 21
- Total attack helicopters: 5
- Military strength score: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145
18. Chad
Source: Aeroprints.com / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 41
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 7
- Total helicopters: 15
- Total attack helicopters: 3
- Military strength score: 1.8607 – #93 out of 145
17. Mali
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 42
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 9
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 12
- Total helicopters: 10
- Total attack helicopters: 7
- Military strength score: 2.1115 – #106 out of 145
16. Democratic Republic of Congo
Source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine/Nazar Voloshyn / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 46
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 1
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 6
- Total helicopters: 32
- Total attack helicopters: 8
- Military strength score: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
15. Botswana
Source: Bob Adams / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 46
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 11
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 16
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 2.8353 – #126 out of 145
14. Uganda
Source: US Army Africa / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 55
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 11
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 26
- Total attack helicopters: 6
- Military strength score: 2.2405 – #114 out of 145
13. Zimbabwe
Source: Danie van der Merwe / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 90
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 10
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 28
- Total attack helicopters: 6
- Military strength score: 2.0352 – #101 out of 145
12. Ethiopia
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 91
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 23
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 31
- Total attack helicopters: 6
- Military strength score: 0.7938 – #49 out of 145
11. Zambia
Source: Bob Adams / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 99
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 8
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 28
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 1.9851 – #97 out of 145
10. Libya
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 132
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 17
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 3
- Total helicopters: 32
- Total attack helicopters: 7
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
9. Nigeria
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 147
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 14
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 24
- Total helicopters: 53
- Total attack helicopters: 15
- Military strength score: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
8. Tunisia
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 155
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 10
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 101
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145
7. Kenya
Source: Cobatfor / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 158
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 17
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 87
- Total attack helicopters: 2
- Military strength score: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145
6. Sudan
- Total military aircraft: 170
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 45
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 32
- Total helicopters: 64
- Total attack helicopters: 35
- Military strength score: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
5. South Africa
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 194
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 2
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 91
- Total attack helicopters: 12
- Military strength score: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
4. Morocco
Source: africom / Flickr
- Total military aircraft: 255
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 83
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 70
- Total attack helicopters: 0
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
3. Angola
Source: Anton Minin / iStock via Getty Images
- Total military aircraft: 297
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 57
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 26
- Total helicopters: 116
- Total attack helicopters: 15
- Military strength score: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
2. Algeria
Source: DancingMan / iStock via Getty Images
- Total military aircraft: 605
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 102
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 42
- Total helicopters: 298
- Total attack helicopters: 75
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
1. Egypt
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Total military aircraft: 1,080
- Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 238
- Total strike and attack aircraft: 88
- Total helicopters: 338
- Total attack helicopters: 100
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
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