By According to FlightGlobal’s 2024 World Air Forces directory, 53,000 military aircraft are in use globally. The U.S. accounts for 25% of this number. There has been a net increase of 136 from the year prior, which suggests that the overall number of military aircraft has remained relatively stable.
Per the directory, there are 14,665 operational combat aircraft in the world today. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. has the largest active fleet, with 2,750 active combat aircraft. China is in second place with 1,578 combat aircraft in use. These are followed by: Russia, India, North Korea, Pakistan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Taiwan. Other countries account for the remaining 5,585 combat aircraft.
Not all combat aircraft are fighter jets, but most are. According to the report, the number one most used combat aircraft in the world is the F-16 fighter jet, constituting 15% of the total active. Following closely are Su-27/30/34/35 models. The F-15 ranks third and is followed by: F-18, MiG-29, F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, J-7, Su-24, and Su-25. Other combat aircraft accounts for the remaining 6,230, or 42%.
