The Russian Air Force Has Warplanes That Rival American Aircraft

Similarly to the American Air Force, Russia’s Air Force was formed out of necessity during WWI. While the U.S. created its first aviation division in 1913, Russia formed a unit dedicated to aviation a year prior, in 1912. The original planes flown during the first Great War were not their own, but borrowed from foreign allies, as were the pilots operating the craft. However, Russia soon began producing its own aviation fleet. By the time WWII erupted, the Russian-turned-Soviet government was continuing to expand and modernize its aircraft. 

Today, the Red Army has a fleet of planes designed for a wide range of purposes. In fact, the Russians have one of the most formidable Air Forces in the world. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the aircraft within this impressive force.

To identify all of the planes in active service in the Russian Air Force, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked aircraft by the number of units in active service. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and how many are on order came from FlightGlobal. Data on each aircraft’s first flight came from various military and historical sources.

Among the planes in Russia’s arsenal are Ilyushin transport craft, on par with America’s C-130 Hercules. The Russian Air Force also contains several MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets, which reign supreme as some of the swiftest and most advanced aircraft globally. These jets are capable of a diverse range of operations, including strikes. 

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding Russia‘s air force gives context to its modernization effort and geopolitical standing. Knowing which specific aircraft Russia employs also helps to understand its operational capacity when using these jets.

Here is a closer look at the warplanes in Russia’s Air Force:

31. Be-200 Altair

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 2
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: September 24, 1998

30. An-12 Antei

Soviet Heavy Transport Airplan... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Andrey Korchagin

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 3
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: February 27, 1965

29. IL-80 Maxdome

Ilyushin IL-80 Maxdome 'RA-861... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 3
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: March 5, 1987

28. IL-18 Coot

Ilyushin IL-18 Coot (https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/) by SDASM Archives

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 4
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: July 4, 1957

27. Tu-154 Careless

Air Koryo, Tupolev Tu-154B, P-552 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Fedor Leukhin

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 4
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: October 4, 1968

26. Tupolev Tu-214

Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-214ON Zherdin 1 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Dmitry Zherdin

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 4
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: January 2, 1989

25. An-124 Ruslan Condor

Antonov An-124 (CC BY 2.0) by Sergey Vladimirov

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 5
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: December 24, 1982

24. Tu-134 Crusty

Tupolev, Tu-134, Crusty (Public Domain) by SDASM Archives

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 6
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: July 29, 1963

23. Be-12 Chayka

Beriev Be-12 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Andrey Korchagin

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 7
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: October 18, 1960

22. Antonov An-140

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 8
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: September 17, 1997

21. Su-57 Felon

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 14
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 62
• First flight: January 29, 2010

20. Antonov An-148

Antonov An-148-100E u00e2u0080u0098RA-6172... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 15
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: December 17, 2004

19. Tu-160 Blackjack

Tupolev, Tu-160, Blackjack (Public Domain) by SDASM Archives

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 15
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 50
• First flight: December 18, 1981

18. An-30 Clank

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 16
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: August 21, 1967

17. IL-78 Midas

• Type: Tanker
• Active in Russian Air Force: 19
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 31
• First flight: June 26, 1983

16. Il-38 Dolphin

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 21
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: September 28, 1961

15. IL-20 Coot-A

Ilyushin Il-20M (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Kirill Naumenko

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 31
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: July 4, 1957

14. Tu-142 Bear

• Type: Special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 32
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: June 18, 1968

13. An-72 Coaler

Charles M. Daniels Collection Photo (Public Domain) by SDASM Archives

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 35
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: August 31, 1977

12. Tu-95 Bear

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 47
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: November 1, 1952

11. Let L-410 Turbolet

Let L-410 Turbolet (CC BY 2.0) by Sergey Vladimirov

• Type: Transport
• Active in Russian Air Force: 53
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 2
• First flight: April 16, 1969

10. Tu-22M Backfire

Tupolev, Tu-22M Backfire (Public Domain) by SDASM Archives

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 58
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: August 30, 1969

9. An-12 Cub

Antonov An-12 (CC BY 2.0) by Sergey Vladimirov

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 64
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: December 16, 1957

8. MiG-31 Foxhound

MiG... (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Vitaly Kuzmin

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 128
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: September 16, 1975

7. Su-34 Fullback

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 134
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 4
• First flight: April 13, 1990

6. An-26 Curl

Antonov An-26 Curl 'RF-93999' (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 139
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: May 21, 1969

5. IL-76 Candid

• Type: Transport, special mission
• Active in Russian Air Force: 143
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 11
• First flight: March 25, 1971

4. Su-25 Grach Frogfoot

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 176
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: February 22, 1975

3. Mig-29 Fulcrum

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 258
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 31
• First flight: October 6, 1977

2. Su-24 Fencer

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 300
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 0
• First flight: July 2, 1967

1. Su-27 Flanker

• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in Russian Air Force: 409
• On order for the Russian Air Force: 44
• First flight: May 20, 1977