These Nations Are Spending Billions on Attack Helicopters

By Chris Lange Published Mar 21, 8:46AM EDT

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These Nations Are Spending Billions on Attack Helicopters — © Thinkstock

Attack helicopters are widely regarded as some of the most sophisticated military hardware on the battlefield today. With this sophistication comes significant cost. While military helicopters in general might take on multiple roles, attack helicopters are specialized for combat with machine guns, missiles, and more.

These attack helicopters typically cost more than the average helicopter, and much of this is due to maintenance and the ordnance that they carry. While these helicopters represent a significant investment for a tactical advantage, they are just one piece of the ever-advancing arsenals of global military powers. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the countries with the most attack helicopters. (These Are the World’s 30 Strongest Military Powers – Which Nations Are Gaining on America?)

To determine the countries with the most attack helicopters, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 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 attack helicopters. We included supplemental information regarding each country’s current air force, overall military strength ranking, and defense budget. It should be noted that these attack helicopters are initially specialized for combat, although they might play secondary roles as well.

Here is a look at the countries with the largest attack helicopter armies in the world:

Why Are We Covering This?

Silhouette of a military man in headphones at a laptop against the background of a digital globe of the earth, contour lighting. Concept: collection of confidential information, surveillance.

Understanding global military dynamics is incredibly important due to the interconnected nature of international relations and conflicts. As long as civilization has existed, the world has witnessed shifting power balances and alliances which have ultimately shaped the current geopolitical landscape. While key players like the United States, China, and Russia are considered the strongest military powers in the world, there are a number of other nations with their own spheres of influence and strengths that impact global relations from a military perspective.

31. Armenia

Total attack helicopters: 20
Total helicopters: 36
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 4
Total strike and attack aircraft: 15
Total military aircraft: 71
Military defense budget: $1,700,000,000 – #74 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 2.0373 – #91 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Armenia has 1,306 military vehicles (including 109 tanks, 293 artillery units, and 100 MLRS units). Armenia has 57,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 3.0 million.

30. North Korea

North Korea flag isolated on white background with clipping path. flag symbols of North Korea. flag frame with empty space for your text.

Total attack helicopters: 20
Total helicopters: 205
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 368
Total strike and attack aircraft: 114
Total military aircraft: 861
Military defense budget: $4,736,000,000 – #51 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6016 – #34 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, North Korea has 18,288 military vehicles (including 4,344 tanks, 2,000 artillery units, and 1,500 MLRS units). North Korea has 1,320,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 26.3 million.

29. Australia

Insurgents Driven Out of Shah ... by ResoluteSupportMedia

Insurgents Driven Out of Shah ... (CC BY 2.0) by ResoluteSupportMedia

Total attack helicopters: 22
Total helicopters: 69
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 24
Total strike and attack aircraft: 62
Total military aircraft: 327
Military defense budget: $55,700,000,000 – #8 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3298 – #18 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Australia has 15,648 military vehicles (including 59 tanks and 48 artillery units). Australia has 57,350 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 26.8 million.

28. Qatar

A7-HBO Bell 212 Gulf Helicopters by SJByles

A7-HBO Bell 212 Gulf Helicopters (BY-SA 2.0) by SJByles

Total attack helicopters: 24
Total helicopters: 80
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 102
Total strike and attack aircraft: 6
Total military aircraft: 251
Military defense budget: $9,432,000,000 – #34 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4307 – #72 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Qatar has 5,024 military vehicles (including 99 tanks, 58 artillery units, and 16 MLRS units). Qatar has 66,550 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.6 million.

27. Belarus

Russian helicopter in Minsk, Belarus (26 February 2022) 3 by Homoatrox

Russian helicopter in Minsk, Belarus (26 February 2022) 3 (CC0 1.0) by Homoatrox

Total attack helicopters: 29
Total helicopters: 68
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 36
Total strike and attack aircraft: 50
Total military aircraft: 185
Military defense budget: $1,077,900,000 – #87 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.3954 – #70 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Belarus has 6,916 military vehicles (including 507 tanks, 572 artillery units, and 206 MLRS units). Belarus has 63,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 9.5 million.

26. Greece

Total attack helicopters: 29
Total helicopters: 293
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 178
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 558
Military defense budget: $6,500,000,000 – #44 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.5337 – #30 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Greece has 61,888 military vehicles (including 1,344 tanks, 1287 artillery units, and 152 MLRS units). Greece has 142,700 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.5 million.

25. Poland

Total attack helicopters: 29
Total helicopters: 216
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 59
Total strike and attack aircraft: 44
Total military aircraft: 479
Military defense budget: $48,700,000,000 – #12 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3776 – #22 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Poland has 23,138 military vehicles (including 614 tanks, 677 artillery units, and 196 MLRS units). Poland has 202,100 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 38.7 million.

24. United Arab Emirates

Best Army Photos 2 (CC BY 2.0) by Expert Infantry

Total attack helicopters: 30
Total helicopters: 247
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 99
Total strike and attack aircraft: 16
Total military aircraft: 551
Military defense budget: $2,212,360,382 – #70 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.0186 – #54 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the United Arab Emirates has 8,707 military vehicles (including 354 tanks, 264 artillery units, and 49 MLRS units). The United Arab Emirates has 65,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.0 million.

23. Bahrain

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter participates in a floating mine response training exercise with a Mark VI patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf. by Official U.S. Navy Imagery

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter participates in a floating mine response training exercise with a Mark VI patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf. (BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Imagery

Total attack helicopters: 34
Total helicopters: 80
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 24
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 132
Military defense budget: $1,597,200,000 – #75 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.7448 – #81 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Bahrain has 2,764 military vehicles (including 150 tanks, 64 artillery units, and 17 MLRS units). Bahrain has 18,400 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 1.6 million.

22. Uzbekistan

Mississippi National Guard by The National Guard

Mississippi National Guard (BY 2.0) by The National Guard

Total attack helicopters: 34
Total helicopters: 101
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 58
Total strike and attack aircraft: 13
Total military aircraft: 192
Military defense budget: $2,803,500,000 – #63 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.1121 – #58 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Uzbekistan has 2,970 military vehicles (including 340 tanks, 383 artillery units, and 108 MLRS units). Uzbekistan has 48,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 36.5 million.

21. Saudi Arabia

DA-ST-91-06392 by U.S. Army Materiel Command

DA-ST-91-06392 (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Materiel Command

Total attack helicopters: 34
Total helicopters: 264
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 283
Total strike and attack aircraft: 81
Total military aircraft: 917
Military defense budget: $74,760,000,000 – #5 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.4201 – #25 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Saudi Arabia has 19,040 military vehicles (including 840 tanks, 799 artillery units, and 321 MLRS units). Saudi Arabia has 257,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 36.5 million.

20. Sudan

Total attack helicopters: 35
Total helicopters: 64
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 37
Total strike and attack aircraft: 27
Total military aircraft: 165
Military defense budget: $342,000,000 – #118 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.4756 – #74 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Sudan has 2,900 military vehicles (including 224 tanks, 387 artillery units, and 192 MLRS units). Sudan has 92,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 50.5 million.

19. Italy

Total attack helicopters: 37
Total helicopters: 392
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 89
Total strike and attack aircraft: 67
Total military aircraft: 729
Military defense budget: $30,890,000,000 – #16 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2164 – #10 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Italy has 73,480 military vehicles (including 200 tanks, 172 artillery units, and 21 MLRS units). Italy has 165,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 61.0 million.

18. United Kingdom

Total attack helicopters: 37
Total helicopters: 266
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 113
Total strike and attack aircraft: 31
Total military aircraft: 631
Military defense budget: $71,500,540,000 – #6 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1785 – #6 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the United Kingdom has 38,200 military vehicles (including 227 tanks, 197 artillery units, and 29 MLRS units). The United Kingdom has 184,860 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.5 million.

17. Iraq

Total attack helicopters: 39
Total helicopters: 197
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 26
Total strike and attack aircraft: 36
Total military aircraft: 391
Military defense budget: $7,923,000,000 – #37 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.7738 – #43 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Iraq has 37,288 military vehicles (including 1,025 tanks, 1044 artillery units, and 572 MLRS units). Iraq has 193,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 42.1 million.

16. Ukraine

Total attack helicopters: 39
Total helicopters: 136
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 70
Total strike and attack aircraft: 36
Total military aircraft: 324
Military defense budget: $53,700,000,000 – #10 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3755 – #21 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Ukraine has 18,920 military vehicles (including 1,114 tanks, 1273 artillery units, and 279 MLRS units). Ukraine has 900,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 35.7 million.

15. Jordan

Total attack helicopters: 44
Total helicopters: 155
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 44
Total strike and attack aircraft: 6
Total military aircraft: 274
Military defense budget: $2,500,000,000 – #65 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.6139 – #76 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Jordan has 16,624 military vehicles (including 1,458 tanks, 438 artillery units, and 56 MLRS units). Jordan has 100,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 11.2 million.

14. Israel

TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-AIR FORCE-GRAD... by Diariocritico de Venezuela

TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-AIR FORCE-GRAD... (CC BY 2.0) by Diariocritico de Venezuela

Total attack helicopters: 48
Total helicopters: 147
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 240
Total strike and attack aircraft: 38
Total military aircraft: 611
Military defense budget: $30,500,000,000 – #17 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2661 – #15 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Israel has 35,985 military vehicles (including 1,300 tanks, 523 artillery units, and 183 MLRS units). Israel has 170,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 9.4 million.

13. Germany

Total attack helicopters: 54
Total helicopters: 309
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 129
Total strike and attack aircraft: 63
Total military aircraft: 584
Military defense budget: $50,000,000,000 – #11 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2601 – #14 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Germany has 83,260 military vehicles (including 296 tanks, 134 artillery units, and 33 MLRS units). Germany has 181,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.1 million.

12. Pakistan

Pakistan+military | Task Force Denali: reflecting on flood relief efforts [Image 7 of 15]

Total attack helicopters: 57
Total helicopters: 373
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 328
Total strike and attack aircraft: 90
Total military aircraft: 1,399
Military defense budget: $7,640,000,000 – #38 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2513 – #12 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Pakistan has 17,516 military vehicles (including 2,627 tanks, 3,291 artillery units, and 600 MLRS units). Pakistan has 654,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 252.4 million.

11. France

Total attack helicopters: 68
Total helicopters: 448
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 226
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 976
Military defense budget: $55,000,000,000 – #9 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1878 – #8 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, France has 110,932 military vehicles (including 215 tanks, 96 artillery units, and 9 MLRS units). France has 200,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.4 million.

10. Algeria

Mi-24 Algeria (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

Total attack helicopters: 74
Total helicopters: 299
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 102
Total strike and attack aircraft: 42
Total military aircraft: 608
Military defense budget: $25,000,000,000 – #21 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3589 – #20 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Algeria has 26,000 military vehicles (including 1,485 tanks, 707 artillery units, and 266 MLRS units). Algeria has 325,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 47.0 million.

9. India

Total attack helicopters: 80
Total helicopters: 899
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 513
Total strike and attack aircraft: 130
Total military aircraft: 2,229
Military defense budget: $75,000,000,000 – #4 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1184 – #4 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, India has 148,594 military vehicles (including 4,201 tanks, 4,075 artillery units, and 264 MLRS units). India has 1,455,550 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 1.41 billion.

8. Taiwan

DSC07218 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by brian25_tw

Total attack helicopters: 91
Total helicopters: 236
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 285
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 761
Military defense budget: $19,740,000,000 – #23 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3988 – #23 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Taiwan has 19,921 military vehicles (including 888 tanks, 1,848 artillery units, and 234 MLRS units). Taiwan has 215,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 23.6 million.

7. Egypt

Total attack helicopters: 100
Total helicopters: 348
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 238
Total strike and attack aircraft: 90
Total military aircraft: 1,093
Military defense budget: $5,879,500,000 – #46 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3427 – #19 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Egypt has 41,012 military vehicles (including 3,620 tanks, 2,018 artillery units, and 528 MLRS units). Egypt has 440,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 111.2 million.

6. Turkey

Total attack helicopters: 111
Total helicopters: 508
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 201
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 1,083
Military defense budget: $47,000,000,000 – #13 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Turkey has 61,173 military vehicles (including 2,238 tanks, 2,745 artillery units, and 296 MLRS units). Turkey has 355,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.1 million.

5. South Korea

APACHE - AH-64D (CC BY 2.0) by USAG- Humphreys

Total attack helicopters: 111
Total helicopters: 807
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 315
Total strike and attack aircraft: 98
Total military aircraft: 1,592
Military defense budget: $46,300,000,000 – #14 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1656 – #5 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, South Korea has 58,880 military vehicles (including 2,236 tanks, 7,670 artillery units, and 426 MLRS units). South Korea has 600,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 52.1 million.

4. Japan

Total attack helicopters: 119
Total helicopters: 596
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 217
Total strike and attack aircraft: 38
Total military aircraft: 1,443
Military defense budget: $57,000,000,000 – #7 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1839 – #7 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Japan has 31,964 military vehicles (including 521 tanks, 629 artillery units, and 54 MLRS units). Japan has 247,150 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 123.2 million.

3. China

Z-10+Fierce+Thunderbolt | CAIC "Z-10" (Chinese: Ã§ÂÂ´-10 for Ã§ÂÂ´Ã¥ÂÂÃ¦ÂÂº, helicopter), also called "WZ-10"

Total attack helicopters: 281
Total helicopters: 913
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 1,212
Total strike and attack aircraft: 371
Total military aircraft: 3,309
Military defense budget: $266,850,000,000 – #2 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.0788 – #3 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, China has 144,017 military vehicles (including 6,800 tanks, 4,490 artillery units, and 2,750 MLRS units). China has 2,035,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 1.42 billion.

2. Russia

Total attack helicopters: 557
Total helicopters: 1,651
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 833
Total strike and attack aircraft: 689
Total military aircraft: 4,292
Military defense budget: $126,000,000,000 – #3 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.0788 – #2 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Russia has 131,527 military vehicles (including 5,750 tanks, 13,673 artillery units, and 3,005 MLRS units). Russia has 1,320,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 140.8 million.

1. United States

Total attack helicopters: 1,002
Total helicopters: 5,843
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 1,790
Total strike and attack aircraft: 889
Total military aircraft: 13,043
Military defense budget: $895,000,000,000 – #1 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.0744 – #1 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the United States has 391,963 military vehicles (including 4,640 tanks, 1,883 artillery units, and 641 MLRS units). The United States has 1,328,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 342.0 million.

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.