One NATO Nation Has 500 More Towed Artillery Than the United States Military

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Published

Key Points

  • The US contributes the bulk of the Navy and Air Force pushed by NATO, there are a handful of other nations that make meaningful contributions in other ways

  • There is one NATO nation that has the US beat hands down in terms of its towed artillery arsenal

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One NATO Nation Has 500 More Towed Artillery Than the United States Military

© U.S. Army Europe / Public Domain / Flickr

The NATO Alliance is home to one of the most robust collections of military materiel. While the US contributes the bulk of the Navy and Air Force pushed by NATO, there are a handful of other nations that make meaningful contributions in other ways. In fact, there’s a NATO nation that has way more artillery than the United States. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the artillery arsenals of NATO and which countries have the most towed-artillery.

To determine the NATO countries with the most towed artillery in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We ranked these countries based on towed artillery units. We also included supplemental information regarding military vehicles, tanks, MLRS, as well as the overall strength score and defense budget. Countries with no artillery were excluded.

Here is a look at the countries with the most towed artillery in NATO:

Why Are We Covering This?

Nato national Flag textile cloth fabric waving on the top
EA09 Studio / Shutterstock.com

Understanding NATO’s military dynamics is important when looking at the state of global security. Since its inception, NATO has played a pivotal role in shaping international relations through its collective defense and security framework. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise and new threats emerge, knowing and understanding NATO’s military capabilities is important for getting a clearer picture of the world stage. Not to mention, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among others, contribute significantly to NATO’s military strength, influencing global power balances and regional stability.

18. Slovakia

  • Total towed artillery: 9
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 35
  • Total artillery count: 44
  • Total number of tanks: 45
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 25
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 3,074
  • Military strength score: 1.3978 – #71 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $2,656,000,000 – #64 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Slovakia has 41 military aircraft (including 2 fighter aircraft and 22 helicopters). Slovakia has 19,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5.564 million.

17. Montenegro

Montenegro | Kotor in a beautiful summer day, Montenegro
MaksimMazur / iStock via Getty Images

  • Total towed artillery: 12
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 0
  • Total artillery count: 12
  • Total number of tanks: 0
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 12
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 471
  • Military strength score: 2.9216 – #127 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $148,100,000 – #136 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Montenegro has 11 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Montenegro has 2,350 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 599,849.

16. Slovenia

  • Total towed artillery: 18
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 0
  • Total artillery count: 18
  • Total number of tanks: 54
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 1,428
  • Military strength score: 2.1016 – #96 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $886,860,000 – #91 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Slovenia has 39 military aircraft (including 16 helicopters). Slovenia has 7,300 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.098 million.

15. Bulgaria

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total towed artillery: 24
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 48
  • Total artillery count: 72
  • Total number of tanks: 90
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 24
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 4,914
  • Military strength score: 1.2563 – #61 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $1,373,232,000 – #80 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Bulgaria has 65 military aircraft (including 5 attack aircraft, 10 fighter aircraft, and 27 helicopters). Bulgaria has 37,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6.783 million.

14. Croatia

  • Total towed artillery: 42
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 25
  • Total artillery count: 67
  • Total number of tanks: 45
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 42
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 2,848
  • Military strength score: 1.5074 – #75 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $1,176,000,000 – #83 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Croatia has 67 military aircraft (including 10 fighter aircraft and 37 helicopters). Croatia has 14,325 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 4.150 million.

13. Albania

  • Total towed artillery: 50
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 0
  • Total artillery count: 50
  • Total number of tanks: 46
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 135
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 1,796
  • Military strength score: 1.6815 – #78 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $558,862,420 – #101 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Albania has 19 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Albania has 6,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 3.107 million.

12. Lithuania

Public Domain / WIkimedia Commons

  • Total towed artillery: 54
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 21
  • Total artillery count: 75
  • Total number of tanks: 0
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 1,263
  • Military strength score: 1.9075 – #88 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $2,388,900,000 – #66 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Lithuania has 9 military aircraft (including 4 helicopters). Lithuania has 23,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.628 million.

11. Italy

  • Total towed artillery: 108
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 64
  • Total artillery count: 172
  • Total number of tanks: 200
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 21
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 73,480
  • Military strength score: 0.2164 – #10 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $30,890,000,000 – #16 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Italy has 729 military aircraft (including 67 attack aircraft, 89 fighter aircraft, and 392 helicopters). Italy has 165,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 60.96 million.

10. Portugal

  • Total towed artillery: 115
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 24
  • Total artillery count: 139
  • Total number of tanks: 34
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 10,828
  • Military strength score: 0.6856 – #39 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $4,627,000,000 – #52 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Portugal has 115 military aircraft (including 28 fighter aircraft and 31 helicopters). Portugal has 24,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.64 million.

9. United Kingdom

United+Kingdom+artillery | Royal Artillery Memorial, Constitution Hill, Hyde Park Corner, Grosvenor Place, Knightsbridge, London, England UK
studiaphotos / Flickr

  • Total towed artillery: 126
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 71
  • Total artillery count: 197
  • Total number of tanks: 227
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 29
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 38,200
  • Military strength score: 0.1785 – #6 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $71,500,540,000 – #6 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, the United Kingdom has 631 military aircraft (including 31 attack aircraft, 113 fighter aircraft, and 266 helicopters). The United Kingdom has 184,860 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.46 million.

8. North Macedonia

  • Total towed artillery: 150
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 0
  • Total artillery count: 150
  • Total number of tanks: 20
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 17
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 1,108
  • Military strength score: 2.4042 – #112 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $388,421,700 – #114 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, North Macedonia has 20 military aircraft (including 10 helicopters). North Macedonia has 9,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.136 million.

7. Spain

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total towed artillery: 287
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 95
  • Total artillery count: 382
  • Total number of tanks: 317
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 17,626
  • Military strength score: 0.3242 – #17 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $23,397,000,000 – #22 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Spain has 461 military aircraft (including 12 attack aircraft, 137 fighter aircraft, and 153 helicopters). Spain has 133,282 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 47.28 million.

6. Hungary

  • Total towed artillery: 295
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 24
  • Total artillery count: 319
  • Total number of tanks: 209
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 0
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 7,797
  • Military strength score: 1.0259 – #55 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $4,576,000,000 – #53 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Hungary has 69 military aircraft (including 12 fighter aircraft and 44 helicopters). Hungary has 41,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 9.856 million.

5. Finland

Finland artillery | Missile system on the background of the Finnish flag
Anton Petrus / Moment via Getty Images

  • Total towed artillery: 667
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 107
  • Total artillery count: 774
  • Total number of tanks: 200
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 76
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 11,704
  • Military strength score: 0.8437 – #48 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $6,779,661,000 – #42 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Finland has 163 military aircraft (including 54 fighter aircraft and 27 helicopters). Finland has 24,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5.626 million.

4. Greece

  • Total towed artillery: 698
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 589
  • Total artillery count: 1287
  • Total number of tanks: 1,344
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 152
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 61,888
  • Military strength score: 0.5337 – #30 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $6,500,000,000 – #44 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Greece has 558 military aircraft (including 178 fighter aircraft and 293 helicopters). Greece has 142,700 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.46 million.

3. Romania

Romania+artillery | Romanian artillery
U.S. Army Europe / Public Domain / Flickr

  • Total towed artillery: 720
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 0
  • Total artillery count: 720
  • Total number of tanks: 328
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 243
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 10,774
  • Military strength score: 0.8984 – #51 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $9,700,000,000 – #33 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Romania has 140 military aircraft (including 21 fighter aircraft and 65 helicopters). Romania has 81,300 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 18.15 million.

2. United States

usarmyeurope_images / Flickr

  • Total towed artillery: 1,212
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 671
  • Total artillery count: 1,883
  • Total number of tanks: 4,640
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 641
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 391,963
  • Military strength score: 0.0744 – #1 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $895,000,000,000 – #1 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, the United States has 13,043 military aircraft (including 889 attack aircraft, 1,790 fighter aircraft, and 5,843 helicopters). The United States has 1,328,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 341.96 million.

1. Turkey

M-A-U / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total towed artillery: 1,707
  • Total self-propelled artillery: 1,038
  • Total artillery count: 2,745
  • Total number of tanks: 2,238
  • Total inventory of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS): 296
  • Total military vehicles currently in active service: 61,173
  • Military strength score: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145
  • Military defense budget: $47,000,000,000 – #13 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Turkey has 1,083 military aircraft (including 201 fighter aircraft and 508 helicopters). Turkey has 355,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.12 million.

Photo of Chris Lange
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.

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