Geopolitical tensions between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia remain high as the Red Army continues to make progress through Ukraine. The recent addition of Sweden to the NATO Alliance adds a mass of military forces in the Northern Europe region but there are smaller additions currently underway across the whole continent. NATO nations are stocking up on combat aircraft, more so than in years past. (These are the world’s future military aircraft.)
Modern militaries rely much more heavily on air power now than in the past as military doctrine has shifted greatly over time. In turn, much of this power is determined by how many combat ready aircraft are in any given air force. And currently, NATO is in the process of adding even more fighter jets to its growing forces.
To determine the NATO countries buying the most combat aircraft, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked these countries according to which countries were ordering the most combat aircraft in total. We included supplemental information from GlobalFirePower regarding each country’s current air force and overall military strength ranking. We excluded countries that are not in the process of ordering combat aircraft.
One of the most sought after combat aircraft on the market now is the F-35 Lightning II in all of its variants. This fifth generation fighter jet was only introduced in 2016 but since hundreds of these jets have been manufactured and sold on the global market, namely to NATO nations or U.S. allies. (These are the countries buying the most F-35 fighter jets.)
The F-35 Lightning II occupies a unique spot among fighter jets as it is one of the most advanced currently on the market, sporting cutting-edge avionics and stealth technology that make it one of the most operationally capable jets in the world. NATO countries are loading up on this jet and many others as global tensions continue to rise.
Here is a look at the NATO countries buying the most combat aircraft:
25. Latvia
Source: US Army Europe Images, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
- Combat aircraft on order: 1
- Types of aircraft on order: S-70/UH-40M
- Total military aircraft: 7
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 7
- Military strength score: 1.9911 – #99 out of 145
24. Lithuania
Source: cooke1 / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 6
- Types of aircraft on order: S-70/UH-60M
- Total military aircraft: 9
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 4
- Military strength score: 1.7395 – #88 out of 145
23. Slovenia
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 6
- Types of aircraft on order: AW139M
- Total military aircraft: 38
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 12
- Military strength score: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145
22. Bulgaria
Source: usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 12
- Types of aircraft on order: F-16V, H215m/AS532
- Total military aircraft: 65
- Total attack aircraft: 5
- Total helicopters: 27
- Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
21. Croatia
Source: usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 12
- Types of aircraft on order: Rafale
- Total military aircraft: 81
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 52
- Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145
20. Denmark
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 17
- Types of aircraft on order: F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 119
- Total attack aircraft: 4
- Total helicopters: 34
- Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145
19. Hungary
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 18
- Types of aircraft on order: H225M, L-39NG
- Total military aircraft: 62
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 38
- Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
18. Slovakia
Source: friedebach / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 24
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-1Z, F-16V
- Total military aircraft: 37
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 22
- Military strength score: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145
17. Norway
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 25
- Types of aircraft on order: F-35A, S-70, AW101
- Total military aircraft: 102
- Total attack aircraft: 30
- Total helicopters: 37
- Military strength score: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145
16. Netherlands
Source: milchcow_peng / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 32
- Types of aircraft on order: F-35A, H225M
- Total military aircraft: 143
- Total attack aircraft: 26
- Total helicopters: 66
- Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145
15. Belgium
Source: Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 34
- Types of aircraft on order: A400M, F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 110
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 20
- Military strength score: 1.2064 – #70 out of 145
14. Czechia
- Combat aircraft on order: 41
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-1Z, F-35A, UH-1Y
- Total military aircraft: 88
- Total attack aircraft: 16
- Total helicopters: 33
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
13. Finland
Source: sagesolar / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 64
- Types of aircraft on order: F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 164
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 27
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
12. Greece
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 67
- Types of aircraft on order: Rafale, S-70, NH90
- Total military aircraft: 632
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 289
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
11. Sweden
Source: dynasoar / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
- Combat aircraft on order: 70
- Types of aircraft on order: Gripen E
- Total military aircraft: 212
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 53
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
10. Spain
Source: ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office / Wikimedia Commons
- Combat aircraft on order: 85
- Types of aircraft on order: Eurofighter, NH90, S-70
- Total military aircraft: 513
- Total attack aircraft: 12
- Total helicopters: 121
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
9. Canada
Source: RayOneMedia / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Combat aircraft on order: 103
- Types of aircraft on order: F-35, S-92, AW101
- Total military aircraft: 375
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 143
- Military strength score: 0.3813 – #27 out of 145
8. Italy
Source: USAF / Getty Images
- Combat aircraft on order: 116
- Types of aircraft on order: AW101, AW249, F-35A/B
- Total military aircraft: 800
- Total attack aircraft: 67
- Total helicopters: 402
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
7. Turkey
Source: Funtay / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Combat aircraft on order: 117
- Types of aircraft on order: Hurkus C, S/T-70
- Total military aircraft: 1,069
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 502
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
6. United Kingdom
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 133
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-64, CH-47, F-35B
- Total military aircraft: 664
- Total attack aircraft: 29
- Total helicopters: 276
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
5. Romania
Source: 39955793@N07 / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 140
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-1z, F-16A, F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 131
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 67
- Military strength score: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145
4. Germany
- Combat aircraft on order: 164
- Types of aircraft on order: Eurofighter, F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 618
- Total attack aircraft: 76
- Total helicopters: 318
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
3. France
Source: VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Combat aircraft on order: 229
- Types of aircraft on order: H160, H225M, Rafale
- Total military aircraft: 972
- Total attack aircraft: 0
- Total helicopters: 447
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
2. Poland
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Combat aircraft on order: 233
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-64, AW101, F-35A
- Total military aircraft: 468
- Total attack aircraft: 34
- Total helicopters: 215
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
1. United States
- Combat aircraft on order: 3,179
- Types of aircraft on order: AH-64, F-35, S-70
- Total military aircraft: 13,209
- Total attack aircraft: 896
- Total helicopters: 5,737
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
ALERT: Take This Retirement Quiz Now (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
