The World’s Largest Air Forces By Number Of Transport Aircraft

When it comes to which air forces have the largest transport fleets, the United States Air Force dominates. The country’s fleet of C-5M and C-17 may look in a similar league to Russia, but on closer examination, the gap widens massively. All US tanker aircraft (KC-46As, KC-135s, KC-130s) have a secondary transport role, as do the tankers in service with European and other Allied air forces. Meanwhile, Russia has very few tanker aircraft, and the number of transport aircraft (Il-76s, An-124, Antonov turboprop series) in operational service is lower than nominal inventory numbers suggest.