Using the latest figures from Global Firepower as of March 2026, we can rank the world’s air forces by total aircraft.
USAF
The U.S. Air Force requests $1B in FY2027 to procure CCA drone wingmen, marking the program’s historic shift from development to production.
The U.S. Air Force is reviving its Standoff Attack Weapon (SoAW) program, seeking an affordable air-launched cruise missile ready for fielding by 2033, backed by a record $11.36 billion missile procurement budget request for fiscal 2027.
A prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems crashed shortly after takeoff on April 6, 2026.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget requests only 38 F-35As for the U.S. Air Force out of 85 total F-35s, prompting analysts to warn the number is insufficient to reverse the service’s deepening fighter inventory shortfall amid competing modernization priorities.
The United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed that an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on April 3, 2026, amid escalating military operations in the Middle East.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (LSV) crashed within the Nevada Test and Training Range on March 31, 2026.
The US Air Force (USAF) has begun replacing F-16CM aircraft with Lockheed Martin F-35A jets to modernize its “wild weasel” mission in northern Japan.
Iran destroys a U.S. E-3 Sentry AWACS at Prince Sultan Air Base, raising urgent concerns over U.S. air defense gaps in the Middle East.
An Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh has wounded 12 United States troops, including two in serious condition, according to multiple media reports