In Africa, military aircraft have evolved into vital components of the continent’s security framework since the mid-20th century, offering crucial capabilities for defence, peacekeeping, surveillance, and humanitarian operations.

In an earlier piece, we explored the military strength of 10 African countries in 2024 based on Global Firepower’s assessment. The index ranks 145 nations’ militaries, weighing various factors like the volume of sophistication of its equipment, finances, geography, and resources.

However, military assessment extends beyond just strength. We also covered each country’s annual defence spending and how important the budget is in the maintenance and procurement of military equipment including tanks, ammunition, and aircraft.

Notably, within the military aviation space, some African nations stand out for their impressive fleet of aircraft, ranging from fighters and bombers to transport planes and helicopters.

Egypt is renowned for having one of the most formidable air forces on the continent, boasting a stock of 1080 aircraft according to a report by the Global Firepower. Algeria and Angola follow with 605 and 297 aircraft stock respectively.

According to the report, fixed wing and rotary-wing (helicopters) aircraft types are factored in from all branches of service (Air Force, Army Aviation, Navy, Marine). Various aircraft types also taken into account are fighters (multirole, interceptors), trainers (basic, advanced), transports (fixed-wing and helicopters), dedicated bombers and ground attackers, special-mission platforms, and more.

However, aircraft currently under development or on order heading into the upcoming year are not included in the evaluation.

Below are 10 African countries with the largest military aircraft fleet: