In this article, we look at 5 countries with the most attack helicopters in the world. You can read about trends in the aerospace industry with a key eye on helicopters by heading over to the 15 Countries with the Most Attack Helicopters in the World, where we have also discussed some of the most powerful choppers that are currently in operation of various militaries.
5. South Korea
Attack Helicopters: 112
We begin our list with South Korea, which has a fleet of 758 military helicopters, of which about 15% comprise attack helicopters. These mainly consist of the Bell AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 Apache. While these have been procured from the United States, Seoul also has an indigenous attack helicopter programme ongoing in the country to develop its own light combat chopper called KAI KUH-1 Surion. South Korea’s defense industry also recently introduced the locally-made KAI KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, which analysts believe is as good as any other stealth fighter currently in operation.
4. Japan
Attack Helicopters: 119
Japan has the fourth largest fleet of attack helicopters in the world, comprising mainly Apache and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. The Japanese also operate several other helicopters for military purposes such as scouting, reconnaissance, and transport. These include the Kawasaki OH-1s, CH-47 Chinook, Sikorsky S-70, and the Mitsubishi H-60. The country has a total of 577 military helicopters.
3. China
Attack Helicopters: 281
Last month in Singapore, China unveiled the export version of its signature Z-10 attack helicopter, which marked the first time the country put a full-scale military aircraft built by a state-owned company on display outside China. The Z-10M is one of the most advanced attack helicopters in the world, and several defense analysts since then have been comparing it to the AH-64 Apache choppers. According to a report, the Chinese PLA operates over 200 of these attack helicopters.
2. Russia
Attack Helicopters: 559
Next on our list of countries with the most attack helicopters in the world is Russia, which takes second spot, with a fleet size of 559 attack helicopters. According to FlightGlobal, the country currently operates 324 Mil Mi-24 and 114 Ka-52 (with another 65 on order) – which means that these two aircraft jointly make the bulk of Russia’s attack helicopters fleet. On a larger level, Russia possesses 1,547 helicopters that are used for military purposes.
1. United States
Attack Helicopters: 1000
The United States has the largest fleet size of military helicopters in the world – 5,737 according to the Global Firepower Index 2024. Of these, about 1,000 are categorized as attack helicopters. A vast majority of these comprise the AH-64 Apache, with FlightGlobal estimating the count at 884. Like most other determinants of military power, the United States leads the world in this domain of attack helicopters as well.
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