5 Countries with the Most Special-Mission Aircraft in the World

2. Japan

Special-Mission Aircraft: 145

Despite being a small island nation, Japan boasts one of the strongest and technologically advanced militaries in the world. While it has the same number of special-mission aircraft as Russia, it outranks the latter due to the technical superiority of its fleet. The country benefits from its warm ties with the west and has equipped its military with some of the finest aircraft available today. The most notable aircraft on its fleet of special-mission jets include 42 Lockheed P-3 Orion, 33 locally-built Kawasaki P-1, 26 Hawker 800 (SAR) and 16 Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye with another 13 on order.