List of air forces
Encyclopedia
This alphabetically arranged list of air force
s identifies the current and historical names and roundel
s for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air component, whether an independent air force, a naval air arm, army aviation unit, or coast guard. At the end is a separate list of no longer extant nations that once operated air forces. Country names in italics indicate that they are not generally recognized internationally as independent states but which nonetheless managed to field an active air service. For information on the size of air forces, see list of countries by size of armed forces.
|rowspan="5"| Albania
| Algeria
|rowspan="3"| Angola
|rowspan="6"| Argentina
| Armenia
|rowspan="5"| Australia
|rowspan="3"| Austria
| Azerbaijan
|}
|rowspan="3"| Bahrain
| Bangladesh
| Barbados
|rowspan="2"| Belarus
|rowspan="4"| Belgium
| Belize
|rowspan="3"| Benin
| Bhutan
| Bolivia
|rowspan="4"| Bosnia and Herzegovina
| Botswana
|rowspan="7"| Brazil
|rowspan="3"| Brunei
|rowspan="17"| Kingdom of Bulgaria
|rowspan="2"| Burkina Faso
| Burundi
|}
| Cameroon
|rowspan="9"| Canada
|rowspan="2"| Cape Verde
| Central African Republic
| Chad
|rowspan="5"| Chile
|rowspan="5"|
|rowspan="3"| Colombia
|rowspan="3"| Republic of the Congo
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="5"| Costa Rica
| Côte d'Ivoire
|rowspan="2"| Independent State of Croatia
|rowspan="7"| Cuba
| Cyprus
| Czech Republic
|}
| Djibouti
|rowspan="16"| Dominican Republic
|}
|rowspan="5"| Egypt
|rowspan="5"| El Salvador
| Equatorial Guinea
| Eritrea
|rowspan="6"| Estonia
|rowspan="3"| Ethiopia
|}
|rowspan="6"| Finland
|rowspan="10"| Early Modern France
|}
| The Gambia
| Georgia (country)
|rowspan="9"| Germany
| Ghana
|rowspan="4"| Greece
|rowspan="5"| Guatemala
| Guinea
| Guinea-Bissau
| Guyana
|}
|rowspan="4"| Honduras
|rowspan="10"| Hungary
|}
|rowspan="2"| Iceland
|rowspan="7"| India
|rowspan="6"| Indonesia
|rowspan="5"| Iran
|rowspan="3"| Iraq
| Republic of Ireland
|rowspan="3"| Israel
|rowspan="11"| Italy
|}
|rowspan="5"| Japan
|rowspan="2"| Jordan
|}
| Kenya
| North Korea
| rowspan="2"| South Korea
|rowspan="2"| Kuwait
| Kyrgyzstan
|}
|rowspan="2"| Latvia
| Lebanon
| Lesotho
| Liberia
|rowspan="4"| Libya
| Lithuania
| Luxembourg
|}
| Madagascar
|rowspan="2"| Malawi
|rowspan="3"| Malaysia
| Maldives
| Mali
| Malta
| Mauritania
|rowspan="2"| Mauritius
|rowspan="2"| Mexico
| Moldova
|rowspan="2"| Mongolia
| Kingdom of Montenegro
|rowspan="2"| Morocco
|rowspan="2"| Mozambique
| Myanmar
|}
|rowspan="3"| Nepal
|rowspan="5"| Netherlands
|rowspan="5"| New Zealand
|rowspan="9"| Nicaragua
|rowspan="2"| Niger
| Nigeria
|rowspan="4"| Norway
|}
|}
| Panama
| Papua New Guinea
|rowspan="2"| Paraguay
|rowspan="7"| Peru
| Philippines
|rowspan="15"| Poland
|rowspan="10"| Portugal
|}
|}
|rowspan="9"| Russia
| Rwanda
|}
| Senegal
|rowspan="4"| Serbia
| Seychelles
| Sierra Leone
|rowspan="3"| Singapore
|rowspan="2"| Slovakia
|rowspan="4"| Slovenia
|rowspan="3"| Somalia
|rowspan="4"| South Africa
|rowspan="9"| Spain
|rowspan="2"| Sri Lanka
| Sudan
| Suriname
| Swaziland
|rowspan="6"| Sweden
|rowspan="3"| Switzerland
|rowspan="3"| Syria
|}
| Tajikistan
| Tanzania
|rowspan="5"| Thailand
| Tonga
| Togo
| Trinidad and Tobago
| Tunisia
|rowspan="9"| Turkey
| Turkmenistan
|}
|rowspan="2"| Ukraine
| United Arab Emirates
|rowspan="7"| United Kingdom
|rowspan="22"| United States
|rowspan="7"| Uruguay
| Uzbekistan
|}
|rowspan="3"| Vietnam
|}
|}
(formerly Northern Rhodesia)
|rowspan="6"| Zimbabwe
(formerly Southern Rhodesia)
|}
| Belgian Congo
| Biafra
| Bophuthatswana
|
| Ciskei
| Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville)
|rowspan="2"| Czechoslovakia
| Republic of Dahomey
| German Democratic Republic
| Côte d'Ivoire
| State of Katanga
| Khmer Republic
| Federation of Malaya
|rowspan="2"| Manchukuo
| Netherlands East Indies
| Yemen Arab Republic
|rowspan="5"| Ottoman Empire
| Republika Srpska
| '
| South Vietnam
| South Yemen
|rowspan="2"| Soviet Union
| Tamil Eelam
(Liberation Tigers of
)
| Transkei
|rowspan="3"| United Arab Republic
| Republic of Upper Volta
| Venda
| Vichy France
|rowspan="5"| Kingdom of Yugoslavia /
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia /
| Zaire
(now Democratic Republic of Congo)
|}
|rowspan="4"| Hong Kong
| Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
| Knights Hospitaller
| Transnistria
|}
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
s identifies the current and historical names and roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
s for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air component, whether an independent air force, a naval air arm, army aviation unit, or coast guard. At the end is a separate list of no longer extant nations that once operated air forces. Country names in italics indicate that they are not generally recognized internationally as independent states but which nonetheless managed to field an active air service. For information on the size of air forces, see list of countries by size of armed forces.
A
|rowspan="10"| Afghanistan|rowspan="5"| Albania
| Algeria
|rowspan="3"| Angola
|rowspan="6"| Argentina
| Armenia
|rowspan="5"| Australia
|rowspan="3"| Austria
| Azerbaijan
|}
B
| The Bahamas|rowspan="3"| Bahrain
| Bangladesh
| Barbados
|rowspan="2"| Belarus
|rowspan="4"| Belgium
| Belize
|rowspan="3"| Benin
| Bhutan
| Bolivia
|rowspan="4"| Bosnia and Herzegovina
| Botswana
|rowspan="7"| Brazil
|rowspan="3"| Brunei
|rowspan="17"| Kingdom of Bulgaria
|rowspan="2"| Burkina Faso
| Burundi
|}
C
|rowspan="6"| Cambodia| Cameroon
|rowspan="9"| Canada
|rowspan="2"| Cape Verde
| Central African Republic
| Chad
|rowspan="5"| Chile
|rowspan="5"|
|rowspan="3"| Colombia
|rowspan="3"| Republic of the Congo
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="5"| Costa Rica
| Côte d'Ivoire
|rowspan="2"| Independent State of Croatia
|rowspan="7"| Cuba
| Cyprus
| Czech Republic
|}
D
|rowspan="6"| Denmark| Djibouti
|rowspan="16"| Dominican Republic
|}
E
|rowspan="8"| Ecuador|rowspan="5"| Egypt
|rowspan="5"| El Salvador
| Equatorial Guinea
| Eritrea
|rowspan="6"| Estonia
|rowspan="3"| Ethiopia
|}
F
|rowspan="2"| Fiji|rowspan="6"| Finland
|rowspan="10"| Early Modern France
|}
G
| Gabon| The Gambia
| Georgia (country)
|rowspan="9"| Germany
| Ghana
|rowspan="4"| Greece
|rowspan="5"| Guatemala
| Guinea
| Guinea-Bissau
| Guyana
|}
H
| Haiti|rowspan="4"| Honduras
|rowspan="10"| Hungary
|}
I
For Ivory Coast, see Côte d'Ivoire above.|rowspan="2"| Iceland
|rowspan="7"| India
|rowspan="6"| Indonesia
|rowspan="5"| Iran
|rowspan="3"| Iraq
| Republic of Ireland
|rowspan="3"| Israel
|rowspan="11"| Italy
|}
J
|rowspan="2"| Jamaica|rowspan="5"| Japan
|rowspan="2"| Jordan
|}
K
| Kazakhstan| Kenya
| North Korea
| rowspan="2"| South Korea
|rowspan="2"| Kuwait
| Kyrgyzstan
|}
L
|rowspan="3"| Laos|rowspan="2"| Latvia
| Lebanon
| Lesotho
| Liberia
|rowspan="4"| Libya
| Lithuania
| Luxembourg
|}
M
| Republic of Macedonia| Madagascar
|rowspan="2"| Malawi
|rowspan="3"| Malaysia
| Maldives
| Mali
| Malta
| Mauritania
|rowspan="2"| Mauritius
|rowspan="2"| Mexico
| Moldova
|rowspan="2"| Mongolia
| Kingdom of Montenegro
|rowspan="2"| Morocco
|rowspan="2"| Mozambique
| Myanmar
|}
N
|rowspan="2"| Namibia|rowspan="3"| Nepal
|rowspan="5"| Netherlands
|rowspan="5"| New Zealand
|rowspan="9"| Nicaragua
|rowspan="2"| Niger
| Nigeria
|rowspan="4"| Norway
|}
O
|rowspan="2"| Oman|}
P
|rowspan="4"| Pakistan| Panama
| Papua New Guinea
|rowspan="2"| Paraguay
|rowspan="7"| Peru
| Philippines
|rowspan="15"| Poland
|rowspan="10"| Portugal
|}
Q
| Qatar|}
R
|rowspan="9"| Kingdom of Romania|rowspan="9"| Russia
| Rwanda
|}
S
| Saudi Arabia| Senegal
|rowspan="4"| Serbia
| Seychelles
| Sierra Leone
|rowspan="3"| Singapore
|rowspan="2"| Slovakia
|rowspan="4"| Slovenia
|rowspan="3"| Somalia
|rowspan="4"| South Africa
|rowspan="9"| Spain
|rowspan="2"| Sri Lanka
| Sudan
| Suriname
| Swaziland
|rowspan="6"| Sweden
|rowspan="3"| Switzerland
|rowspan="3"| Syria
|}
T
|rowspan="13"|| Tajikistan
| Tanzania
|rowspan="5"| Thailand
| Tonga
| Togo
| Trinidad and Tobago
| Tunisia
|rowspan="9"| Turkey
| Turkmenistan
|}
U
| Uganda|rowspan="2"| Ukraine
| United Arab Emirates
|rowspan="7"| United Kingdom
|rowspan="22"| United States
|rowspan="7"| Uruguay
| Uzbekistan
|}
V
|rowspan="5"| Venezuela|rowspan="3"| Vietnam
|}
Y
| Yemen|}
Z
|rowspan="3"| Zambia(formerly Northern Rhodesia)
|rowspan="6"| Zimbabwe
(formerly Southern Rhodesia)
|}
Former countries and movements
|rowspan="2"|| Belgian Congo
| Biafra
| Bophuthatswana
|
| Ciskei
| Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville)
Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...
|rowspan="2"| Czechoslovakia
| Republic of Dahomey
| German Democratic Republic
| Côte d'Ivoire
| State of Katanga
| Khmer Republic
| Federation of Malaya
|rowspan="2"| Manchukuo
| Netherlands East Indies
| Yemen Arab Republic
|rowspan="5"| Ottoman Empire
| Republika Srpska
| '
| South Vietnam
| South Yemen
|rowspan="2"| Soviet Union
| Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam , is the name given by certain Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to the independent state which they aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil Eelam has no official status or recognition by any other state or authority...
(Liberation Tigers of
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
)
| Transkei
|rowspan="3"| United Arab Republic
| Republic of Upper Volta
| Venda
| Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
|rowspan="5"| Kingdom of Yugoslavia /
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia /
| Zaire
(now Democratic Republic of Congo)
|}
Other
|rowspan="2"| Abkhazia|rowspan="4"| Hong Kong
| Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
| Knights Hospitaller
| Transnistria
|}