"Fighter jets are some of the most influential military assets in the Middle East, and Israel's fleet is among the most advanced, featuring American-made F-35s and F-16s. Fighter jets more or less represent the ability to project power across borders. While tanks and artillery might make for solid ground game and can hold territory, fighter jets can get in and out, leaving a path of destruction in their wake."
"To determine the Middle Eastern countries with the most fighter aircraft, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 military strength report from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. We ranked these countries according to which countries have the most of these aircraft. We included supplemental information regarding each country's current air force, overall military strength ranking, and defense budget."
Fighter jets are pivotal military assets for projecting power across borders in the Middle East. Israel operates advanced American-made F-35 and F-16 fighters while lacking the region's largest fighter-jet arsenal. Fighter aircraft enable rapid cross-border strikes, unlike tanks and artillery which primarily hold territory. Rankings of Middle Eastern fighter fleets were derived from the 2025 Global Firepower military strength report covering 145 countries. Countries were ranked by number of primary-designation fighter aircraft and supplemented with details on air forces, overall military strength, and defense budgets. Fighter classifications focus on air-to-air roles, though multirole capabilities have blurred those distinctions.
Read at 24/7 Wall St.
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