How Many Military Aircraft Does the U.S. Have?

 Military flyover

The Largest Group of Military Aircraft in the World

The United States military operates, by far, the largest fleet of combat aircraft in the world. Sheffield School of Aeronautics, the world’s oldest and most reputable aircraft dispatcher school, takes a look at the size of this mighty squadron.

How Many Military Aircraft Does the United States Have?

The United States Armed Forces has more than 14,000 military aircraft in its inventory. According to the 10-year Aircraft Investment Plan issued by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, there were 14,061 aircraft in the fleet as of 2019. This number was projected to steadily grow each year until 2023, followed by a gradual reduction each year through 2028.

Types of U.S. Military Aircraft

The United States military breaks out its aviation inventory into 10 distinct categories. The largest group of military aircraft is classified as “airlift/cargo/utility.” This category includes more than 4,000 assets utilized by the Air Force, the Army, and the Navy. Included in this group are aircraft used to transport civil and military officials, humanitarian relief supplies, and foreign dignitaries.

The second-largest group of United States military aircraft is classified as fighter/attack. This group includes more than 3,400 assets used by the Air Force and the Navy. Some of the most widely-used military planes in this category are F-35s, F-35As, F-16s, and A-10s.

The other classifications of military aircraft, in order of fleet size, are trainers, attack helicopters, ISR/Scout/C4, anti-surface/submarine, air refueling, special operations forces, long-range strike, and combat search and rescue.

U.S. Military Aircraft Size

The United States Armed Forces has the largest aircraft fleet in the world by far. Russia has the second largest fleet, with approximately 4,000 aviation assets. Other countries with large groups of military planes are China, India, South Korea, and Japan.

Contact Sheffield School of Aeronautics

As the oldest and most reputable aircraft dispatcher school, Sheffield School of Aeronautics is always busy training the next generation of airline and aviation employees. We have provided training to thousands of people who’ve turned their love of flying into a lucrative and high-demand career. Flight dispatch training can be completed at our in-person or online dispatcher school. We give you the means to complete your CAA, ICAO, and FAA aircraft dispatcher license. Contact us today to have your career take off tomorrow!

Source: 2018 Aircraft Investment Plan, Deputy Secretary of Defense

 

This entry was posted in News & Regulations. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Contact Us

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Testimonials

    “This school came highly recommended by multiple past students and EVEN OTHERS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS. Reputation is fantastic from multiple companies that I have worked for.” A. – September 2020
    “I wanted to tell you I got the job offer from Expressjet, and start next month! I think a couple others from class were hired as well. It just shows the Sheffield reputation when I see graduates from other schools complaining that they can’t get an interview – I wasn’t even back home to Minneapolis […] Dan Gustafson
    “If you want to be the best, first you need to be trained by the best!” P. Hill P.Hill – DHL
    “Your school has offered me an incredible advantage in the Dispatcher job market.” D.K. D. Kircher
    “While touring my company’s dispatch department before I had my license our OCC manager pointed out that 7 of the 10 dispatchers on shift had come from Sheffield. The overall consensus was that Sheffield grads were able to hit the ground running as they were better prepared.” K.O. Sidebar K.O.
    “now that I’ve been in an indoctrination class with students from other schools, I know I made the right choice with Sheffield.”   Kindest regards,  A.R.  All schools are created equal?! yeah…sure ;)
    “Sheffield School of Aeronautics is a highly recognized and respected organization throughout the airline industry. They only produce the highest quality of graduate…” P.W. Sidebar PW
    “Sheffield School of Aeronautics is known worldwide for its quality training and has been recommended to me by our national airline Swiss International Airlines. Whenever I mention the name ‘Sheffield’ it rings a bell in people’s ears.” IW IW
    “As a graduate of the aircraft dispatcher program at the Sheffield School of Aeronautics…My training was intense and thorough and furnished me with the requisite skills for performing my current job as a Flight Dispatch Supervisor.” N.S. Sidebar NS
    “As a graduate of Sheffield School of Aeronautics I am a firm believer that I received the most thorough and well thought out aircraft dispatcher training available. I owe my position in the industry to Sheffield School of Aeronautics.” BF Sidebar BF
    “These men represented the highest caliber of professionalism and integrity. The education I received from these gentleman has afforded me to be gainfully employed while having the opportunity to use the education received, all over this country, and more than a few others.” WG sidebar wg
    “Eric Morris is one of the most if not the most knowledgeable and experienced authorities on Aircraft Dispatching in the United States. He strives constantly to make the industry better.” DH sidebar DH
    “Their reputation of excellence amongst the industry is second to none. Sheffield School of Aeronautics should be seen as the standard of how it can be done and how it should be done. I was hired at a major airline with no dispatch experience.” A.Z. Sidebar AZ
    “My experience at Sheffield and my exposure to other aircraft dispatchers that did not go to Sheffield has resulted in an awareness of the superior depth and quality of the training provided by the Sheffield instructors.” CD Sidebar CD
    “Being that half my new hire class dropped out over the course of training, I can confidently say that Sheffield helped to prepare me for the real world.” GT – abridged testimonial – school selection matters
  • Online Catalog

    Sheffield Flight Dispatch Training Catalog

  • Connect