Many African countries face different security challenges, including internal conflicts, terrorism, piracy, and border disputes. Over the years, military aircrafts have been the essential assets governments use to conduct aerial surveillance, and combat operations to counter these threats.
According to the Africa Defence Forum, between 2022 and 2023, Africa was one of only two regions in the world that saw a full percentage increase in its continental fleet size, adding 41 military aircraft. In the region, large, well-established air forces increased their transport fleets.
In an earlier piece, we explored the military strength of 10 African countries in 2024 based on Global Firepower's assessment. But, beyond strength, we also covered each country's annual defence spending and how important the budget is in the maintenance and procurement of military equipment including tanks, ammunition, and aircraft.
Commendably, within the continent's military aviation space, some countries stand out for their impressive fleet of aircraft, so we also explored "African countries with the largest military aircraft fleets in 2024."
However, the Global Firepower's assessment also shows some African countries with relatively small military fleets. Benin has the smallest air force fleet on the continent, with only three aircraft in stock according to the report. Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic follow closely with four and six aircraft respectively.
The report considers fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft from all branches of service, including the Air Force, Army Aviation, Navy, and Marine. It accounts for various aircraft types, such as fighters, trainers, transports, bombers, ground attackers, special-mission platforms, and more.
However, aircraft currently under development or on order heading into the upcoming year are not included in the evaluation.
Below are 10 African countries with the smallest military aircraft fleet:
| Rank | Country | Aircraft stock | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benin | 3 | 136 |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 4 | 135 |
| 3 | Central African Republic | 6 | 132 |
| 4 | Ivory Coast | 9 | 128 |
| 5 | Republic of Congo | 14 | 125 |
| 6 | South Sudan | 16 | 123 |
| 7 | Ghana | 20 | 118 |
| 8 | Eritrea | 20 | 117 |
| 9 | Mozambique | 21 | 116 |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | 21 | 115 |
