Saudi Arabia Military Strength 2026
Rank #21 of 145Saudi Arabia is ranked #21 of 145 nations on the Warfare Institute Strength Index, with a provisional score of 5.2 / 100. The comparable baseline weighs air power, land and naval forces, active manpower and financials, adjusted for equipment quality and readiness.
Category scores
| Air Superiority | 4.8 |
|---|---|
| Air Defense | Not scored |
| Long-Range Strike | Not scored |
| Land Forces | 5 |
| Naval Forces | 2.3 |
| Logistics | 2.6 |
| Manpower | 15.1 |
| Financials | 7.7 |
Key figures
- Active personnel
- 247,000
- Reserve personnel
- 0
- Total aircraft
- 917
- Fighters
- 283
- Attack helicopters
- 34
- Tanks
- 1,085
- Armored vehicles
- 22,370
- Self-propelled artillery
- 380
- Rocket artillery (MLRS)
- 327
- Naval vessels
- 28
- Aircraft carriers
- 0
- Submarines
- 0
- Defense budget
- $64.0B
- Population
- 36,544,431
What the ranking shows
Saudi Arabia scores 5.2 out of 100. Its highest category score is Manpower (15.1); its lowest is Naval Forces (2.3). Category scores compare this country with the strongest inventory in each category, rather than measuring the probability of winning a war.
The inventory reports 247,000 active personnel, 283 fighters, 1,085 tanks and 28 naval vessels. Geography, alliances, logistics and deployment conditions affect how those forces can be used. Inventory totals and readiness estimates are explained in the methodology.
Data dates and sources
Dated model records range from 2026-07 to 2026-07. The 2026 label identifies the ranking edition; individual observations may refer to earlier periods. Figures are public-source estimates.
- SIPRI Arms Transfers Database — rolling (SIPRI-AT)
- IISS, The Military Balance 2026 — 2026 (IISS-MB26)
- Army Recognition, Janes-style public profiles, manufacturer pages (generation/rubric classification only) — rolling (OSINT-PROFILES)
- Naval News + official navy/shipbuilder releases — rolling (NAVAL-NEWS)
These citations identify the source families assigned to the model records; they do not imply every aggregate figure has been independently verified. See the source registry and corrections process.
Equipment by model
Model counts are estimates and may be reconciled to aggregate totals. — means undisclosed.
| Model | Category | In service | Data date | Source tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-15SA / F-15SR | Multirole strike | 112 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Panavia Tornado IDS | Strike / fighter-bomber | 59 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| F-15C/D Eagle | Air superiority | 59 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Eurofighter Typhoon | Multirole | 53 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Wing Loong 2 | MALE UCAV | — | Not dated | Not assigned |
| CASC CH-4B | MALE UCAV | — | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Bayraktar Akinci | HALE UCAV | — | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Saqr-1 | MALE UCAV | — | Not dated | Not assigned |
| AH-64D/E Apache | Attack helicopter | 22 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other attack helicopters (saudi-arabia) | Attack helicopter | 12 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| UH-60 Black Hawk | Utility helicopter | 69 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| CH-47F / Super Puma | Utility helicopter | 41 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other helicopters (saudi-arabia) | Utility helicopter | 120 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| E-3A / Saab 2000 Erieye / RE-3 fleet | AEW/ISR | 16 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| A330 MRTT / KE-3 tanker fleet | Tanker | 22 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| C-130H/J and CN-235 | Transport | 49 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Patriot PAC-2/PAC-3 | Long-range SAM / lower-tier BMD | 25 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| THAAD | Upper-tier BMD | 2 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| KM-SAM II Cheongung-II | Medium-range SAM | 0 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Shahine / Crotale | Short-range SAM | 73 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| MIM-23 I-Hawk | Medium-range SAM | 128 | 2026-07 | OSINT-PROFILES |
| Other frigates (saudi-arabia) | Frigates | 7 | 2026-07 | NAVAL-NEWS |
| Other corvettes (saudi-arabia) | Corvettes | 9 | 2026-07 | NAVAL-NEWS |
| M1A2S Abrams | Modern MBT | 326 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| M60A3 / AMX-30 | Legacy MBT | 380 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other tanks legacy (saudi-arabia) | tank | 379 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| M2 Bradley | IFV | 2,237 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| LAV/Piranha family | APC | 6,264 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| M113 family | APC | 6,264 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other vehicles mixed (saudi-arabia) | armored vehicle | 7,605 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| M109A2/A5 | SPG | 209 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| CAESAR 155mm | SPG | 57 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other self-propelled artillery mixed (saudi-arabia) | self-propelled artillery | 114 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| M198 / FH70 / M102 | Towed artillery | 334 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other towed artillery legacy (saudi-arabia) | towed artillery | 223 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| M270 / ASTROS II | MLRS | 114 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other rocket artillery mixed (saudi-arabia) | rocket artillery | 213 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| DF-21 / DF-3 conventional missile force | strike | 24 | Not dated | Not assigned |