In the Middle East, This Country’s Attack Helicopter Fleet Can Beat All Others

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) recently shared a goal of increasing its helicopter exports to the international market by 50%. TAI CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu is particularly excited at the opportunity of selling the Atak helicopter, a twin-engine multirole attack helicopter, to Germany. The T129 Atak helicopter can be used for anti-aircraft missions, reconnaissance, and ground support, among other roles, making it especially versatile. Although Demiroğlu acknowledges that Germany has not yet asked Turkey to provide them with these attack helicopters, Demiroğlu believes “that Germany’s defense industry is not at the desired level and requires fast solutions.” In 2024, several countries strengthened their defense capabilities with T129 Atak helicopters, including Nigeria and the Philippines. Whether Germany will follow suit has yet to be seen. (Here are the helicopters that dominate today’s battlefields.)

Even outside of the named countries, attack helicopters act as a durable and effective wartime tool. These helicopters are often heavily armed, allowing pilots to destroy military vehicles and attack enemy forces with a combination of weapons. Helicopters can also fly lower than some other military aircraft, which lets them avoid radar detection more readily. As such, international air forces with significant attack helicopter fleets do have some strategic positioning over those who do not. Here, 24/7 Wall St. used the 2025 Military Strength Rating from Global Firepower — which ranks the military power of 145 countries based on more than 60 separate factors — to identify the top 12 Middle Eastern countries with the largest attack helicopter fleets. Countries are listed in ascending order from lowest amount of attack helicopters to the highest amount. In times of ties, we used overall military aircraft numbers as a tiebreaker. Supplemental information on military rank and score comes from Global Firepower; the closer to 0.000, the more powerful the military. We also used multiple historical sources to provide some light background on each country’s military history.

This previously published article was updated on March 20, 2025 to reflect recent statements from Turkish Aerospace Industries CEO, as well as updated data from Global Firepower regarding country-specific aircraft numbers. 

Why Are We Covering This?

Although you’d probably know this without the news, the Middle East seems, at times, to be a melting pot for conflict. Israel’s actions against Palestinians have triggered worldwide anger and fear, but that is nowhere near the only pain point within the region. Turkey and Iran are increasingly finding themselves at odds, and oil prices continue to rise as does regional instability. Given the uncertainty of the area’s geopolitical landscape, many countries are ready to rely on their military prowess — and attack helicopters could, should further war and conflict arise, play an important role in keeping a country well-protected.

These are the largest attack helicopter armies in the Middle East:

12. Syria

• Total attack helicopters: 14
• Total helicopters: 77
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 104
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 9
• Total military aircraft: 207
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.2771 – #64 out of 145

Syria’s military history is marked by its strategic location, which has made it a point of contention for regional and international conflicts. The country gained independence from France in 1946, and has since been involved in several wars, including the Lebanese Civil War and wars with Israel. The most recent chapter in Syria’s military history began in 2011 with the Syrian Civil War, which was brought on by Arab Spring protests. This was hotly contested by multiple factions including ISI, Kurdish forces, as well as foreign military powers like Russia and the U.S., Turkey and others. Most recently, Syria has been embroiled in conflict following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

11. Kuwait

• Total attack helicopters: 16
• Total helicopters: 67
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 43
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
• Total military aircraft: 128
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.6982 – #79 out of 145

Kuwait’s location at the northern edge of the Persian Gulf has heavily influenced its military history over the years. The country was in the dominion of the Ottoman Empire before becoming a British protectorate in the early 20th century. Kuwait gained independence in 1961. More recently, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990, which precipitated the Gulf War. Saddam Hussein’s push into Kuwait was largely driven by disputes over oil and debt. The international response from this served to liberate Kuwait.

10. Qatar

• Total attack helicopters: 24
• Total helicopters: 80
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 102
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 6
• Total military aircraft: 251
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.4307 – #72 out of 145

Qatar’s military history is largely shaped by its strategic position on the Arabian Peninsula, alongside its substantial natural gas and oil reserves. Since its independence from Britain in 1971, Qatar has rapidly modernized its military through state-of-the-art aircraft (F-15 and Rafale jets) and other advanced military technology acquired from Western nations. Qatar has also made moves to develop a naval force to protect its extensive coastline as well as its oil and gas interests.

9. United Arab Emirates

• Total attack helicopters: 30
• Total helicopters: 247
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 99
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 16
• Total military aircraft: 551
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.0186 – #54 out of 145

The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 when seven emirates combined forces, focusing on building a nation with a strong military geared towards advanced technology and modernization. The U.S. and France are the main sellers of this tech to the UAE, and in turn, the UAE has been involved in regional operations in the Gulf War, Yemen, and against ISIS. The UAE’s power extends further beyond its relatively small territory in the Persian Gulf. In fact, the country has been projecting power abroad where it has established military bases in the Horn of Africa and beyond.

8. Bahrain

• Total attack helicopters: 34
• Total helicopters: 80
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 24
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
• Total military aircraft: 132
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.7448 – #81 out of 145

While Bahrain’s military history may not be as comprehensive as its neighbors, the nation does occupy a strategic position in the Persian Gulf. The island nation was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century but later fell under Persian and then Ottoman control. In the 19th century, Bahrain was a British protectorate, which significantly bolstered its military and foreign policy. But Bahrain gained independence in 1971. This led the country to establish its own military and national defense forces. Bahrain’s relationship with several Western powers has allowed it to modernize and improve its military capabilities.

7. Saudi Arabia

• Total attack helicopters: 34
• Total helicopters: 264
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 283
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 81
• Total military aircraft: 917
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.4201 – #24 out of 145

Saudi Arabia as we know it today was founded in 1932. This came decades after Abdulaziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud) unified the Saudi state after conquering Riyadh in 1902. The discovery of oil in the 1930s catapulted the Kingdom to prominence on the world stage. Through this oil trade, particularly with Western partners, Saudi Arabia has profited incredibly. Saudi Arabia has procured advanced weaponry and aircraft from these Western powers, making it one of the more dominant military powers in the region. Saudi Arabia would also play an important role in the Gulf War as part of the coalition that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

6. Iraq

• Total attack helicopters: 39
• Total helicopters: 197
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 26
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 36
• Total military aircraft: 391
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.7738 – #43 out of 145

Despite officially gaining independence in 1932 from the British, Iraq was still subject to Britain’s influence until the late 1950s. After ganing independence, Saddam Hussein rose to power with the Ba’ath Party in 1979. Hussein’s reign was characterized by an expanded focus on military — and the country waged war against Iran between 1980-88. But this was not enough for Hussein. He later invaded Kuwait in 1990, sparking the Gulf War. However, a U.S. led invasion in 2003 would ultimately topple the dictator and create instability within the country as well as the formation of multiple insurgent factions to the new government. Currently, Iraq is in the state of rebuilding its military to deal with internal threats.

5. Jordan

• Total attack helicopters: 44
• Total helicopters: 155
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 44
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 6
• Total military aircraft: 274
• Military strength score and world rank: 1.6139 – #75 out of 145

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was established after World War I from the breaking of the Ottoman Empire. It would gain its full independence from Britain in 1946. Jordan’s last century has been marked by conflicts with Israel: notably, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the 1967 Six-Day War. Jordan even lost control over the West Bank in the latter conflict. By 1994, Jordan and Israel entered into a peace treaty. However, these wars were impactful in shaping Jordan’s borders and military strategies. Currently, Jordan maintains ties to Western powers that help with its military modernization efforts. Also, the country acts as a stabilizing power within the region, typically acting as a mediator in peace talks.

4. Israel

• Total attack helicopters: 48
• Total helicopters: 147
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 240
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 38
• Total military aircraft: 611
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.2661 – #15 out of 145

After its formation in 1948, Israel was near-immediately plunged into conflict with neighboring Arab states in an attempt to prevent its establishment. Over the coming decades, and even currently, Israel would be the central locale of conflict for this region. To this day, many states still do not consider Israel’s legitimacy. Other notable conflicts that Israel has survived, and even in some expanded its territory, include the Suez Crisis, Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, and other conflicts with Lebanon. Its most recent engagement with Hamas has devastated the Gaza Strip, and the international community is concerned with the ongoing situation.

3. Pakistan

• Total attack helicopters: 57
• Total helicopters: 373
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 328
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 90
• Total military aircraft: 1,399
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.2513 – #12 out of 145

Pakistan’s military history is deeply tied with its formation in 1947 as a partition from India. Partition was violent and created two nations largely divided on religious lines, leading to heightened tensions and, eventually, war. The first Indo-Pakistani War was waged over Kashmir which each nation claimed as their own. There would be subsequent wars in 1965 and 1971. The conflict in 1971 was a severe loss for Pakistan and ultimately culminated in the creation of Bangladesh. These tensions and terrtorial disputes continue to this day. Pakistan has also participated in other regional conflicts like the Soviet-Afghan War, where it supported Afghan mujahideen groups with the aid of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

2. Egypt

• Total attack helicopters: 100
• Total helicopters: 348
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 238
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 88
• Total military aircraft: 1,093
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.3427 – #19 out of 145

Egypt, in direct conflict with France and Britain, nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956. The waterway was, and remains, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, especially between Europe and the Middle East. Egypt’s claim over the Suez Canal, as well as its many strategic partnerships, have established Egypt as a prominent military power in the nation. Egypt has also played a significant role in several conflicts, including the Arab Spring, where President Hosni Mubarak and President Mohamed Morsi were ousted in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

1. Turkey

• Total attack helicopters: 111
• Total helicopters: 508
• Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 201
• Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
• Total military aircraft: 1,083
• Military strength score and world rank: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145

Turkey was a seat of power in the age of the Ottoman Empire. But when the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Turkey found itself at a crossroads. After the state’s official creation in 1923, Turkey first adopted a position of positive neutrality. The country later joined NATO in 1952, which was partially attrbuted to its strategic location between Europe and Asia. After this point, Turkey restructured and modernized its military. The Turkish Air Force today has forty nuclear bombs that can be used should nuclear war break out.

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