The US Leads NATO in Attack Helicopters with More Than 1,000 at the Ready

The Apache helicopter is a staple of the United States’ military dominance. Originally introduced in the mid-1980s, this attack helicopter has proven itself in practically every major U.S. conflict ever since. There’s no nation on Earth that has as many of these attack helicopters as the United States. In fact, the U.S. has an arsenal […] The post The US Leads NATO in Attack Helicopters with More Than 1,000 at the Ready appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Jun 12, 2025 - 14:48

The US Leads NATO in Attack Helicopters with More Than 1,000 at the Ready

Key Points

The Apache attack helicopter is a staple of US military dominance
It was originally introduced in the mid-1980s and has played a role in nearly all major US conflicts since
Comparatively, the US has more attack helicopters than most other nations have military aircraft
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The Apache helicopter is a staple of the United States’ military dominance. Originally introduced in the mid-1980s, this attack helicopter has proven itself in practically every major U.S. conflict ever since. There’s no nation on Earth that has as many of these attack helicopters as the United States. In fact, the U.S. has an arsenal of these Apache helicopters that numbers greater than most of the world’s air forces. Compared to other NATO nations, the U.S. has vastly more attack helicopters in general, including Apache’s, Black Hawk’s, and more. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at the NATO nations with the most attack helicopters.

To determine the NATO countries with the most attack helicopters, 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 attack helicopters. We included supplemental information regarding each country’s current air force, overall military strength ranking, and defense budget. It should be noted that these attack helicopters are initially specialized for combat, although they might play secondary roles as well. Countries with no attack helicopters were excluded.

Here is a look at the countries with the largest attack helicopter armies in NATO:

Why Are We Covering This?

Nato national Flag textile cloth fabric waving on the top

Understanding NATO’s military dynamics is important when looking at the state of global security. Since its inception, NATO has played a pivotal role in shaping international relations through its collective defense and security framework. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise and new threats emerge, knowing and understanding NATO’s military capabilities is important for getting a clearer picture of the world stage. Not to mention, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among others, contribute significantly to NATO’s military strength, influencing global power balances and regional stability.

14. Bulgaria

Total attack helicopters: 4
Total helicopters: 27
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 10
Total strike and attack aircraft: 5
Total military aircraft: 65
Military defense budget: $1,373,232,000 – #80 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.2563 – #61 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Bulgaria has 4,914 military vehicles which include 90 tanks, 24 MLRS units, and 72 artillery units. Bulgaria has 37,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6.783 million.

13. Czechia

Total attack helicopters: 4
Total helicopters: 42
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 12
Total strike and attack aircraft: 16
Total military aircraft: 99
Military defense budget: $6,750,000,000 – #43 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.9994 – #53 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Czechia has 6,340 military vehicles which include 43 tanks, 16 MLRS units, and 50 artillery units. Czechia has 28,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.84 million.

12. North Macedonia

Poland+apache+helicopter | Saber Strike 15

Total attack helicopters: 4
Total helicopters: 10
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 0
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 20
Military defense budget: $388,421,700 – #114 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 2.4042 – #112 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, North Macedonia has 1,108 military vehicles which include 20 tanks, 17 MLRS units, and 150 artillery units. North Macedonia has 9,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.136 million.

11. Hungary

Total attack helicopters: 8
Total helicopters: 44
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 12
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 69
Military defense budget: $4,576,000,000 – #53 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 1.0259 – #55 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Hungary has 7,797 military vehicles which include 209 tanks and 319 artillery units. Hungary has 41,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 9.856 million.

10. Netherlands

Total attack helicopters: 12
Total helicopters: 63
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 32
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 120
Military defense budget: $27,000,000,000 – #18 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6412 – #36 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the Netherlands has 2,755 military vehicles which include 18 tanks, 2 MLRS units, and 46 artillery units. The Netherlands has 41,380 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 17.77 million.

9. Spain

Total attack helicopters: 17
Total helicopters: 153
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 137
Total strike and attack aircraft: 12
Total military aircraft: 461
Military defense budget: $23,397,000,000 – #22 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3242 – #17 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Spain has 17,626 military vehicles which include 317 tanks and 382 artillery units. Spain has 133,282 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 47.28 million.

8. Greece

Total attack helicopters: 29
Total helicopters: 293
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 178
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 558
Military defense budget: $6,500,000,000 – #44 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.5337 – #30 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Greece has 61,888 military vehicles which include 1,344 tanks, 152 MLRS units, and 1287 artillery units. Greece has 142,700 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.46 million.

7. Poland

Total attack helicopters: 29
Total helicopters: 216
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 59
Total strike and attack aircraft: 44
Total military aircraft: 479
Military defense budget: $48,700,000,000 – #12 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3776 – #22 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Poland has 23,138 military vehicles which include 614 tanks, 196 MLRS units, and 677 artillery units. Poland has 202,100 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 38.75 million.

6. Italy

Total attack helicopters: 37
Total helicopters: 392
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 89
Total strike and attack aircraft: 67
Total military aircraft: 729
Military defense budget: $30,890,000,000 – #16 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2164 – #10 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Italy has 73,480 military vehicles which include 200 tanks, 21 MLRS units, and 172 artillery units. Italy has 165,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 60.96 million.

5. United Kingdom

Total attack helicopters: 37
Total helicopters: 266
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 113
Total strike and attack aircraft: 31
Total military aircraft: 631
Military defense budget: $71,500,540,000 – #6 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1785 – #6 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the United Kingdom has 38,200 military vehicles which include 227 tanks, 29 MLRS units, and 197 artillery units. The United Kingdom has 184,860 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.46 million.

4. Germany

Total attack helicopters: 54
Total helicopters: 309
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 129
Total strike and attack aircraft: 63
Total military aircraft: 584
Military defense budget: $50,000,000,000 – #11 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2601 – #14 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Germany has 83,260 military vehicles which include 296 tanks, 33 MLRS units, and 134 artillery units. Germany has 181,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.12 million.

3. France

Colombia+navy | RIMPAC 2012

Total attack helicopters: 68
Total helicopters: 448
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 226
Total strike and attack aircraft: 0
Total military aircraft: 976
Military defense budget: $55,000,000,000 – #9 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1878 – #8 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, France has 110,932 military vehicles which include 215 tanks, 9 MLRS units, and 96 artillery units. France has 200,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.37 million.

2. 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 defense budget: $47,000,000,000 – #13 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, Turkey has 61,173 military vehicles which include 2,238 tanks, 296 MLRS units, and 2,745 artillery units. Turkey has 355,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.12 million.

1. United States

Australia+apache+helicopter | Insurgents Driven Out of Shah Wali Kot

Total attack helicopters: 1,002
Total helicopters: 5,843
Total fighter and interceptor aircraft: 1,790
Total strike and attack aircraft: 889
Total military aircraft: 13,043
Military defense budget: $895,000,000,000 – #1 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.0744 – #1 out of 145

Outside of these helicopters, the United States has 391,963 military vehicles which include 4,640 tanks, 641 MLRS units, and 1,883 artillery units. The United States has 1,328,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 341.96 million.

The post The US Leads NATO in Attack Helicopters with More Than 1,000 at the Ready appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..