This Asian Powerhouse Has 8,000 Big Artillery Guns at the Ready – and It’s Not China

For over a year, Finland has been working to buff up its coastal defense, and was looking at expanding its artillery arsenal as a possible option. It seems that this option was appealing, as Patria, an international defence and technology company, unveiled a new artillery system for the Finnish Navy at the end of March […] The post This Asian Powerhouse Has 8,000 Big Artillery Guns at the Ready – and It’s Not China appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Apr 4, 2025 - 14:32

This Asian Powerhouse Has 8,000 Big Artillery Guns at the Ready – and It’s Not China

For over a year, Finland has been working to buff up its coastal defense, and was looking at expanding its artillery arsenal as a possible option. It seems that this option was appealing, as Patria, an international defence and technology company, unveiled a new artillery system for the Finnish Navy at the end of March 2025. As The Defense Post shares, “the 52-caliber ARVE howitzer combines the company’s existing 155 K 98 towed howitzer onto a Sisu E13TP 8×8 all-terrain truck.” Altogether, Finland plans to acquire 16 of these mobile artillery units. Once acquired, the Finnish Navy can begin using the artillery to engage other vessels as needed. Artillery is helpful in these situations as it can be deployed for enemy suppression from long distances. (Watch out — these emerging naval powers might overtake the U.S. Navy one day.)

To identify the countries with the most artillery units, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries are ranked on over 60 different measures. For the purpose of this article, 24/7 Wall St. ranked the countries based on the total number of artillery units in their arsenal. The leader on this list, an Asian nation you might not guess, has nearly 8,000 artillery guns — and almost 5,000 more than the following country. That means when it comes to neutralizing enemy forces, the top country is better prepared than nearly anything else. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, tanks and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. Global Firepower uses their own proprietary formula to determine the strength score, but we can tell you that the stronger a country is, the closer their score is to a perfect zero. For this list, we excluded larger world powers like Russia and the United States to focus on smaller and/or emerging nations that are growing in power.

This article was updated on April 3, 2025 based on new data from Global Firepower’s Military Strength Ranking, as well as to add more insight into recent artillery advancements in several countries.

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding global military dynamics is incredibly important due to the interconnected nature of international relations and conflicts. As long as civilization has existed, the world has witnessed shifting power balances and alliances which have ultimately shaped the current geopolitical landscape. While key players like the United States, China, and Russia are easily the global powers, there are a number of emerging military powers that have their own spheres of influence and give shape to geopolitical relations in their own unique way.

We can see how these countries are making a difference by looking at their new prioritization of artillery. For example, Germany and Turkey — both NATO members — could be striking up a stronger alliance to increase the production of 155mm artillery shells. South Korea has also offered its services to Canada by proposing the sale of several K9 howitzers, which are advanced artillery. By identifying which countries have the most artillery, you can better follow these shifting relationships and recognize where each country might stand should conflict break out.

Take a look at the emerging global powers with the largest artillery armies:

30. Denmark

Total artillery: 19
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 19
Total tanks: 44
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 8
Total military vehicles: 3,856
Military strength score: 0.8109 – #45 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Denmark has 117 military aircraft (including 4 attack aircraft, 31 fighter aircraft, and 34 helicopters). Denmark has 20,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5,973,136.

29. Paraguay

Total artillery: 25
Total towed artillery: 25
Total self-propelled artillery: 0
Total tanks: 0
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 1,108
Military strength score: 1.9044 – #87 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Paraguay has 39 military aircraft (including 14 helicopters). Paraguay has 15,650 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 7,522,549.

28. Sweden

Total artillery: 26
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 26
Total tanks: 110
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 6,795
Military strength score: 0.4835 – #27 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Sweden has 169 military aircraft (including 71 fighter aircraft and 53 helicopters). Sweden has 24,400 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10,489,835.

27. Austria

Austrian national flag waving on blue sky background. Republic of Austria, AT

Total artillery: 30
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 30
Total tanks: 56
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 7,322
Military strength score: 1.3704 – #68 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Austria has 85 military aircraft (including 15 fighter aircraft and 41 helicopters). Austria has 16,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 8,967,982.

26. New Zealand

Ukraine artillery | The flight of a projectile during a shot from a cannon

Total artillery: 31
Total towed artillery: 31
Total self-propelled artillery: 0
Total tanks: 0
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 2,114
Military strength score: 1.9039 – #86 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, New Zealand has 41 military aircraft (including 21 helicopters). New Zealand has 8,670 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5,161,211.

25. Estonia

Total artillery: 36
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 36
Total tanks: 0
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 6
Total military vehicles: 1,685
Military strength score: 2.2917 – #107 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Estonia has 5 military aircraft (including 3 helicopters). Estonia has 7,700 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 1,193,791.

24. Libya

Total artillery: 43
Total towed artillery: 28
Total self-propelled artillery: 15
Total tanks: 43
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
Total military vehicles: 1,816
Military strength score: 1.4449 – #76 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Libya has 143 military aircraft (including 1 attack aircraft, 10 fighter aircraft, and 16 helicopters). Libya has 32,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 7,361,263.

23. Czechia

Total artillery: 50
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 50
Total tanks: 43
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 16
Total military vehicles: 6,340
Military strength score: 0.9994 – #53 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Czechia has 99 military aircraft (including 16 attack aircraft, 12 fighter aircraft, and 42 helicopters). Czechia has 28,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10,837,890.

22. Qatar

Total artillery: 58
Total towed artillery: 12
Total self-propelled artillery: 46
Total tanks: 99
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 16
Total military vehicles: 5,024
Military strength score: 1.4307 – #72 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Qatar has 251 military aircraft (including 6 attack aircraft, 102 fighter aircraft, and 80 helicopters). Qatar has 66,550 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2,552,088.

21. Croatia

Total artillery: 67
Total towed artillery: 42
Total self-propelled artillery: 25
Total tanks: 45
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 42
Total military vehicles: 2,848
Military strength score: 1.5074 – #74 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Croatia has 67 military aircraft (including 10 fighter aircraft and 37 helicopters). Croatia has 14,325 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 4,150,116.

20. Kuwait

Launch of military missiles (rocket artillery) at the firing field during military exercise

Total artillery: 74
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 74
Total tanks: 367
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 27
Total military vehicles: 5,636
Military strength score: 1.6982 – #79 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Kuwait has 128 military aircraft (including 43 fighter aircraft and 67 helicopters). Kuwait has 72,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 3,138,355.

19. Switzerland

Total artillery: 133
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 133
Total tanks: 205
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 6,996
Military strength score: 0.7869 – #44 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Switzerland has 146 military aircraft (including 43 fighter aircraft and 40 helicopters). Switzerland has 101,584 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 8,860,574.

18. Germany

Total artillery: 134
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 134
Total tanks: 296
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 33
Total military vehicles: 83,260
Military strength score: 0.2601 – #14 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Germany has 584 military aircraft (including 63 attack aircraft, 129 fighter aircraft, and 309 helicopters). Germany has 181,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84,119,100.

17. Portugal

Total artillery: 139
Total towed artillery: 115
Total self-propelled artillery: 24
Total tanks: 34
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 10,828
Military strength score: 0.6856 – #39 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Portugal has 115 military aircraft (including 28 fighter aircraft and 31 helicopters). Portugal has 24,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10,639,726.

16. Georgia

Azerbaijan+tanks | Exercise Saber Guardian 2016

Total artillery: 188
Total towed artillery: 121
Total self-propelled artillery: 67
Total tanks: 123
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 42
Total military vehicles: 3,392
Military strength score: 2.0695 – #94 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Georgia has 61 military aircraft (including 5 attack aircraft and 44 helicopters). Georgia has 55,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 4,900,961.

15. Serbia

Total artillery: 240
Total towed artillery: 150
Total self-propelled artillery: 90
Total tanks: 262
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 98
Total military vehicles: 3,683
Military strength score: 1.2576 – #63 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Serbia has 110 military aircraft (including 17 attack aircraft, 11 fighter aircraft, and 46 helicopters). Serbia has 25,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6,652,212.

14. United Arab Emirates

Total artillery: 264
Total towed artillery: 99
Total self-propelled artillery: 165
Total tanks: 354
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 49
Total military vehicles: 8,707
Military strength score: 1.0186 – #54 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, the United Arab Emirates has 551 military aircraft (including 16 attack aircraft, 99 fighter aircraft, and 247 helicopters). The United Arab Emirates has 65,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10,032,213.

13. Myanmar

Total artillery: 305
Total towed artillery: 210
Total self-propelled artillery: 95
Total tanks: 445
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 180
Total military vehicles: 5,980
Military strength score: 0.6735 – #37 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Myanmar has 317 military aircraft (including 26 attack aircraft, 58 fighter aircraft, and 83 helicopters). Myanmar has 150,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 57,527,139.

12. Kazakhstan

Total artillery: 320
Total towed artillery: 194
Total self-propelled artillery: 126
Total tanks: 350
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 287
Total military vehicles: 7,736
Military strength score: 1.1016 – #57 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Kazakhstan has 198 military aircraft (including 25 attack aircraft, 63 fighter aircraft, and 65 helicopters). Kazakhstan has 110,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 20,260,006.

11. Spain

Total artillery: 382
Total towed artillery: 287
Total self-propelled artillery: 95
Total tanks: 317
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 0
Total military vehicles: 17,626
Military strength score: 0.3242 – #17 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Spain has 461 military aircraft (including 12 attack aircraft, 137 fighter aircraft, and 153 helicopters). Spain has 133,282 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 47,280,433.

10. Jordan

Total artillery: 438
Total towed artillery: 80
Total self-propelled artillery: 358
Total tanks: 1,458
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 56
Total military vehicles: 16,624
Military strength score: 1.6139 – #75 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Jordan has 274 military aircraft (including 6 attack aircraft, 44 fighter aircraft, and 155 helicopters). Jordan has 100,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 11,174,024.

9. Israel

Total artillery: 523
Total towed artillery: 171
Total self-propelled artillery: 352
Total tanks: 1,300
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 183
Total military vehicles: 35,985
Military strength score: 0.2661 – #15 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Israel has 611 military aircraft (including 38 attack aircraft, 240 fighter aircraft, and 147 helicopters). Israel has 170,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 9,402,617.

8. Bangladesh

Total artillery: 602
Total towed artillery: 546
Total self-propelled artillery: 56
Total tanks: 320
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 110
Total military vehicles: 11,584
Military strength score: 0.6062 – #35 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Bangladesh has 214 military aircraft (including 42 fighter aircraft and 65 helicopters). Bangladesh has 163,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 168,697,184.

7. Japan

Total artillery: 629
Total towed artillery: 480
Total self-propelled artillery: 149
Total tanks: 521
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 54
Total military vehicles: 31,964
Military strength score: 0.1839 – #8 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Japan has 1,443 military aircraft (including 38 attack aircraft, 217 fighter aircraft, and 596 helicopters). Japan has 247,150 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 123,201,945.

6. Poland

Total artillery: 677
Total towed artillery: 0
Total self-propelled artillery: 677
Total tanks: 614
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 196
Total military vehicles: 23,138
Military strength score: 0.3776 – #21 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Poland has 479 military aircraft (including 44 attack aircraft, 59 fighter aircraft, and 216 helicopters). Poland has 202,100 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 38,746,310.

5. Syria

Total artillery: 731
Total towed artillery: 641
Total self-propelled artillery: 90
Total tanks: 365
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 204
Total military vehicles: 11,148
Military strength score: 1.2771 – #64 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Syria has 207 military aircraft (including 9 attack aircraft, 104 fighter aircraft, and 77 helicopters). Syria has 170,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 23,865,423.

4. Finland

Total artillery: 774
Total towed artillery: 667
Total self-propelled artillery: 107
Total tanks: 200
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 76
Total military vehicles: 11,704
Military strength score: 0.8437 – #48 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Finland has 163 military aircraft (including 54 fighter aircraft and 27 helicopters). Finland has 24,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5,626,414.

3. Iran

Total artillery: 2,462
Total towed artillery: 2,070
Total self-propelled artillery: 392
Total tanks: 1,713
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 1,517
Total military vehicles: 65,825
Military strength score: 0.3048 – #16 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Iran has 551 military aircraft (including 21 attack aircraft, 188 fighter aircraft, and 128 helicopters). Iran has 610,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 88,386,937.

2. Turkey

Total artillery: 2,745
Total towed artillery: 1,707
Total self-propelled artillery: 1,038
Total tanks: 2,238
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 296
Total military vehicles: 61,173
Military strength score: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, Turkey has 1,083 military aircraft (including 201 fighter aircraft and 508 helicopters). Turkey has 355,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84,119,531.

1. South Korea

Total artillery: 7,670
Total towed artillery: 4,400
Total self-propelled artillery: 3,270
Total tanks: 2,236
Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 426
Total military vehicles: 58,880
Military strength score: 0.1656 – #5 out of 145

Separate from the ground forces, South Korea has 1,592 military aircraft (including 98 attack aircraft, 315 fighter aircraft, and 807 helicopters). South Korea has 600,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 52,081,799.

The post This Asian Powerhouse Has 8,000 Big Artillery Guns at the Ready – and It’s Not China appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..