France vs United Kingdom Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
France
200K active troops
$60B budget
VS
United Kingdom
200K active troops
$70B budget
406
Tanks
227
6,300
Armored Vehicles
5,015
121
Artillery
215
13
Rocket Systems
44
229
Fighter Jets
137
566
Helicopters
332
180
Warships
76
10
Submarines
11
Nuclear Arsenal
France
LARGEST
290
WARHEADS
United Kingdom
77.6% OF LARGEST
225
WARHEADS
France holds
1.3×
the warheads of United Kingdom
Warheads Over Time
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
France
LARGEST
203.85K
TROOPS
United Kingdom
75.2% OF LARGEST
153.29K
TROOPS
France has 1.33× the active personnel of United Kingdom
Air Force Total Aircraft
France
LARGEST
1.06K
AIRCRAFT
United Kingdom
69.5% OF LARGEST
733
AIRCRAFT
France has 1.44× the aircraft of United Kingdom
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
France
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 203,850 | 153,290 |
| Reserve Personnel | 35,000 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 240,000 | 234,790 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $55,000,000,000 | $68,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 406 | 227 |
| Armored Vehicles | 6,300 | 5,015 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 109 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 | 126 |
| Rocket Projectors | 13 | 44 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
France
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 1,055 | 733 |
| Fighters | 229 | 137 |
| Attack Aircraft | 246 | 143 |
| Transport Aircraft | 163 | 288 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 181 | 175 |
| Helicopters | 566 | 332 |
| Attack Helicopters | 69 | 50 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
France
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 180 | 76 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 1 | 2 |
| Destroyers | 12 | 6 |
| Frigates | 11 | 13 |
| Corvettes | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 10 | 11 |
| Patrol Vessels | 19 | 22 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 18 | 13 |
See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison.
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Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology