Russia vs United Kingdom Military Comparison
Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.
Russia
900K active troops
$200B budget
VS
United Kingdom
200K active troops
$70B budget
12,420
Tanks
227
30,122
Armored Vehicles
5,015
14,145
Artillery
215
3,391
Rocket Systems
44
789
Fighter Jets
137
1,543
Helicopters
332
605
Warships
76
70
Submarines
11
Nuclear Arsenal
Russia
LARGEST
5,580
WARHEADS
United Kingdom
4.0% OF LARGEST
225
WARHEADS
Russia holds
24.8×
the warheads of United Kingdom
Warheads Over Time
Estimated total warhead inventories — Federation of American Scientists / SIPRI
Defense Budget vs GDP
Historical defense spending and how it compares to each country's GDP. The % of GDP view normalises for economic size so smaller economies aren't drowned out by absolute dollar figures.
Defense Budget Over Time ($B)
Defense Budget as % of GDP
Source: World Bank Open Data API (MS.MIL.XPND.CD)
Military Active Personnel
Russia
LARGEST
900K
TROOPS
United Kingdom
17.0% OF LARGEST
153.29K
TROOPS
Russia has 5.87× the active personnel of United Kingdom
Air Force Total Aircraft
Russia
LARGEST
4.17K
AIRCRAFT
United Kingdom
17.6% OF LARGEST
733
AIRCRAFT
Russia has 5.69× the aircraft of United Kingdom
Total Naval Assets
Land Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Russia
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 900,000 | 153,290 |
| Reserve Personnel | 2,000,000 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 3,350,000 | 234,790 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $154,000,000,000 | $68,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 12,420 | 227 |
| Armored Vehicles | 30,122 | 5,015 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 6,574 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 7,571 | 126 |
| Rocket Projectors | 3,391 | 44 |
Air Force — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Russia
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Aircraft | 4,173 | 733 |
| Fighters | 789 | 137 |
| Attack Aircraft | 1,391 | 143 |
| Transport Aircraft | 445 | 288 |
| Trainer Aircraft | 496 | 175 |
| Helicopters | 1,543 | 332 |
| Attack Helicopters | 544 | 50 |
Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics
| Metric |
Russia
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Total Naval Assets | 605 | 76 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 1 | 2 |
| Destroyers | 15 | 6 |
| Frigates | 11 | 13 |
| Corvettes | 86 | 0 |
| Submarines | 70 | 11 |
| Patrol Vessels | 65 | 22 |
| Mine Warfare Vessels | 47 | 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