Russia vs Syria Military Comparison

Side-by-side military strength: active personnel, defense budgets, air force aircraft, and naval assets.

Russia

Syria

Russia

900K active troops $200B budget

Syria

200K active troops $2B budget

12,420

Tanks

2,250

30,122

Armored Vehicles

4,550

14,145

Artillery

2,085

3,391

Rocket Systems

850

789

Fighter Jets

164

1,543

Helicopters

605

Warships

Submarines

Nuclear Budget vs GDP Personnel Air Force Naval All Metrics

Nuclear Arsenal

Russia

LARGEST

5,580 WARHEADS

Syria

NON-NUCLEAR

0 WARHEADS

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

Syria

18.8% OF LARGEST

169K TROOPS

Russia 900Ktroops

LARGEST

Syria 169Ktroops

18.8% of largest

Russia has 5.33× the active personnel of Syria

Full Military comparison →

Air Force Total Aircraft

Russia

LARGEST

4.17K AIRCRAFT

Syria

6.6% OF LARGEST

277 AIRCRAFT

Russia 4.17Kaircraft

LARGEST

Syria 277aircraft

6.6% of largest

Russia has 15.06× the aircraft of Syria

Full Military comparison →

Total Naval Assets

Russia

LARGEST

605 VESSELS

Syria

9.3% OF LARGEST

56 VESSELS

Russia 605vessels

LARGEST

Syria 56vessels

9.3% of largest

Russia has 10.80× the naval assets of Syria

Full Military comparison →

Land Forces — Detailed Metrics

Metric	Russia	Syria
Active Personnel	900,000	169,000
Reserve Personnel	2,000,000	100,000
Total Military Personnel	3,350,000	269,000
Defense Budget (USD)	$154,000,000,000	$1,800,000,000
Tanks	12,420	2,250
Armored Vehicles	30,122	4,550
Self-Propelled Artillery	6,574	485
Towed Artillery	7,571	1,600
Rocket Projectors	3,391	850

Air Force — Detailed Metrics

Metric	Russia	Syria
Total Aircraft	4,173	277
Fighters	789	164
Attack Aircraft	1,391	0
Transport Aircraft	445	13
Trainer Aircraft	496	85
Helicopters	1,543	15
Attack Helicopters	544	28

Naval Forces — Detailed Metrics

Metric	Russia	Syria
Total Naval Assets	605	56
Aircraft Carriers	1	0
Destroyers	15	0
Frigates	11	0
Corvettes	86	0
Submarines	70	0
Patrol Vessels	65	25
Mine Warfare Vessels	47	8

See economy, trade, demographics, and more for this comparison. View full Russia vs Syria comparison →

Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research. Last updated June 2026. Sources & methodology