Summary Cuban Air Force, once powerful, now operates only around 7% of its former fleet, mainly with obsolete aircraft. Iran's air force has struggled due to geopolitical shifts and an arms embargo, relying on aging jets, with uncertain operation capacity. Despite having a large number of aircraft, North Korea's air force would likely be ineffective in modern conflicts against advanced rivals.
Cuba , Iran , and North Korea are all noted enemies of the United States and have long had strict arms embargoes placed on them. All three once operated regionally powerful air forces , but their composition today looks more like a flying museum than a modern air force. While arms embargoes have driven some countries to develop their own modern jets (like Israel with the Nesher and Kfir fighter jets ), others like Cuba, Iran, and North Korea have withered over the years.
Cuba During the late Cold War, the Cuban Air Force (the Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force) boasted the most powerful air force in Latin America (even more capable than Brazil). But when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, the sunset on the Cuban Air Force. Without international aid and faced with an arms embargo and little investment, the Cuban Air Force withered.
During the Cold War, it is estimated that the Soviets supplied Cuba with around 36 MiG-15s, 100 MiG-17s, at least 11 MiG-19s, 270 MiG-21s, over 112 MiG-23s, and 14 MiG-29s. In the 1980s, the powerful Cuban Air Force projected power around the world, fighting the South Africans in Angola and participating in wars in Somalia and elsewhere. Combat aircraft of the Cuban Air Force today (per FlightGlobal ) MiG-21s: 11 MiG-23s: 24 MiG-29s: 3 According to FlightGobal's 2024 report, the Cuban Air Force now only operates around 11 MiG-21s, 24 MiG-23s, and 3 MiG-29s.
This makes it around 7% of its former size (and also with largely obsolete aircraft). The 1980s sale of F-16s to Venezuela is one of the most significant South American arms sales that backfired. Iran By the time of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran boasted one of the region's most modern and capable air forces.
It had been supplied with new American F-14 Tomcats, many F-4 Phantom IIs, and Northrop F-5s. But then, the revolution saw a massive geopolitical shift in Iran's foreign policy, leading to a lasting rupture with the United States and an arms embargo. At the same time, it found itself in an eight-year-long war with neighboring Iraq, during which it lost many aircraft.
Making matters worse, Iran had a poor relationship with the Soviet Union and later Russia, which also refused to sell fighter aircraft to Iran. The one bright spot for the Iranian Air Force came in 1991 when much of the best of the Iraqi Air Force fled their airbases in Iraq, seeking sanctuary in Iran, fearing US-led destruction. Iran gleefully impounded and seized Sadaam Hussein's jets.
These remain the only fighter jets Iran has received in the last 45 years. Iran fighter jets in 2024 (per FlightGlobal ) F-4 Phantom IIs: 63 F-14A Tomcats: 41 Su-24MKI: 23 MiG-29K: 18 Northrop F-5: 35 Mirage F-1: 12 Chengdu F-1 (Chinese licensed copy of MiG-21): 17 Times are changing, and relations with Russia have been warming. It has now been announced that Russia will supply Iran with Su-35S fighter jets (originally built for Egypt), helicopters, and advanced jet trainers.
However, as of August 2024, the Su-35S fighter jets are not yet part of the Iranian air force - or at least they are unlikely to be operational status if they have been delivered. Iranian operational combat aircraft 2024 (per IISS ) F-4 Phantom IIs, Northrop F-5: 9 jets in one squadron Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers: one squadron MiG-29s, F-7s, F-14 Tomcats: 'some' While Iran has been resourceful in keeping these American-made jets flying over the years despite being cut off by an arms embargo, it's an open question of just how many are optional. Those jets that are optional are not likely to have received any meaningful upgrades.
It is unclear how many fighter jets Iran still has operational - FlightGlobal and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) offer very different assessments. It's possible FlightGlobal is just counting airframes present in Iran while IISS is counting those that actually work. IISS assesses that Iran's most capable jets are the Sukhoi-24 jets, or at least these are in the "best state of preparedness.
" But these were first developed in the 1960s and are very much aging and no match for 4.5th generation aircraft like F-16 Block 70 or F15EX Eagle IIs and are cannon fodder for 5th generation fighters like F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs. Tomcats helped Iran fight off the Iraqis in the 1980s and an unknown number.
North Korea Like Cuba, North Korea once had a powerful air force - one that was much more powerful than South Korea's. However, North Korea, too, was supported by Soviet and Chinese aid that evaporated after the collapse of the USSR. Today, North Korea continues to operate its impressive museum of an air force in surprising numbers.
Some of these date back to the Korean War of the 1950s. North Korea combat jets (per FlightGlobal ): H-5 (copy of Ilyushin Il-28): 60 F-5 (Shenyang - copy of MiG-17): 106 F-6 (copy of MiG-19): 97 F-7 (copy of MiG-21): 120 MiG-21: 26 MiG-26: 56 MiG-29: 35 Su-7: 18 Su-25: 34 It is confusing why North Korea would still channel resources to keep these jets flying (it only has a meager amount of resources available). While some countries don't need modern jets as potential opponents are similarly equipped with dated aircraft, the same is not true of North Korea.
North Korea's potential rivals are the US Air Force, South Korean Air Force, and Japanese Air Force (possibly other allied air forces like Australia). These are all equipped with F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets and a suite of advanced 4.5th gen fighters.
North Korea's aircraft would likely be worse than useless in such a conflict..
