The hidden backbone of global airpower: Which countries have the biggest aerial tanker fleets?
October 19, 2025
Aerial refuelling aircraft are the quiet enablers of global power. Without them, even the most advanced fighters and bombers would be bound by geography, unable to sustain long-range missions or respond rapidly to crises across continents. They are the invisible force multipliers that separate regional air powers from truly global ones.
And when it comes to these strategic assets, one country stands almost alone.
The United States dominates the global tanker fleet
The United States operates the largest, most capable aerial refuelling fleet in history, and by a staggering margin. According to the World Air Forces Directory 2025, the US holds around 75% of the world’s tanker aircraft, with a total of 605 aircraft in service.
This unmatched capacity allows the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps to project power anywhere on Earth, sustaining bomber and fighter operations far from home bases. No other air force comes close.
This image highlights two of the #USNavy's latest capabilities: the MQ-25A unmanned tanker (which remains in testing) and the E-2D's newly added ability to refuel in flight, which will enable the E-2D to go further, and stay on station for longer.#avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily pic.twitter.com/amIGya8Fai
— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) February 19, 2023
The breakdown of US aerial tanker strength includes:
- 375 Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotankers – based on the Boeing 707, the backbone of US refuelling for decades
- 88 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus – the new-generation tanker based on the Boeing 767, still in production
- 57 Lockheed MC-130J Commando II – special operations tankers derived from the C-130J
- 74 KC-130J aircraft operated by the US Marine Corps
- 11 KM-130T tankers used by the US Navy
In addition, the US can call on private contractors such as Metrea and Omega Aerial Refuelling Services, which fly former USAF tankers for training and overseas deployments.
The US Navy’s own shortfall in organic refuelling is being addressed by the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned carrier-based tanker drone expected to fill a long-standing gap in naval operations. Around 72 MQ-25s are planned for acquisition.
The biggest tanker fleets in the world
Outside the United States, aerial tanker fleets are comparatively small. According to the directory, these are the ten countries with the largest active tanker forces:
- 🇺🇸 United States – 605 aircraft (75%)
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – 22 (3%)
- 🇷🇺 Russia – 19 (3%)
- 🇫🇷 France – 16 (2%)
- 🇮🇱 Israel – 14 (2%)
- 🇸🇬 Singapore – 11 (1%)
- 🇨🇳 China – 10 (1%)
- 🇯🇵 Japan – 10 (1%)
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 9 (1%)
- 🌍 All others combined – around 90 aircraft
These figures only tell part of the story. Fleet age, availability, and refuelling systems vary widely between nations.
Tanker fleets: Capabilities versus quantity
Russia’s aerial tanker force, for instance, consists mostly of ageing Ilyushin Il-78 Midas aircraft, many of which are no longer fully operational. Estimates suggest that only 10 to 12 remain airworthy, mostly supporting strategic bomber patrols.
By contrast, the UK’s Royal Air Force operates 14 Airbus A330 MRTT Voyagers, even though only nine are counted in public databases. Five of these belong to the AirTanker consortium and can be leased for commercial use, meaning that in practice, the RAF has more usable tankers than Russia.
Israel maintains a mixed fleet of seven Boeing 707 boom tankers and seven KC-130H Hercules for probe-and-drogue operations. The 707s are ancient but remain critical for long-range missions such as the 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, where Israel reportedly sustained only two tankers over Syria at any given time.
China’s tanker capability is also limited. While official figures list 10 aircraft, analysts suggest closer to 18, comprising three Il-78s and around 15 modified Xi’an H-6 bombers. Only the latest H-6N variant can refuel in flight, meaning China still lacks the depth to project airpower beyond its immediate periphery.
The types of tankers in service with the world’s air forces
Several major designs dominate the world’s aerial refuelling fleets:
- Ilyushin Il-78 Midas – Russia’s Soviet-era tanker, operated in small numbers by Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and Algeria.
- Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker – still the world’s most numerous tanker, in service since the 1950s.
- Boeing KC-46A Pegasus – the USAF’s next-generation refueller, also ordered by Israel and Japan.
- Airbus A330 MRTT – the most popular non-US tanker, now used by the UK, France, Australia, South Korea, and others. It commands about 90% of the export market, with 65 delivered and 20 more on order.
Tankers are often multi-role aircraft, capable of carrying cargo or passengers when not refuelling. Some military transports, such as the Embraer C-390 Millennium, can be equipped for aerial refuelling as needed.
The need for tankers for fighter jets to project power
Fighter jets often dominate airpower discussions, but their range is limited. Without tankers, even the most advanced fighters are confined to regional missions.
Currently, the Chinese PLAAF and the Russian Air Force boast large numbers of tactical fighter jets, although the Russian fleet is made up of increasingly older airframes.
But these air forces have little ability to project power in force much beyond their borders. Russia is no longer an aircraft carrier country, while China is still in the process of building up a credible carrier-based force.
Barring the Hmeimim Air Base in Syria, Russia has few foreign airbase options beyond the former USSR. Additionally, after the fall of Assad at the end of 2024, the use of the Hmeimim base has become problematic. China has no foreign airbases apart from those built on disputed islands in the South China Sea.
I have no intel on what this is, but if you were going to support Israel’s campaign directly in an offensive manner, these tankers is what they need most. Also bomber global airpower missions. Or this could be something else, including providing a contingency option. https://t.co/ZVTusZT9aB
— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 16, 2025
Both China and Russia lack tanker aircraft any meaningful numbers. Without the ability to refuel in the air, be launched from aircraft carriers, or operate from forward foreign bases, their fighter jets are largely restricted to operating in and near their national borders.
The role of tankers in the modern battlefield
In April 2025, the US took part in bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer. Even though it only used seven B-2 Spirits to drop GBU-57 MOB bunker-busting bombs, these aircraft had to be refuelled multiple times both to and from the target.
Additionally, the US forward deployed many fighter jets to its bases in the Middle East to escort the bombers and provide a counter to any Iranian response.
Operation Midnight Hammer only used a small portion of the US tanker fleet, although it was likely more tankers than any other air force in the world possesses. A total of 125 aircraft were used in the operation, underscoring the unique ability of the US to project power almost anywhere in the world.
🇮🇱 A very rare look at the interior of an Israeli Air Force Boeing 707 tanker, including fuel tanks and the "boomer's" (boom operator's) station.
— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) January 5, 2025
(📹/@idfonline) pic.twitter.com/e06PZeR6tu
In the same conflict, Israeli raids on Iran (as well as those on Houthi rebels and Hamas in Qatar) were enabled by its limited fleet of Boeing 707 tankers. According to Key Aero, during the Iranian bombing campaign, Israel was only able to sustain two tankers over Syria at any one time.
The farthest Israeli raid in Iran was on the eastern city of Mashhad to take out a very rare half-century-old Iranian tanker.
Ultimately, the ability to refuel in the air is the true measure of global airpower; for now, the United States stands in a league of its own.
