Head to head · SD Strength Index
Iran vs Israel Military Power 2026 Compared
on 5 of 7 areas
| 15 | Air powercounts for 24% | 32 | ||
| 50 | Missiles & strikecounts for 15% | 18 | ||
| 17 | Air & missile defencecounts for 14% | 29 | ||
| 18 | Sea powercounts for 13% | 22 | ||
| 41 | Land forcescounts for 10% | 42 | ||
| 62 | Manpowercounts for 6% | 46 | ||
| 13 | Budget & industrycounts for 18% | 28 |
Key figures
| Iran | Israel | |
|---|---|---|
| Defence budget ($bn) | 7.4–25 | 44.8–45.8 |
| Active personnel | 520k–610k | 169.5k |
| Reserves | 350k | 465k |
| Combat aircraft | 100–250 | 280–340 |
| Fifth-generation fighters | 0 | 48–50 |
| Attack helicopters | 10–50 | 48 |
| Main battle tanks | 1,300–1,900 | 400–1,300 |
| Aircraft carriers | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 10–21 | 6 |
| Naval fleet | 80–260 | 65 |
| Ballistic missiles | 1,000–2,500 | — |
| Missile range (km) | 2,000 | 4,000–6,500 |
| Long-range air-defence batteries | 2–8 | 5–9 |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 80–200 |
Branch by branch
| Air power Advantage: Israel | Iran. An estimated 60 to 150 legacy F-14, F-4, MiG-29 and Su-24 jets survive, with no stealth aircraft. Su-35 deliveries from Russia are rumoured but unconfirmed. | Israel. About 300 fighters, 48 of them F-35I Adir stealth jets, and two deep strike campaigns over Iran inside a year. |
| Missiles Advantage: Iran | Iran. An estimated 1,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles and 120 to 330 mobile launchers. This is the one Iranian weapon that reaches Israel in numbers. | Israel. Jericho missiles with an estimated reach of about 4,800 km exist mainly for nuclear delivery. Israel hits Iran with aircraft, not a mass missile force. |
| Air and missile defence Advantage: Israel | Iran. Iran's integrated air defences were assessed 85 to 90 per cent degraded in March 2026. Perhaps two to eight long range batteries remain. | Israel. Arrow, David's Sling and Iron Dome stopped most Iranian salvos in 2026, though Arrow stocks ran low and Iron Beam is still not fully operational. |
| Land forces Advantage: Israel | Iran. An estimated 580,000 active troops and some 1,600 tanks, mostly T-72S and Karrar types, give Iran mass that has no road to Israel. | Israel. About 169,500 active troops, 465,000 reservists and an estimated 400 to 600 Merkava tanks, smaller but better armed and tested in three years of continuous fighting. |
| Naval Advantage: Israel | Iran. The 2026 war sank most of Iran's surface fleet, including the frigate Dena. Fast attack craft and Ghadir midget submarines are what is left. | Israel. Six Dolphin submarines, the newest still working up after arriving in September 2026, and seven corvettes. Compact and intact. |
| Nuclear Advantage: Israel | Iran. No warheads. The programme is latent. | Israel. An estimated 90 warheads, never declared. |
If it came to war
| Scenario | Short war | Long war |
|---|---|---|
| Missile and air strikes resume after the ceasefire | Israel Iran opens with large salvos that strain Israeli interceptors, while Israeli jets go after launchers and missile plants. | Israel The contest becomes a race between Iran digging launchers back out of tunnels and Israel's Arrow production lines. Israel keeps control of the air throughout. |
| A proxy war of attrition | Even Iranian drones and allied militias can hurt Israel cheaply in the opening weeks. | Israel Israeli intelligence and precision strikes have repeatedly killed the leaders of Iran's allied groups, and that grinds the network down over time. |
Who would win a war between Iran and Israel?
Israel, and the answer has now been tested twice. In the twelve days of fighting in June 2025, and again in the joint US and Israeli campaign that ran from 28 February to the 8 April 2026 ceasefire, Israeli aircraft operated over Iran while most Iranian missiles were shot down before impact. Iran finished the second war with its air defences broken and its navy largely sunk.
Iran's answer is volume. Silent Dossier estimates it still holds 1,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles. Each Arrow interceptor costs an estimated $2m to $3m and takes months to replace, so every salvo is a bill Israel has to pay. Pressure, yes. A route to victory, no.
Why doesn't Iran's bigger army matter?
Geography. Iraq and Jordan or Syria lie between the two countries, and Iran's tanks have no way across. Any war is fought at long range, by aircraft, missiles and drones, and in that kind of war Israel's advantages count and Iran's manpower does not.
Which is better, Iran's missiles or Israel's air force?
Israel's air force. F-35I and F-15I crews flew strike missions over Iran in both wars and hunted missile launchers on the ground. Early in the 2026 campaign, some estimates left Iran with as few as one in five of the 400 to 500 launchers it had before the war. Later assessments put the survivors nearer half, many of them dug out of tunnel entrances that had been bombed shut.
The missiles still matter. They are the only Iranian weapon that reaches Israel in numbers, and each salvo forces Israel to fire Arrow and David's Sling rounds from stocks it cannot refill quickly. Both sides now watch production lines as closely as launch sites.
What changed after the 2026 ceasefire?
The 8 April ceasefire, mediated through Pakistan, has been extended indefinitely, though Iran fired at Israel again on 7 June. Israel says it intercepted every missile. Iran is reported to have restarted missile production underground at lower volume. Israel has taken 48 of its 50 F-35Is, raised its 2026 defence budget to about $45bn and accelerated Arrow production twice.
Time favours Israel. Its aircraft and interceptor orders arrive on a schedule. Iran's air defence rebuild depends on Russian fighters and Chinese missiles that nobody has seen delivered. Watch the launcher count: if it climbs back towards 400, the arithmetic of the next war changes.
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Questions readers ask
Is Iran stronger than Israel?
No. Iran has more troops and far more ballistic missiles, but Israel's air force, missile defences and nuclear deterrent make it the stronger military overall.
Who won the 2026 Iran war?
Militarily, Iran came off worse. Its air defences and navy were largely destroyed and many missile launchers lost, though a large share were later recovered from tunnels. A ceasefire began on 8 April 2026 and has since been extended indefinitely.
Can Iranian missiles get through Israeli air defence?
Some do, but most Iranian missiles fired in 2025 and 2026 were intercepted. The larger threat is that repeated salvos drain Israel's stock of Arrow and David's Sling interceptors.
How many soldiers do Iran and Israel have?
Silent Dossier estimates Iran has 520,000 to 610,000 active personnel. Israel has about 169,500 active troops and 465,000 reservists.