Head to head · SD Strength Index
Iran vs Pakistan Military Power 2026 Compared
on 6 of 7 areas
| 15 | Air powercounts for 24% | 24 | ||
| 50 | Missiles & strikecounts for 15% | 25 | ||
| 17 | Air & missile defencecounts for 14% | 21 | ||
| 18 | Sea powercounts for 13% | 19 | ||
| 41 | Land forcescounts for 10% | 49 | ||
| 62 | Manpowercounts for 6% | 68 | ||
| 13 | Budget & industrycounts for 18% | 15 |
Key figures
| Iran | Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Defence budget ($bn) | 7.4–25 | 10.4–10.9 |
| Active personnel | 520k–610k | 660k |
| Reserves | 350k | 500k–550k |
| Combat aircraft | 100–250 | 380–450 |
| Fifth-generation fighters | 0 | 0 |
| Attack helicopters | 10–50 | 40–70 |
| Main battle tanks | 1,300–1,900 | 2,400–2,800 |
| Aircraft carriers | 0 | 0 |
| Submarines | 10–21 | 6–8 |
| Naval fleet | 80–260 | 90–130 |
| Ballistic missiles | 1,000–2,500 | 150–250 |
| Missile range (km) | 2,000 | 2,750 |
| Long-range air-defence batteries | 2–8 | 4–8 |
| Nuclear warheads | 0 | 170 |
Branch by branch
| Air power Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. An estimated 60 to 150 legacy F-14, F-4, MiG-29 and Su-24 jets and no early warning aircraft. Su-35 deliveries from Russia are reported but unconfirmed. | Pakistan. An estimated 380 to 420 combat jets, including 126 single-seat JF-17s, about 75 F-16s and 20 to 36 J-10CEs, supported by Erieye and ZDK-03 radar aircraft and four Il-78 tankers. |
| Missiles Advantage: Iran | Iran. An estimated 1,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles and 120 to 330 launchers after the 2026 war, with a self-declared range cap of 2,000 km. Production has reportedly restarted underground at lower volume. | Pakistan. An estimated 150 to 250 launchers, stock unpublished. The Shaheen-III reaches 2,750 km and the Fatah-4 cruise missile 750 km. Pakistan's missiles reach further. Iran's edge is the size of its known stock and its use in two wars. |
| Air and missile defence Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. Perhaps two to eight S-300PMU2 and Bavar-373 batteries left. The US military said Iran's air defence network was 85 to 90 per cent degraded in March 2026. | Pakistan. An estimated four to eight HQ-9 batteries and several HQ-16 medium range units. They did not stop Indian strikes on Nur Khan air base in May 2025, but unlike Iran's, the network has not been worn down by a long air campaign. |
| Naval Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. The frigate Dena and a Kilo submarine were sunk in March 2026. An estimated 100 to 300 fast attack craft and 11 to 20 Ghadir midget submarines remain, so Iran still has more hulls. | Pakistan. Four Type 054A/P frigates, two Babur class corvettes and six submarines, among them PNS Hangor, commissioned in April 2026 as the first of eight Chinese designed boats on order. |
| Land forces Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. An estimated 1,600 tanks, around 600 of them T-72S and Karrar types, and about 1,400 rocket launchers, many more than Pakistan has. | Pakistan. An estimated 2,600 tanks, including 320 T-80UDs, several hundred Al-Khalids and VT-4s now also built locally as the Haider, plus some 450 self propelled guns to Iran's 300. |
| Manpower Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. An estimated 520,000 to 610,000 active troops split between the regular army and the Revolutionary Guard, plus about 350,000 reservists. | Pakistan. About 660,000 active troops, an estimated 550,000 reservists and some 290,000 paramilitary personnel. |
| Nuclear Advantage: Pakistan | Iran. No warheads. Silent Dossier rates the programme as latent. | Pakistan. An estimated 170 warheads, with the Ababeel, a missile designed to carry several warheads, still in testing. Arsenals are shown but not scored in the index. |
If it came to war
| Scenario | Short war | Long war |
|---|---|---|
| A clash on the shared border | Pakistan Pakistani J-10CEs and JF-17s, guided by Erieye radar aircraft, would hold the air over the frontier, where Iran has few working jets and thin air defences. | Pakistan Pakistan would have to keep large forces facing India and on its Afghan border, where it declared open war on the Taliban in February 2026. Iran, under a US naval blockade since mid-April 2026, has less to rebuild with. |
| A missile exchange | Iran Iran fired more than 1,600 ballistic missiles at Israel and Gulf states in March 2026 alone. A handful of Pakistani HQ-9 batteries would struggle against salvos on that scale. | Even Iran's missile plants were struck in 2025 and 2026 and output has reportedly resumed at lower volume. Pakistan's Shaheen-III outranges anything Iran has declared, though its stock is unpublished. |
How does Iran vs Pakistan military strength compare?
Pakistan is ahead in most branches. It has about 660,000 active troops to Iran's estimated 520,000 to 610,000, and an estimated 2,600 tanks to Iran's 1,600. Its air force flies an estimated 380 to 420 combat jets, while Iran has perhaps 60 to 150 older aircraft left. At sea, Pakistan operates four Chinese built Type 054A/P frigates and a new Hangor submarine. Iran's larger warships were mostly sunk or put out of action in March 2026.
Missiles are the exception. Silent Dossier estimates Iran still holds 1,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles and 120 to 330 launchers, and it has used them at scale, firing about 400 to 650 at Israel and roughly 1,200 at Gulf states in March 2026. Pakistan does not publish its stock. Silent Dossier puts its launchers at 150 to 250, and its Shaheen-III reaches 2,750 km, further than the 2,000 km cap Iran sets on its own missiles.
Which has the bigger military budget, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan, on paper. Its FY2026-27 defence allocation is Rs3tr, about $10.4bn to $10.9bn, which is 17.65 per cent more than the year before and excludes Rs822bn in military pensions. Parliament passed it unopposed in June 2026, although an IMF programme keeps the wider budget tight. Iran's last official figure was $7.4bn for 2025, and the rial's fall makes any dollar conversion rough.
The official Iranian number leaves a lot out. Silent Dossier estimates Iran spends a further $15bn to $25bn outside the budget on the Revolutionary Guard and the armed groups it backs, which would put its real total above Pakistan's.
Who has the better air force, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan, by a wide margin. Its front line is Chinese: 20 to 36 J-10CE fighters carrying PL-15 missiles and 126 single-seat JF-17s, with about 75 F-16s kept flying under a US support package that runs to 2040. Erieye and ZDK-03 radar aircraft link the force, and Silent Dossier estimates India lost at least one Rafale to that network in May 2025.
Iran flies F-14s and F-4s bought before 1979 alongside MiG-29s and Su-24s from the 1990s, with no early warning aircraft. Russia reportedly finished a first batch of Su-35s for Iran in mid-2026, out of 48 said to have been ordered, but no delivery has been officially confirmed and Iran has denied earlier reports. Pakistan's stealth plans are stuck as well, with talks on 40 Chinese J-35A fighters reported stalled in August 2026.
How did the 2026 war change Iran's military?
It cost Iran most of its conventional strength. US and Israeli strikes began on 28 February 2026, and by March the US military said Iran's air defence network was 85 to 90 per cent degraded. A US submarine torpedoed the frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean, and a Kilo class submarine was sunk at Bandar Abbas. A ceasefire mediated by Pakistan began on 8 April and has been extended indefinitely, with a US naval blockade in force since mid-April.
The missile force fared better. Bombed tunnel entrances at bases such as Kangavar and Dezful were reopened within weeks, and production has reportedly resumed underground at lower volume. Estimates of how many launchers survived range from roughly a fifth to two thirds.
Does Pakistan's nuclear arsenal change the military comparison?
Not in the index. Pakistan is a declared nuclear power with an estimated 170 warheads and missiles that can carry them 2,750 km. Iran has no nuclear weapons, and Silent Dossier rates its programme as latent. Nuclear arsenals appear on every country page but are left out of the score, so Pakistan's lead comes from its conventional forces alone.
Pakistan has also played a part in Iran's war as a go-between. Islamabad mediated the April 2026 ceasefire, and later negotiations have run through Pakistan as well.
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Questions readers ask
Who would win a war between Pakistan and Iran?
Pakistan, in a conventional war. Its air force is far stronger and its navy is still afloat, while Iran has not rebuilt the air defences it lost in 2026. Iranian ballistic missiles could still do serious damage in the first days.
Which army is bigger, Iran's or Pakistan's?
Pakistan's armed forces are somewhat larger, with about 660,000 active troops and an estimated 2,600 tanks. Iran has an estimated 520,000 to 610,000 active troops across its regular army and the Revolutionary Guard, and about 1,600 tanks.
Which has more missiles, Iran or Pakistan?
Iran. Silent Dossier estimates it still holds 1,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles after firing more than 1,600 in March 2026. Pakistan does not publish its stock, but its Shaheen-III outranges every missile Iran has declared.
Does Iran have nuclear weapons like Pakistan?
No. Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear warheads. Iran has none, though Silent Dossier rates its programme as latent, meaning it keeps much of what it would need to build one.
What role did Pakistan play in the 2026 Iran war?
Pakistan mediated the ceasefire that began on 8 April 2026, and talks since then have been conducted through it. Iran has no defence treaty with Pakistan or with any other country.