Which army is the strongest in the world. The six deadliest armies in history

Superiority over the enemy has always been determined not by the number of troops, but by the correct strategy and tactics. We decided to remember the most victorious armies of the world in history, which won with their minds.

Army of Alexander the Great

Imagine that against a well-played football team, eleven people take to the field, seeing each other for the first time and running scatteredly around the field. Even if there are fifteen of them. Or twenty - the difference is small, victory will still go to the team that adheres to a certain tactic in its game.

And perhaps the first person to fully understand the need for an army to hold formation and turn on command in one direction, without asking questions, was the ruler of the insignificant ancient state of Macedonia. But not famous Alexander, and Philip is his father.

Thanks largely to this, Alexander’s army was able to conquer Athens, the invincible and great Sparta, Persia and Egypt, and even go to India.

Roman legion

Now imagine that at the age of eighteen you are not given any rights until you serve in the army. In addition, you must buy all the military equipment yourself, and the training weapons and armor at the young fighter’s courses will weigh three times more than the combat ones. Welcome to the Roman Legion, tiro! In it, anyone became a jack of all trades - recruits not only fought, but built roads, bridges and aqueducts. One look at the history of ancient cities Western Europe enough to understand that they are based on either a Roman military camp, or a market, or the intersection of trade routes. The number of tactical innovations introduced by the Roman army into military affairs is difficult to count.

In addition to the various formations and combat formations, which it is pointless to go into a description of in one article, the Roman legionaries invented almost perfect protection against any type of projectile weapons, except, perhaps, heavy stones, logs and boiling oil pouring from the walls - a formation called "turtle". The front row of legionnaires closed their shields edge to edge in such a way that they formed a solid wall, while the back rows raised their shields above their heads, also closing their edges, creating a kind of “roof”. Arrows, throwing spears and small stones simply slid off such a living structure, causing virtually no harm.

Mongol army

No borders, just the horizon. The horse's hooves are dry and cracked, and the only thing that will help is washing them in the waters of the Last Sea. Any manifestation of weakness or cowardice costs not only your own life, but also the lives of nine close associates. And for cowardice shown by a dozen, a hundred will be cut off, and for cowardice shown by a hundred... and so on. No wonder there is no word for “back” in the Mongolian language. Only forward - to the Last Sea. Along the way, he conquered China, the state of the Khorezm Shahs, ruined the great Abbasid caliphate, crossed the waters of the Tigris, filling them with scrolls and books from the Baghdad library.

The main type of Mongol troops was cavalry - heavy and light. Due to the fact that the Mongols were excellent shooters, including at a gallop, their main weapon was a bow - each warrior could have several of them. The armor was predominantly leather, with melee weapons including a spear and a curved saber. High speed and the mobility of the Mongol army was ensured by a large number of spare horses and the general unpretentiousness and endurance of the soldiers.

The success of the Mongols was largely due to their siege techniques. Unlike most nomadic tribes, they did not rely on their numerical superiority, using all possible means to minimize potential losses. They dug tunnels, used local rivers to dam or, conversely, to divert water from the besieged city. From the China they conquered they borrowed the last word equipment - a multi-shot crossbow, a stone-throwing tower.

Spanish tercio

For many centuries, bows, and even later crossbows, which today are just a sport and a hobby, flooded the Earth with blood. Their role finally faded into the background with the advent of firearms, which pierced almost any armor. But still, the reload time left much to be desired and almost any rider managed to get to the least accurate musketeers. Maximum effective method protecting riflemen from cavalry and infantry was developed in Spain.

The military formation - tertia - allowed musketeers and arquebusiers to fire at enemy cavalry units, while being covered by pikemen. Almost any cavalry attack ran into a “forest” peak, after which the surviving reitars (cavalry riflemen in heavy armor) tried to hit the shooters standing in the third. But since a horseman, by definition, was a much easier target than foot musketeers and arquebusiers, this was of little use. Breaking the Spanish third became possible only thanks to the invention of silicon weapons, which were distinguished by a greater rate of fire and range than matchlock muskets and arquebuses.

Grand Army of Napoleon

Frame Great Army under the command of a marshal or division general, included all types of troops existing at that time and was an autonomous operational unit that was able to conduct fighting in isolation from all other forces.

The size of the corps is from 20 to 70 thousand people - infantrymen, cavalrymen, artillery, sappers and supply troops. This kind of autonomy and balance of power was a strategic innovation that allowed Napoleon to conquer almost all of Europe and part North Africa(of course, the personal qualities and military genius of the emperor also played a significant role in this).

A kind of innovation in supplying troops was the organization of food points every fifteen miles, called the well-known word “store”.

Kutuzov’s strategic talent, not least of all, lay in the fact that, having surrendered Moscow, he could turn noble guards and soldiers, distinguished by a high level of training and discipline, into a gang of embittered marauders.

Russian army

Russia has been at war almost its entire history. Bismarck believed that the Russians could not be defeated. Attempts at military expansion of our country were made more than once, but ended in the same thing - the defeat of the aggressor.

Russian military glory was forged by both our commanders and ordinary soldiers and sailors, whose heroic behavior has always served as an example for subsequent generations.

IN different areas human activity There have been many great men throughout history, from science to art, from philosophy to politics, from business to technology, but none of these great men has shed more blood than greatest warriors in history. So take a deep breath and get ready to discover the 25 deadliest, most brutal and bloodthirsty warriors who ever lived.

25. Alaric I Visigoth

Alaric was a Visigoth king who was distinguished by the fact that he destroyed Rome. This made him an honorary Roman citizen and magister militum, "master of soldiers", a valued member of the Roman Empire. After taking Rome, Alaric led his troops south into Campania, taking Nola and Capua along the way. Alaric headed for the Roman province of Africa, where he intended to supply his army with provisions from the granary of Rome, but a storm destroyed his ships, temporarily blocking his passage. Only Mother Nature could defeat Alaric the Barbarian.

24. Roland

Roland was a great French warrior and medieval folk hero who was immortalized in the poem Chanson de Roland, which was written in the eleventh or twelfth century. Historically, Count Roland was Charlemagne's commander on the Breton border and his finest warrior. According to legend, he was killed at a pass in the Pyrenees when the Basques cut off the rearguard of the Frankish army as they returned from their invasion of Spain in 778

23. Horace Cockle

Horace Cockles was a legendary Roman hero who defended the bridge over the Tiber when the city was attacked by the Etruscans. Just keep in mind that Horace lost an eye in battle due to an arrow that hit him in the eye, which he removed (with his eye still on it), and continued to fight like a beast, hence the name "Cockle", which means "one eyed". I don't think this man's heroism can be questioned, right?

22. Prince Rupert of the Rhine

Despite the fact that Prince Rupert looked like a soft boy and rich family, the man was really ambitious. By the age of fourteen, the German prince had already joined the army and began his very varied, colorful career, although he
best known for commanding the royal cavalry during the English Civil War.

Although Prince Rupert was an inventor, an artist, and an entrepreneur, it was his fighting skills and ruthless warrior spirit that made him special. For the record, he was such a skilled warrior that his enemies at some point began to believe that he possessed supernatural powers and cannot be killed.

21. Vercingetorix

In France, the first national hero, Vercingetorix managed to unite several independent Celtic tribes to defeat the warlike Romans. He fought valiantly and fiercely to save Gaul from the Roman army. His forces were eventually defeated at Alesia and Vercingetorix was forced to surrender after fighting a powerful Roman army with everything he had.

20. William Wallace

William Wallace became famous all over the world thanks to the film "Braveheart" by Mel Gibson, but those who know European history, already knew what a great warrior this legendary Scot was. Wallace is considered one of Scotland's most significant national heroes for his fight to the death to free Scotland from English rule.

19. Vasily II

Vasily the Bulgarian Slayer was one of the most cruel, ruthless emperors in history. He was a Byzantine emperor Greek origin of the Macedonian dynasty and ruled the vast Byzantine Empire for almost fifty years from January 976 to 1025. After his death the empire stretched from southern Italy to the Caucasus and from the Danube to the borders of Palestine, this was the time of its greatest dawn, when the boundaries of the empire were the most extensive for the last four centuries, its conquest included many bloody battles, in which Basil II always fought more brutally than any other warrior in the army.

18. Attila

Attila, the Hun was born on the territory of modern Hungary and became one of the most cruel and merciless rulers. He was known for his piercing gaze and according to historian Edward Gibbon, he often rolled his eyes as if in delight at the terror he inspired. He also intimidated his opponents by the fact that his sword belonged to Ares, the Greek god of war, and judging by his brutal attacks and battles against the Roman Empire, his intimidation tactics worked.

17. Yue Fei

During 25 years military career Yue Fei fought in 126 battles, mainly in central China, and never lost a single fight. In addition, he rose in rank from private to Commander of the Imperial Forces, he invented many styles of martial arts and wrote a lot of epic poetry about how he defeated his enemies. Currently he is considered national hero in China and a symbol of unity, patriotism and loyalty.

16. Eirik I Bloodaxe

Eric the Bloody was a Norwegian prince and the last independent king of York. He became king of the Northumbrians twice, in 947 and 952. He is considered one of the most legendary names in Viking history due to his incredible skill and bravery on the battlefield and warrior spirit.

15. Arminius

Arminius was German military leader at the beginning of the first century AD. He is remembered as a great warrior who fought back against the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where he literally destroyed three Roman legions and their support. Although Arminius was defeated and killed, his victory in that battle was so impressive and bloody that it had a lasting effect on both the ancient Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire. The Roman legions would never again attempt to conquer and hold Germany beyond the Rhine River forever.

14. Miltiades

According to the historian Herodotus, the sacrifice of King Leonidas and three hundred brave Spartans would have meant nothing if not for Miltiades. The masterful Athenian strategist and ruler led the Athenians and their allies to victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon, where he literally destroyed the Persian fleet and forced the most powerful empire in the world to retreat in disgrace, having failed to subjugate Greece.

13. Vlad Tepes

Very few could boast how scary Vlad the Impaler was, or how he is better known as Dracula. The man who became a legend and was called the Lord of Darkness was a real man and a great warrior. He was born in 1431 in Transylvania, the central region of modern Romania, and ruled for many years.

Vlad's victories over the invading Ottoman Empire were viewed and celebrated not only in Romania but also in the rest of Europe, and it was noted that even Pope Pius II was impressed by his skill and fighting spirit.

12. Sun Tzu

Sophisticated and experienced in the conduct of war during times of unprecedented political and military upheaval, Sun Tzu was a military specialist active during the turbulent decline of the Zhou dynasty. However, he became a legend by writing a book about Chinese military strategy and martial arts "The Art of War", which continues to have a huge influence on both Asian and Western culture.

11. Scipio Africanus

Scipio Africanus was one of the most talented and successful generals in history and he is the one who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama during the Second Punic Wars. Despite the fact that Scipio was one hundred percent Roman, after his victory in Africa, he was called African.

10. Spartak

Undoubtedly the most famous and skilled gladiator who ever lived, Spartacus, along with Crixus, Oenomaus, Castus and Gannicus, was one of the slave leaders during the Spartacus Rebellion, a major slave revolt against the Roman Republic. No one else frightened the powerful republic as much as he did.

9. Xiahou Dun

Xiahou Dun offered his services as a military general to the warlord Cao Cao during the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty and became a legend when, during a battle, he was hit by a stray arrow and lost his left eye. In front of his amazed soldiers and enemies, he pulled out an arrow and swallowed his own eyeball. After this incident, the enemy armies in China trembled in fear of the "Blind Xiahou, the One-Eyed Warrior."

8. Hannibal Barca

Hannibal was born in 247 BC. e. in Carthage, immediately after his country had lost a long and very important war with Rome. But Hannibal was destined to return multiple territories to his power after he grew up. It is believed that Hannibal was one of the greatest strategists who developed tactics to bypass and encircle the enemy using infantry and cavalry. His wars with the Roman Empire were among the most intense in all of antiquity.

7. Pyrrhus of Epirus

Pyrrhus Epirus was the king of the Greek Molossians, and the one who gave battle to the Romans. He was the first and only threat to Rome during its heyday at the beginning of the empire. In fact, he was the only man who continued to beat up the Roman legions. Some historians believe that history would have been different if Pyrrhus had not been killed in Argos. Hannibal Barca considered him the best general and greatest warrior king. Some of his battles, although victories, were so bloody and resulted in the terrible death of his own men that they gave rise to the term "Pyrrhic victory", an expression that is still used today, especially in sports and politics.

6. Richard the Lionheart

Richard was the King of England, later known as the "Lionheart", and is famous for his exploits in the Third Crusade, although he spent only six months in England during his ten-year reign. He is described as an extremely skilled warrior who showed no mercy to his enemies, and his most famous attribute was his bravery and courage. They wouldn't call him " Lionheart" just.

5. Miyamoto Musashi

Musashi was a skilled Japanese swordsman and an invincible ronin (samurai without a lord or master). He became a legend mainly because of his remarkable fencing in numerous duels from the age of thirteen. He was the founder of the haiha Niten Ichi-ryu or Niten-ryu style of fencing. At the end of his life, after he had perfected his Two Swords fighting style, he climbed the mountain and wrote the definitive treatise, The Zen of Decapitation, which he called The Book of Five Rings. Many historians and experts consider him the greatest swordsman who ever lived.

4. Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is perhaps the most famous and successful Roman statesman and general in history and was the one who led the army of Rome in numerous victorious battles that expanded its territory. After this, he wrote about his military adventures, from which we learn about his genius and courage on the battlefield.

3. Leonid

Leonidas was one of two kings of Sparta during the Greco-Persian Wars and the leader of one of the most ferocious military units in history: the three hundred Spartan hoplites. He remained throughout the centuries for his unrivaled courage and fearlessness, and at the end of the Battle of Thermopylae he is rumored to have stood alone, fighting hundreds of thousands of Persian soldiers before being killed.

2. Chengis Khan

He was at the forefront of the conquest of a quarter of the world's population and is considered one of the greatest conquerors of all time. His people believed that he greatest man of all times and that he was sent by the gods, which is why he is also known as the "Holy Warrior".

1. Alexander the Great

Although he died at the age of thirty-three, the famous Greek king managed to conquer most of the world at that time, and that is why most historians consider him the greatest general who ever lived. He also fought on the front lines of every battle (unlike many other kings who simply watched their troops fight). He remained undefeated and took over all the major kingdoms of his time, such as Persia, India and Egypt, among others, he was the first king to spread Greek and therefore Western civilization to other parts of the world.

Even at the dawn of human civilization, people created armed forces to protect their borders. Back then, wars were won thanks to the size of the army and the skill of the commanders. Today, the military places emphasis on modern technology, which allows even countries as small in area as Israel to have a powerful army. In our review we will talk about the most modern and powerful armies in the world.

1. North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is known for its repressive government and its antagonistic relationship with much of the world. Currently in service North Korea consist of 4,200 tanks, 944 aircraft, and 967 warships.

Despite the impressive numbers, North Korea's weapons are considered very outdated. For example, of the 70 submarines currently in service, 20 are rusty wrecks of the Romeo class, made using 1950s technology.

2. Saudi Arabia

The Royal Saudi Armed Forces consists of infantry, air force, navy, air defense, the National Guard, as well as a number of paramilitary units. In total, there are over 230,000 people in the army of this country on active service. These are some of the richest militaries in the world.

3. Australia

China's continuous development has led Australia, as well as most countries in the Asia-Pacific region, to continuously modernize their armed forces. Despite its small size, the Australian army is considered one of the best and most effective in the world.

4. Canada

Despite the fact that this country has been one of the most peaceful and friendly throughout its history, Canada's army is one of the 25 strongest in the world. Canada currently has 181 tanks, 426 aircraft and 63 warships.

5. Iran

The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have a total strength of approximately 545,000 personnel. Without a doubt, it is one of the most powerful and dominant forces in the Middle East.

6. Thailand

Historically, the military has been the basis of unity and peace in Thai society. Although the country has an impressive number of troops and tanks, the most fascinating fact is that Thailand has an aircraft carrier but no combat aircraft (since all AV-8S Matador aircraft were retired in 2006).

7. Taiwan

Under constant threat of invasion by a gigantic Chinese army that still has plans to invade and occupy its neighbor, Taiwan has focused its military development entirely on building defenses. This is why such a small island has more helicopters (307) than most countries in the world. Also, the number of tanks (2,005) and aircraft (815) in Taiwan is quite impressive relative to its size.

8. Poland

The tense situation in Ukraine forced the Polish government to start spending huge amounts of money in Lately for the defense industry. As a result of this, the level of the Polish army increased significantly in just a few years.

9. Vietnam

The Vietnamese People's Army is considered one of the most prestigious and sacred concepts in local culture. This was especially aggravated after the brave (and victorious, in the eyes of most historians) people's army fought against such superpowers as France and the United States in the twentieth century. The Vietnamese army is an integral part of the culture of this country and is considered one of the strongest in Asia.

10. Israel

Despite its small size, both in terms of territory and population, as well as its very short story Israel can proudly claim that its defense forces have been among the most active (if not the most active) in the world for the past five decades. Due to constant tensions in the region, Israel has created an incredibly strong and modernized army.

11. Brazil

With the second largest armed forces in the Americas (after the United States) and the largest in Latin America, Brazil currently has 486 tanks, 735 aircraft and 110 ships, and 330,000 military personnel and officers. .

Although South America A relatively peaceful continent, Brazil borders 10 countries and therefore requires a significant number of military personnel.

12. Indonesia

The Indonesian Army was formed during the Indonesian National Revolution, when it engaged in guerrilla warfare. Today, thanks to approximately half a million military personnel and modern technologies, it is considered one of the most powerful armies in Asia.

13. Pakistan

Pakistan's military is the 13th strongest in the world, thanks to the country's constant improvement in its military technology. In addition, Pakistan's armed forces are the largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping efforts, with more than 10,000 Pakistani Army personnel permanently deployed abroad.

14. Egypt

The Egyptian military is not only the largest in Africa and the Middle East, but also one of the largest in the world, with 470,000 active personnel. It is also one of the most ancient armies, as it was created in 3200 BC.

15. South Korea

The fact that the country borders its dangerously unpredictable northern neighbor (North Korea) has forced South Korea to spend crazy amounts of money on military equipment and weapons, making its army one of the most modernized and powerful in the world. Currently, the Asians boast an army of 625,000, 2,381 tanks and 1,451 aircraft.

16. Italy

The Italian armed forces consist of a regular army, navy, air force and carabinieri (who also serve as military police). At the end of 2014, the 320,000-strong Italian army is the third largest in the European Union and the fifth largest among NATO countries.

17. Germany

The reform of the German armed forces taking place today is the most radical revision of the Bundeswehr in the entire history of the country. The problem of international terrorism and global cooperation have led to the need for a smaller, more flexible force structure that will not have as strong a defensive function as in the last few decades.

18. Türkiye

The Turkish armed forces are considered the second largest in NATO (after the US military). The estimated strength of the Turkish army is 495,000 people.

19. Japan

The Japan Self-Defense Forces were created after World War II. Although they have been inactive for most of the last fifty years, tensions in the area have been steadily rising recently (particularly due to North Korea). This forced Japan to urgently modernize its army.

20. UK

Despite its relatively small size compared to countries such as the US, Russia and China, and the fact that the British government plans to reduce the size of its armed forces by 10% by 2018, the once globally dominant United Kingdom -still has one of the most powerful armies in the world.

21. France

France may not be the military power it once was, but it is still in the top ten most powerful in the world. Its main military actions recently have been the fight against terrorism in Mali, Afghanistan, Libya, and currently the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).

Russian Army.

Global modernization and a huge military procurement program carried out by Putin over the past two decades have made the Russian military one of the most powerful in the world.

25. United States

Despite recent geopolitical misadventures and America's withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States military continues to hold the distinction of being the world's most powerful military with the world's largest defense budget.

However, even in the most powerful armies, embarrassments occur. For example, such as the appearance of .

The Russian army is among the top three strongest in the world; in the Credit Suisse rating, the Russian military is rated along with the armies of China and the United States. What is the real balance of power among states ready for military conflicts?Medialeaks publishes a list of the 20 most powerful armies in the world according to the organization.

At the end of September financial institution published a report in which it indicated the TOP 20 most powerful armies in the world. Based on this graph, our publication made a detailed list and added its comments.

When compiling the rating, we took into account such parameters as the budget, the size of the army, the number of tanks, aircraft, combat helicopters, aircraft carriers and submarines, and partly the availability nuclear weapons. The technical level of weapons influenced the position on the list to a lesser extent, and the real combat capability of a particular army was practically not assessed.

Thus, assessing the situation of some countries may raise questions. Let's say the Israeli army is inferior to Egypt by two positions, mainly due to the number of soldiers and tanks. However, in all clashes, the first won an unconditional victory over the second, despite the numerical superiority.

It is interesting to note that not a single country was included in the list Latin America. For example, despite the size of the population and economy, Brazil's military doctrine does not imply serious external or internal threats, so military spending in this country amounts to only about 1% of GDP.

It is also somewhat strange that the list did not include Iran with its half a million soldiers, one and a half thousand tanks and 300 combat aircraft.

20. Canada

Budget: $15.7 billion
Number of active army: 22 thousand.
Tanks: 181
Aviation: 420
Submarines: 4

The Canadian Army is at the bottom of the list: it doesn't have the same large number and not much military equipment. Be that as it may, the Canadian military takes an active part in all US operations. In addition, Canada is a participant in the F-35 program.

19. Indonesia

Budget: $6.9 billion
Number of active army: 476 thousand.
Tanks: 468
Aviation: 405
Submarines: 2

Indonesia made the list due to its large number of military personnel and the noticeable size of its tank force, but for an island country it lacks naval forces: in particular, there are no aircraft carriers, only two diesel submarines are in service.

18. Germany

Budget: $40.2 billion
Number of active army: 179 thousand.
Tanks: 408
Aviation: 663
Submarines: 4

After World War II, Germany did not have its own army for 10 years. During the confrontation between the West and the USSR, the Bundeswehr numbered up to half a million people, but after unification, the country's authorities abandoned the doctrine of confrontation and sharply reduced investments in defense. Apparently, this is why the German Armed Forces ended up even behind Poland in the Credit Suisse rating. At the same time, Berlin is actively sponsoring its eastern NATO allies.

17. Poland

Budget: $9.4 billion
Number of active army: 120 thousand.
Tanks: 1,009
Aviation: 467
Submarines: 5

Poland is ahead of its western neighbor in military power due to more tanks and submarines, although for the last 300 years the Polish Army has lost in most military conflicts. Be that as it may, Warsaw increased spending on the army after the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the outbreak of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

16. Thailand

Budget: $5.4 billion
Number of active army: 306 thousand.
Tanks: 722
Aviation: 573
Submarines: 0

The Thai army has been in control of the situation within the country since May 2014; the armed forces are the main guarantee of political stability. A significant number of people serve in it, there are a large number of modern tanks and aircraft.

15. Australia

Budget: $26.1 billion
Number of active army: 58 thousand.
Tanks: 59
Aviation: 408
Submarines: 6

Australian military personnel consistently take part in all NATO operations. In accordance with national doctrine, Australia must be able to stand alone against external invasion. The defense forces are formed on a professional basis, the army is well equipped technically, there is a modern fleet and a large number of combat helicopters.

14. Israel

Budget: $17 billion
Number of active army: 160 thousand.
Tanks: 4,170
Aviation: 684
Submarines: 5

Israel is the most underrated participant in the ranking. The IDF won all the conflicts in which it participated, and sometimes the Israelis had to fight on several fronts against an enemy many times larger than them. In addition to the huge number of the latest offensive and defensive weapons of its own design, Credit Suisse's analysis does not take into account the fact that the country has several hundred thousand reservists with combat experience and high motivation. The calling card of the IDF is female soldiers who have proven that the weaker sex with a machine gun is no less effective than the stronger. Not to mention the fact that, according to unverified data, Israel has about 80 nuclear warheads in its arsenal.

13. Taiwan

Budget: $10.7 billion
Number of active army: 290 thousand.
Tanks: 2,005
Aviation: 804
Submarines: 4

The authorities of the Republic of China believe that they are the legitimate government of the Celestial Empire and sooner or later they must return to Beijing, and until this happens, the army is always ready for the invasion of usurpers from the mainland. And although in reality the island’s armed forces are unlikely to be able to resist the PRC army, two thousand modern tanks and 800 aircraft and helicopters make it a serious force.

12. Egypt

Budget: $4.4 billion
Number of active army: 468 thousand.
Tanks: 4,624
Aviation: 1,107
Submarines: 4

The Egyptian army was ranked due to its numbers and quantity of equipment, although, as the Yom Kippur War showed, even a threefold superiority in tanks is offset by high combat skills and the technical level of weapons. At the same time, it is known that about a thousand “Abrams” of the Egyptian Armed Forces are simply mothballed in warehouses. Nevertheless, Cairo will acquire two Mistral-class helicopter carriers, not supplied by France to the Russian Federation, and about 50 Ka-52 combat helicopters for them, which will make Egypt a truly serious military force in the region.

11. Pakistan

Budget: $7 billion
Number of active army: 617 thousand.
Tanks: 2,924
Aviation: 914
Submarines: 8

The Pakistani army is one of the largest in the world, it has many tanks and aircraft, and the United States supports Islamabad with equipment. The main threat is internal; local leaders and the Taliban rule in hard-to-reach areas of the country. In addition, Pakistan has not reached an agreement on borders with India: the territories of the states of Jammu and Kashmir remain disputed, formally the countries are in a state of conflict, within which they are engaged in an arms race. Pakistan has medium-range ballistic missiles and about a hundred nuclear warheads

10. Türkiye

Budget: $18.2 billion
Number of active army: 410 thousand.
Tanks: 3,778
Aviation: 1,020
Submarines: 13

Türkiye claims to be a regional leader, so it is constantly building up and updating its armed forces. A huge number of tanks, aircraft and a large modern fleet (though without aircraft carriers) allow the Turkish army to be considered the strongest among the Muslim countries of the Middle East.

9. UK

Budget: $60.5 billion
Number of active army: 147 thousand.
Tanks: 407
Aviation: 936
Submarines: 10

After the end of World War II, Great Britain abandoned the idea of ​​military dominance around the world in favor of the United States, but the Royal Armed Forces still have significant power and take part in all NATO operations. Her Majesty's fleet includes several nuclear submarines with strategic nuclear weapons: a total of about 200 warheads. By 2020, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is expected to be commissioned, which will be able to carry 40 F-35B fighters.

8. Italy

Budget: $34 billion
Number of active army: 320 thousand.
Tanks: 586
Aviation: 760
Submarines: 6

7. South Korea

Budget: $62.3 billion
Number of active army: 624 thousand.
Tanks: 2,381
Aviation: 1,412
Submarines: 13

South Korea retains numerous armed forces, although in terms of quantitative indicators in everything except aviation, it continues to lose to its main potential enemy, the DPRK. The difference, of course, is in the technological level. Seoul has its own and Western latest developments, Pyongyang has Soviet technology 50 years ago.

6. France

Budget: $62.3 billion
Number of active army: 202 thousand.
Tanks: 423
Aviation: 1,264
Submarines: 10

The French army is still the main military force in Africa and continues to actively intervene in local conflicts. The nuclear attack aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was recently commissioned. Currently, France has approximately 300 strategic nuclear warheads, which are located on nuclear submarines. There are also 60 tactical warheads.

5. India

Budget: $50 billion
Number of active army: 1.325 million
Tanks: 6,464
Aviation: 1,905
Submarines: 15

The third largest army in the world and the fourth largest army in the world. The fact that India has approximately a hundred nuclear warheads, three aircraft carriers and two nuclear submarines in service makes it the fifth most powerful country.

4. Japan

Budget: $41.6 billion
Number of active army: 247 thousand.
Tanks: 678
Aviation: 1,613
Submarines: 16

The most unexpected thing in the ranking is Japan's 4th place, despite the fact that formally the country cannot have an army, but only self-defense forces. Business Insider attributes this to the high level of equipment of Japanese aircraft. In addition, they include 4 helicopter carriers and 9 destroyers. At the same time, Japan does not have nuclear weapons and this, together with the small number of tanks, makes us think that the position of this army is greatly overestimated.

3. China

Budget: $216 billion
Number of active army: 2.33 million
Tanks: 9,150
Aviation: 2,860
Submarines: 67

The second economy in the world has the largest active army, but in terms of the number of tanks, planes and helicopters it is still noticeably inferior not only to the United States, but also to Russia. But the defense budget exceeds the Russian one by 2.5 times. As far as is known, China has several hundred nuclear warheads on alert. However, some believe that in reality the PRC may have several thousand warheads, but this information is carefully classified.

2. Russia

Budget: $84.5 billion
Number of active army: 1 million
Tanks: 15,398
Aviation: 3,429
Submarines: 55

Syria has demonstrated once again that Russia rightly continues to hold a solid 2nd place among the strongest, according to Business Insider. The Russian Armed Forces are second only to China in terms of the number of submarines. And if the rumors about China's secret nuclear stockpile are not true, it is far ahead in this area. It is believed that Russia's strategic nuclear forces have about 350 delivery vehicles and about 2 thousand nuclear warheads. The number of tactical nuclear warheads is unknown and could be several thousand.

1. USA

Budget: $601 billion
Number of active army: 1.4 million
Tanks: 8,848
Aviation: 13,892
Submarines: 72

The US military budget is comparable to the previous 19th. The Navy includes 10 aircraft carriers. It is characteristic that, unlike Moscow, which did back in Soviet times relying on tanks, Washington is developing combat aviation. In addition, the American authorities, despite the end Cold War, continue to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the development of the latest military technologies, thanks to which the United States remains a leader not only in everything related to killing people, but also in the fields of, for example, robotics and prosthetics.

A powerful and combat-ready army is the key to a country’s significant weight in the international arena. Moreover, in connection with famous events in Syria and Ukraine increasingly military power different countries the utmost attention is paid. Many people ask the question: “Who will win the world war?”

Today we present the annually updated, official ranking of world armies, the full list includes the most strong armies world in 2018.

The top 10 was compiled according to data from a specialized resource.

• number of armies of the world (regular number of troops, reservists)
• weapons (airplanes, helicopters, tanks, navy, artillery, other equipment)
• military budget,
• resource availability, geographical location,
• logistics.

Nuclear potential is not taken into account by experts, but those recognized receive an advantage in ranking.

In 2018, the rating included136 countries. New to the list are Ireland (116th), Montenegro (121st) and Liberia(135 position).

By the way, San Marino has the weakest army in the world in 2018 - only 84 people.

Germany's military budget increased from 45 to 46 billion dollars. At the same time, the number of military personnel decreased - from186 up to 178 thousand people. The German army is completely professional, i.e. There has been no compulsory conscription in the country since 2011.

9. Turkish Armed Forces

In the past, the country of luxurious beaches and beautiful tomatoes ranked eighth in the top armies of the world. The number of its armed forces is 350 thousand people, and its military budget is 10.2 billion dollars.

8. Japan Self-Defense Forces

A country Rising Sun worsened its military performance and dropped one place in the list best armies peace. The military budget decreased from 49 to 44 billion dollars, but the number of military personnel did not change - over 247 thousand people.

7. South Korean Army

Compared to the previous ranking, South Korea “jumped” from 10th to 7th place. There are 625 thousand military personnel serving in the Korean army. The eternal rival, North Korea, has 945 thousand soldiers. And the defense budget South Korea is 40 billion dollars.

6. British Army

Although the country's position on the list has not changed, it has improved its performance in terms of army size (197 thousand people versus 188 thousand people). However, it still remains the smallest army in the ranking.

England's military budget decreased compared to 2017 from 55 to 50 billion dollars.

5. French Army

The French army, which opened the top 5 most powerful armies in the world, is small in number. Currently, 205 thousand people serve in it. At the same time, the country's defense budget is $40 billion.

4. Indian Armed Forces

The country's military budget is $47 billion. The number of Indian armed forces is 1,362,000 people, the country's army is the third largest in the world.

3. Chinese Army

The Celestial Empire has the largest human military force in the ranking of armies in the world. It employs 2,183,000 people. According to Wikipedia, there are 1.71 military personnel per 1,000 inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. And China’s military budget is huge, comparable to the army - $151 billion (increased from $126 billion compared to 2017).

2. Russian Army

The Russian armed forces are superior to almost all armies of the world in terms of weapons power in all branches of the military - air, ground and sea. Number Russian army for 2018 – 1,013,000 people. The military budget is $47 billion. Among the superpowers, Russia has a very high rate of the number of military personnel per 1000 inhabitants - 5.3 people.

1. US Army

The most powerful army in the world, according to Globalfirepower, American. By the way, it is not the largest in terms of numbers, but the most powerful in terms of available weapons, including nuclear potential, which is not taken into account by experts. The size of the US Army is 1,281,900 people, and the defense budget is 647 billion.dollars.

Comparison table of armies of the world (Infographics)

No matter how armed the army is, important The morale of the soldiers will play a role in winning the world war. In this regard, it is a big mistake to consider the current distribution of seats to be absolutely correct.