Fifth-generation fighters in service, 2026

Operational aircraft. The United States and China are the only countries operating two different fifth-generation types.

CountryFifth-gen aircraftTypes operatedNotes
1. United States620+F-22 Raptor, F-35A/B/C183 F-22 airframes remain of 187 built; the rest are F-35s across three services
2. China300+J-20, J-35Estimates range from about 250 to over 500. Neither type is exported
3. Australia72F-35AOperated alongside Super Hornets and Growlers
4. Norway52F-35AOne of only two air forces to have transitioned fully to the F-35
5. Netherlands49F-35AFully transitioned. A Dutch F-35 scored a drone kill over Poland in 2025
6. Israel46F-35I “Adir”A uniquely customised F-35A with Israeli systems
7. Japan46F-35A (43), F-35B (3)The F-35Bs are flown by the Air Self-Defense Force, not the Navy
8. South Korea40F-35ASeparate from the domestic KF-21 programme
9. United Kingdom38F-35BJoint RAF and Royal Navy Lightning Force, flown from both carriers
10. Italy38F-35A (32), F-35B (6)F-35Bs operate from the carrier Cavour
11. Russia~20Su-57Roughly 19 in service at the end of 2024, about six delivered that year
World~1,300More than 1,300 F-35s of all variants delivered across 17-plus nations

Compiled from FlightGlobal World Air Forces, WDMMA and national defence ministries, October 2025, with Lockheed Martin delivery figures to March 2026. Figures for China and Russia are estimates and the spread between sources is wide.

Afterburner — MiGFlug’s Magazine · migflug.com