Book of Beasts
The history, the engineering, the stories.
The Big Military Aircraft Encyclopedia
Lockheed SR-71 BlackbirdThe fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built. Nothing has caught it — not even time.The crews called it ‘Habu’ — the pit viper that was never caught
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 FoxbatThe stainless-steel interceptor that panicked the Pentagon — and later carried MiGFlug customers to the edge of space.Ground crews called it the ‘Flying Restaurant’ — it cooled itself with 240 litres of alcoholGrumman F-14 TomcatSwing wings, Phoenix missiles and Top Gun immortality.‘Anytime, baby!’ — the Tomcat community’s standing challenge to every other fighterSupermarine SpitfireThe elliptical-winged symbol of the Battle of Britain, in service from the first day of the war to the last.Its own designer called the name ‘bloody silly’ — the Luftwaffe disagreedMikoyan MiG-29 FulcrumSoviet agility incarnate — and for two decades the jet MiGFlug guests flew to the stratosphere.The Soviet fighter that ended up patrolling NATO skiesLockheed Martin F-22 RaptorStill the benchmark: stealth, supercruise and thrust vectoring — never exported.So dominant that exporting it is illegal — even to alliesSaab 35 DrakenThe double-delta interceptor that could do the Cobra before it had a name.Its pilots flew the Cobra decades before the Russians named itNorthrop Grumman B-2 SpiritA flying wing that shows up on radar the size of a bird — at roughly two billion dollars apiece.The stealth ‘Boomerang’ — worth more than its weight in goldThe collection
All 358 aircraft
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B.E.2Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 · 01So stable it could almost fly itself — and so defenceless the Fokkers called it easy meat.Reconnaissance · United Kingdom · Propeller116 km/hTop speed1912–1919In serviceSaw combatCombatAvro 504Avro 504 · 0211,000 built — the aircraft on which a generation of the world’s pilots learned to fly.Trainer · United Kingdom · Propeller153 km/hTop speed1913–1934In serviceSaw combatCombatIlya MurometsSikorsky Ilya Muromets · 03The world’s first four-engined bomber — Sikorsky built it as an airliner with a promenade deck.Heavy bomber · Russia · Propeller110 km/hTop speed1914–1922In serviceSaw combatCombat
Morane-Saulnier LMorane-Saulnier L · 04Garros bolted steel wedges to its propeller — and air combat was born.Parasol scout · France · Propeller125 km/hTop speed1914–1916In serviceSaw combatCombat
Bristol ScoutBristol Scout · 05A pre-war racer sent to war with a rifle — the RFC’s first single-seat scout.Scout · United Kingdom · Propeller150 km/hTop speed1914–1916In serviceSaw combatCombatF.E.2Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 · 06The pusher that helped end the Fokker Scourge — and shot down Max Immelmann.Pusher fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller147 km/hTop speed1915–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Farman MF.11Farman MF.11 Shorthorn · 07The ‘Shorthorn’ flew the first night bombing raid of the war.Bomber / recon · France · Propeller106 km/hTop speed1914–1916In serviceSaw combatCombat
Vickers GunbusVickers F.B.5 Gunbus · 08The world’s first purpose-built fighter — a machine gun with wings, barely.Pusher fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller113 km/hTop speed1915–1916In serviceSaw combatCombatVoisin IIIVoisin III · 09The pusher that scored the first air-to-air kill in history, in October 1914.Bomber · France · Propeller105 km/hTop speed1914–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Airco DH.2Airco DH.2 · 10Gun in front, propeller behind — the pusher that broke the Fokker Scourge.Pusher fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller150 km/hTop speed1916–1917In serviceSaw combatCombat
Caudron G.4Caudron G.4 · 11Twin engines in 1915 — France’s first bomber to reach the Rhine and return.Bomber · France · Propeller132 km/hTop speed1915–1917In serviceSaw combatCombatFokker EindeckerFokker E.I–E.IV Eindecker · 12The first true fighter — its synchronised gun made 1915 the year of the ‘Fokker Scourge’.Fighter · Germany · Propeller140 km/hTop speed1915–1916In serviceSaw combatCombatHandley Page Type OHandley Page O/100 & O/400 · 13The ‘bloody paralyser’ — Britain’s first true heavy bomber, big enough to name a size of house after.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller157 km/hTop speed1916–1920In serviceSaw combatCombatNieuport 11Nieuport 11 Bébé · 14The ‘Bébé’ that ended the Fokker Scourge at Verdun.Fighter · France · Propeller156 km/hTop speed1916–1917In serviceSaw combatCombatSopwith 1½ StrutterSopwith 1½ Strutter · 15The first British aircraft with a synchronised gun firing through the propeller.Fighter / reconnaissance · United Kingdom · Propeller161 km/hTop speed1916–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatAEG G.IVAEG G.IV · 16The tactical workhorse of the German bomber force — steel tubing when everyone else used wood.Bomber · Germany · Propeller165 km/hTop speed1916–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatAirco DH.4Airco DH.4 · 17The day bomber fast enough to outrun fighters — America built 4,800 of them as the ‘Liberty Plane’.Day bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller230 km/hTop speed1917–1932In serviceSaw combatCombat
Airco DH.5Airco DH.5 · 18Wings staggered backwards so the pilot could finally see — he hated everything else about it.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller164 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Albatros D.I / D.IIAlbatros D.I / D.II · 19Boelcke’s mount — the first fighter to carry two synchronized guns as standard.Fighter · Germany · Propeller175 km/hTop speed1916–1917In serviceSaw combatCombatAlbatros D.III / D.VAlbatros D.III / D.V · 20The shark-bodied Albatros that armed the Flying Circus — Richthofen scored most of his kills in one.Fighter · Germany · Propeller186 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatBreguet 14Breguet 14 · 21France’s do-everything warplane — among the first aircraft built largely of aluminium.Bomber / reconnaissance · France · Propeller184 km/hTop speed1917–1932In serviceSaw combatCombatBristol F.2 FighterBristol F.2 Fighter · 22The ‘Brisfit’ — a two-seater that dogfought like a single-seater and served into the 1930s.Two-seat fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller198 km/hTop speed1917–1932In serviceSaw combatCombatCaproni Ca.3Caproni Ca.3 · 23Italy’s three-engined giant — Caproni believed in strategic bombing before almost anyone.Heavy bomber · Italy · Propeller140 km/hTop speed1917–1929In serviceSaw combatCombat
DFW C.VDFW C.V · 24Germany’s most-built aircraft of the war — the two-seater that did everything.Reconnaissance · Germany · Propeller155 km/hTop speed1916–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatGotha G.IV / G.VGotha G.IV / G.V · 25The bombers that brought the war to London by daylight — and forced the birth of air defence.Heavy bomber · Germany · Propeller140 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatHanriot HD.1Hanriot HD.1 · 26Rejected by France, beloved by Belgium and Italy — Willy Coppens burned balloons in his.Fighter · France · Propeller184 km/hTop speed1916–1928In serviceSaw combatCombatNieuport 17Nieuport 17 / 21 / 23 · 27The sesquiplane that restored Allied air superiority after the Fokker Scourge.Fighter · France · Propeller177 km/hTop speed1916–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
R.E.8Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 · 28The ‘Harry Tate’ — Britain’s artillery eye over every mile of the Western Front.Reconnaissance · United Kingdom · Propeller164 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatS.E.5aRoyal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a · 29The mount of Mannock, McCudden and Bishop — stable, fast, and easier to master than the Camel.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller222 km/hTop speed1917–1920In serviceSaw combatCombatSPAD S.VIISPAD S.VII · 30Guynemer’s mount before the XIII — the fighter that made SPAD a legend.Fighter · France · Propeller192 km/hTop speed1916–1923In serviceSaw combatCombatSopwith CamelSopwith F.1 Camel · 31Credited with more aerial victories than any other Allied aircraft of the Great War.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller185 km/hTop speed1917–1920In serviceSaw combatCombatSopwith PupSopwith Pup · 32‘A perfect flying machine’ — and the first aircraft ever to land on a moving ship.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller180 km/hTop speed1916–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Sopwith TriplaneSopwith Triplane · 33Three wings and a climb nobody could follow — Richthofen wanted one copied. Fokker obliged.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller187 km/hTop speed1916–1917In serviceSaw combatCombat
Staaken R.VIZeppelin-Staaken R.VI · 34A four-engined giant with a crew of seven — no bomber matched its load until the next war.Giant bomber · Germany · Propeller135 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatAirco DH.9Airco DH.9 / DH.9A · 35The ‘Ninak’ policed the Empire for a decade after the Armistice.Day bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller182 km/hTop speed1918–1931In serviceSaw combatCombatAnsaldo SVAAnsaldo SVA.5 · 36Fast enough to skip the escort — it flew D’Annunzio’s leaflet raid over Vienna.Reconnaissance / fighter · Italy · Propeller230 km/hTop speed1918–1935In serviceSaw combatCombat
Aviatik D.IAviatik (Berg) D.I · 37Austria-Hungary’s own fighter — better than its overheating engines ever allowed.Fighter · Austria-Hungary · Propeller185 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatFokker Dr.IFokker Dr.I Dreidecker · 38The Red Baron’s triplane — the last 19 of Richthofen’s 80 victories came in it.Fighter · Germany · Propeller185 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatFriedrichshafen G.IIIFriedrichshafen G.III · 39The Gotha’s quieter partner — it flew more raids and got none of the fame.Heavy bomber · Germany · Propeller135 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Halberstadt CL.IIHalberstadt CL.II · 40The original ground-attack aircraft — strafing trenches at Cambrai before ‘close air support’ had a name.Ground attack · Germany · Propeller165 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
LVG C.VLVG C.V / C.VI · 41The sturdy Saxon two-seater — its C.VI sibling still flies at Shuttleworth.Reconnaissance · Germany · Propeller170 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Nieuport 24 / 27Nieuport 24 / 27 · 42The last of the sesquiplane Nieuports — flown by aces from Paris to Petrograd.Fighter · France · Propeller187 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Nieuport 28Nieuport 28 · 43America’s first fighter — Rickenbacker’s squadron flew it when no US design existed.Fighter · France · Propeller198 km/hTop speed1918–1919In serviceSaw combatCombatPfalz D.IIIPfalz D.III · 44The other German fighter — it dived harder than an Albatros and film-starred as one ever after.Fighter · Germany · Propeller181 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
Rumpler C.IVRumpler C.IV · 45Working at 6,400 metres in 1917 — above everything, photographing everything.High-altitude recon · Germany · Propeller170 km/hTop speed1917–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatSPAD S.XIIISPAD S.XIII · 46The mount of the aces — Fonck, Guynemer and Rickenbacker all scored in it.Fighter · France · Propeller218 km/hTop speed1917–1923In serviceSaw combatCombat
Salmson 2Salmson 2 · 47France’s radial-engined workhorse — American observation squadrons swore by it.Reconnaissance · France · Propeller188 km/hTop speed1918–1918In serviceSaw combatCombatSopwith DolphinSopwith Dolphin · 48The back-staggered Sopwith the pilots learned to love — once they stopped fearing the cage over their heads.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller211 km/hTop speed1918–1919In serviceSaw combatCombatSopwith SnipeSopwith Snipe · 49The Camel’s successor — Billy Barker won a VC fighting sixty Fokkers alone in one.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller195 km/hTop speed1918–1926In serviceSaw combatCombat
Vickers VimyVickers Vimy · 50Too late for the war — so Alcock and Brown flew it across the Atlantic instead.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller166 km/hTop speed1918–1933In serviceNo combatCombatFokker D.VIIFokker D.VII · 51So feared that the Armistice demanded its surrender by name.Fighter · Germany · Propeller189 km/hTop speed1918–1930sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Fokker D.VIIIFokker D.VIII · 52The ‘Flying Razor’ — the war’s final German fighter, a cantilever monoplane years early.Fighter · Germany · Propeller204 km/hTop speed1918–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
HP V/1500Handley Page V/1500 · 53Built to bomb Berlin from England — the Armistice came first, so it bombed Kabul.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller159 km/hTop speed1918–1920In serviceSaw combatCombatNiD 29Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 · 54Too late for the war, but the fighter half the world’s air forces flew in the 1920s.Fighter · France · Propeller235 km/hTop speed1922–1928In serviceSaw combatCombat
Pfalz D.XIIPfalz D.XII · 55Forever second to the Fokker D.VII — even its own pilots wanted the other plane.Fighter · Germany · Propeller170 km/hTop speed1918–1918In serviceSaw combatCombat
SiskinArmstrong Whitworth Siskin · 56The RAF’s aerobatic twenties — all-steel structure while everyone else still glued wood.Biplane fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller251 km/hTop speed1924–1932In serviceNo combatCombat
Breguet 19Breguet 19 · 57Record-breaker and colonial warhorse — it crossed the Atlantic and bombed the Rif.Bomber / recon · France · Propeller235 km/hTop speed1924–1940sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Potez 25Potez 25 · 58Four thousand built, flown on every continent — the biplane that mapped empires.General purpose · France · Propeller214 km/hTop speed1926–1940sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
BulldogBristol Bulldog · 59Douglas Bader lost his legs aerobatting one — Finland flew them against the Soviets anyway.Biplane fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller287 km/hTop speed1929–1940In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-6 HawkCurtiss P-6 Hawk · 60The most beautiful biplane Curtiss ever built — the Army’s silver-and-yellow years.Biplane fighter · United States · Propeller328 km/hTop speed1929–1937In serviceNo combatCombat
WapitiWestland Wapiti · 61A decade policing the North-West Frontier — built partly from leftover DH.9A parts.General purpose · United Kingdom · Propeller225 km/hTop speed1928–1940In serviceSaw combatCombat
Hart / HindHawker Hart / Hind · 62A light bomber faster than the fighters of 1930 — Hawker bred a whole family from it.Light bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller296 km/hTop speed1930–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
NiD 62Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 · 63France’s between-wars stopgap — seven hundred sesquiplanes waiting for the monoplane age.Fighter · France · Propeller270 km/hTop speed1931–1940In serviceNo combatCombat
P-12 / F4BBoeing P-12 / F4B · 64Army and Navy shared one biplane — America’s favourite fighter of the early thirties.Biplane fighter · United States · Propeller304 km/hTop speed1930–1941In serviceNo combatCombat
R-5Polikarpov R-5 · 65Six thousand of everything — and it rescued the Chelyuskin castaways from the Arctic ice.Recon / light bomber · USSR · Propeller228 km/hTop speed1931–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
HeyfordHandley Page Heyford · 66The last biplane heavy bomber — its bombs lived inside the thick lower wing.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller229 km/hTop speed1933–1939In serviceNo combatCombat
TB-3Tupolev TB-3 · 67The corrugated giant — it carried parasite fighters on its wings and dropped tanks by parachute.Heavy bomber · USSR · Propeller212 km/hTop speed1932–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Amiot 143Amiot 143 · 68The bomber that looked like a flying house — bravely attacking bridges in 1940 anyway.Medium bomber · France · Propeller310 km/hTop speed1935–1941In serviceSaw combatCombat
Hawker FuryHawker Fury (biplane) · 69The RAF’s first 200-mph fighter — and Yugoslavia’s last biplane defence in 1941.Biplane fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller333 km/hTop speed1931–1941In serviceSaw combatCombat
PZL P.11PZL P.7 / P.11 · 70Poland’s gull-wings met the Luftwaffe first — and drew first blood in September 1939.Fighter · Poland · Propeller390 km/hTop speed1933–1939In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-10Martin B-10 · 71Faster than every fighter of 1934 — the all-metal shock that killed the biplane bomber.Medium bomber · United States · Propeller343 km/hTop speed1934–1942In serviceSaw combatCombat
D.500 / 510Dewoitine D.500 / D.510 · 72A cannon firing through the propeller hub — China flew it against Japan before France needed it.Fighter · France · Propeller402 km/hTop speed1935–1940In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-26 PeashooterBoeing P-26 Peashooter · 73America’s first monoplane fighter, wires, spats and all — it met Zeros over the Philippines in 1941.Fighter · United States · Propeller377 km/hTop speed1934–1941In serviceSaw combatCombat
Avia B-534Avia B-534 · 74The finest biplane fighter of its day — Czechoslovakia never got to use it; Slovakia did.Biplane fighter · Czechoslovakia · Propeller394 km/hTop speed1935–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
CR.32Fiat CR.32 · 75The aerobatic king of the Spanish Civil War — Italy’s most-exported fighter.Biplane fighter · Italy · Propeller375 km/hTop speed1935–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
GauntletGloster Gauntlet · 76The Gladiator’s open-cockpit brother — last of the RAF’s open-air fighters.Biplane fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller370 km/hTop speed1935–1940In serviceSaw combatCombat
He 51Heinkel He 51 · 77The Luftwaffe’s first fighter — outclassed over Spain, so it invented ground attack instead.Biplane fighter · Germany · Propeller330 km/hTop speed1935–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
I-15 / I-153 ChaikaPolikarpov I-15 / I-153 · 78The gull-winged Chaika — Spain’s dogfighter, still duelling monoplanes in 1941.Biplane fighter · USSR · Propeller444 km/hTop speed1934–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
I-16 IshakPolikarpov I-16 · 79Retractable gear and cannon first — Spain called it Mosca, the Germans called it Rata.Fighter · USSR · Propeller525 km/hTop speed1935–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
Š-328Letov Š-328 · 80It flew for the Axis — then for the Slovak National Uprising against it.Recon / light bomber · Czechoslovakia · Propeller280 km/hTop speed1934–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ar 68Arado Ar 68 · 81The Luftwaffe’s last biplane fighter — obsolete at delivery, night fighter by 1940.Biplane fighter · Germany · Propeller305 km/hTop speed1936–1940In serviceNo combatCombat
Do 17Dornier Do 17 · 82The ‘Flying Pencil’ — built slim to outrun fighters, until the fighters caught up.Medium bomber · Germany · Propeller410 km/hTop speed1937–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
GladiatorGloster Gladiator · 83The RAF’s last biplane fighter — Faith, Hope and Charity held Malta.Biplane fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller414 km/hTop speed1937–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
SM.79 SparvieroSavoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero · 84The ‘damned hunchback’ — the most feared torpedo bomber in the Mediterranean.Torpedo bomber · Italy · Propeller460 km/hTop speed1936–1952In serviceSaw combatCombat
SwordfishFairey Swordfish · 85The ‘Stringbag’ biplane crippled Bismarck — too slow for modern gunsights to aim at.Torpedo bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller224 km/hTop speed1936–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tupolev SBTupolev SB · 86Faster than the fighters over Spain in 1936 — a lesson every air force copied.Fast bomber · USSR · Propeller450 km/hTop speed1936–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
A5M ‘Claude’Mitsubishi A5M · 87The world’s first monoplane carrier fighter — the Zero’s older brother.Carrier fighter · Japan · Propeller440 km/hTop speed1937–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-17 Flying FortressBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress · 88It brought crews home with the tail shot off — the most famous bomber ever built.Heavy bomber · United States · Propeller462 km/hTop speed1938–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
BlenheimBristol Blenheim · 90Faster than any RAF fighter when it appeared — a sitting duck three years later.Light bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller428 km/hTop speed1937–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
G3M ‘Nell’Mitsubishi G3M · 91With the Betty, it sank Prince of Wales and Repulse — battleships underway, gone in two hours.Medium bomber · Japan · Propeller375 km/hTop speed1937–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Grumman F3FGrumman F3F · 92The Flying Barrel — the US Navy’s last biplane fighter, grandfather of the Wildcat.Carrier biplane fighter · United States · Propeller425 km/hTop speed1936–1941In serviceNo combatCombat
He 111Heinkel He 111 · 93The Blitz bomber, designed in disguise as an airliner.Medium bomber · Germany · Propeller440 km/hTop speed1937–1958In serviceSaw combatCombat
Hs 123Henschel Hs 123 · 94The biplane pilots refused to retire — flying close support deep into 1944.Ground attack biplane · Germany · Propeller341 km/hTop speed1936–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
HurricaneHawker Hurricane · 95It shot down more of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain than everything else combined.Fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller547 km/hTop speed1937–1947In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ju 87 StukaJunkers Ju 87 Stuka · 96Its sirens were weapons in themselves; Rudel flew 2,530 sorties in one.Dive bomber · Germany · Propeller383 km/hTop speed1937–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-10Kawasaki Ki-10 · 97Japan’s last biplane fighter — the army’s agility cult began here.Biplane fighter · Japan · Propeller400 km/hTop speed1935–1942In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-36 HawkCurtiss P-36 / Hawk 75 · 98Pearl Harbor’s forgotten defender — and France’s best fighter of 1940 was American.Fighter · United States · Propeller500 km/hTop speed1938–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
PBY CatalinaConsolidated PBY Catalina · 99It found the Bismarck — and plucked thousands of downed airmen from the sea.Patrol / reconnaissance · United States · Propeller314 km/hTop speed1936–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
WellesleyVickers Wellesley · 100Geodetic wings and a world distance record — Egypt to Australia, non-stop, 1938.Light bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller369 km/hTop speed1937–1942In serviceSaw combatCombat
BR.20 CicognaFiat BR.20 Cicogna · 101Italy’s modern bomber of 1936 — it even bombed Britain, briefly and badly.Medium bomber · Italy · Propeller440 km/hTop speed1936–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
BattleFairey Battle · 102Its crews won the RAF’s first Victoria Crosses of the war — attacking bridges nothing could survive.Light bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller413 km/hTop speed1937–1941In serviceSaw combatCombat
Bf 110Messerschmitt Bf 110 · 103Mauled by day over Britain — deadly by night as the radar-eyed defender of the Reich.Heavy fighter · Germany · Propeller560 km/hTop speed1937–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Fokker D.XXIFokker D.XXI · 104Fixed gear and no armour — Finnish pilots ran up ace scores in it regardless.Fighter · Netherlands · Propeller460 km/hTop speed1938–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
HampdenHandley Page Hampden · 105The ‘Flying Suitcase’ — crews loved the handling and hated the squeeze.Medium bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller397 km/hTop speed1938–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
Il-4Ilyushin Il-4 · 106It bombed Berlin in August 1941, when nobody believed Moscow still could.Medium bomber · USSR · Propeller430 km/hTop speed1940–1947In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ju 88Junkers Ju 88 · 107Germany’s do-everything bomber — 15,000 built for a dozen different jobs.Bomber / night fighter · Germany · Propeller510 km/hTop speed1939–1951In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-21 ‘Sally’Mitsubishi Ki-21 · 108The army’s workhorse over China — obsolete by 1942, flying to the very end anyway.Medium bomber · Japan · Propeller486 km/hTop speed1938–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-27 ‘Nate’Nakajima Ki-27 · 109Its pilots so loved its agility they resisted every faster successor.Fighter · Japan · Propeller470 km/hTop speed1938–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
LysanderWestland Lysander · 110The moonlight taxi — dropping agents into occupied France on 350-metre fields.Army co-op / special duties · United Kingdom · Propeller336 km/hTop speed1938–1946In serviceSaw combatCombat
PZL.37 ŁośPZL.37 Łoś · 111Poland’s superb modern bomber — only about 90 stood ready in September 1939.Medium bomber · Poland · Propeller445 km/hTop speed1938–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
Pe-8Petlyakov Pe-8 · 112The only Soviet four-engine heavy — it flew Molotov over the Reich to Washington.Heavy bomber · USSR · Propeller443 km/hTop speed1941–1946In serviceSaw combatCombat
Potez 63Potez 630 series · 113France’s do-everything twin — fighter, bomber and recon, all at once in 1940.Heavy fighter / recon · France · Propeller442 km/hTop speed1938–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
WellingtonVickers Wellington · 115Barnes Wallis’s geodetic basket — it flew home full of holes that would down any other bomber.Medium bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller378 km/hTop speed1938–1953In serviceSaw combatCombat
WhitleyArmstrong Whitworth Whitley · 116It dropped the RAF’s first bombs on German soil — flying permanently nose-down.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller370 km/hTop speed1937–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
B5N ‘Kate’Nakajima B5N · 117The aircraft that put the torpedoes into Battleship Row.Torpedo bomber · Japan · Propeller378 km/hTop speed1938–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
DefiantBoulton Paul Defiant · 118All guns in a turret, none facing forward — brilliant for exactly six weeks.Turret fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller489 km/hTop speed1939–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
F2A BuffaloBrewster F2A Buffalo · 119A punchline in the Pacific, a legend in Finland — 26:1 against the Soviets.Carrier fighter · United States · Propeller517 km/hTop speed1939–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
F4F WildcatGrumman F4F Wildcat · 120Outflown by the Zero, it still held the line at Midway and Guadalcanal.Carrier fighter · United States · Propeller533 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Fiat G.50 / G.55Fiat G.50 Freccia / G.55 Centauro · 121The Centauro was the best fighter Italy built — even the Luftwaffe tried to order it.Fighter · Italy · Propeller620 km/hTop speed1938–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Fw 200 CondorFocke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor · 122An airliner turned U-boat scout — Churchill called it the scourge of the Atlantic.Maritime patrol bomber · Germany · Propeller360 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
LeO 451Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 451 · 123The most beautiful bomber of 1940 — too few, and far too late for France.Medium bomber · France · Propeller495 km/hTop speed1939–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
Su-2Sukhoi Su-2 · 124Sukhoi’s first — flown by Ekaterina Zelenko, the only woman ever to carry out an aerial ramming.Light bomber · USSR · Propeller486 km/hTop speed1940–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
SunderlandShort Sunderland · 125The ‘Flying Porcupine’ — U-boat crews found out why.Maritime patrol · United Kingdom · Propeller336 km/hTop speed1938–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
Z.1007 AlcioneCANT Z.1007 Alcione · 126Wooden wings over the Mediterranean — it bombed from Greece to Stalingrad.Medium bomber · Italy · Propeller466 km/hTop speed1939–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
A-20 HavocDouglas A-20 Havoc · 127America’s night intruder — and Russia’s favourite lend-lease bomber.Light bomber · United States · Propeller546 km/hTop speed1941–1949In serviceSaw combatCombat
AlbacoreFairey Albacore · 128Built to replace the Swordfish — the Swordfish outlived it.Torpedo bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller259 km/hTop speed1940–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
BeaufortBristol Beaufort · 129It crippled the Gneisenau — a run its pilot didn’t survive, and a VC remembered.Torpedo bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller420 km/hTop speed1940–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
Bloch MB.152Bloch MB.150 series · 130Sturdy, undergunned, outpaced — flown to the last day of the Battle of France.Fighter · France · Propeller509 km/hTop speed1939–1942In serviceSaw combatCombat
CR.42 FalcoFiat CR.42 Falco · 131The best biplane fighter ever built — a year after biplanes stopped making sense.Biplane fighter · Italy · Propeller441 km/hTop speed1939–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
D.520Dewoitine D.520 · 132France’s best fighter arrived weeks before the fall — its aces made it count anyway.Fighter · France · Propeller560 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
D3A ‘Val’Aichi D3A · 133It sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft.Dive bomber · Japan · Propeller430 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Do 217Dornier Do 217 · 134The first aircraft to sink a ship with a guided missile — the battleship Roma, 1943.Heavy bomber · Germany · Propeller557 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Fw 189 UhuFocke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu · 135Soviet troops called it ‘the Frame’ — when it appeared, the shells followed.Reconnaissance · Germany · Propeller350 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
HudsonLockheed Hudson · 136An airliner in uniform — the first RAF aircraft to down a German plane in WWII.Maritime patrol bomber · United States · Propeller397 km/hTop speed1939–1948In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-43 HayabusaNakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa · 137The army’s Zero — lighter armed and even harder to catch in a turn.Fighter · Japan · Propeller530 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
MS.406Morane-Saulnier MS.406 · 138France’s most numerous fighter of 1940 — brave, and 80 km/h too slow.Fighter · France · Propeller490 km/hTop speed1939–1942In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-39 AiracobraBell P-39 Airacobra · 139America never loved it; Soviet aces made it a legend on the Eastern Front.Fighter · United States · Propeller626 km/hTop speed1941–1949In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-40 WarhawkCurtiss P-40 Warhawk · 140The shark’s teeth of the Flying Tigers.Fighter · United States · Propeller580 km/hTop speed1941–1948In serviceSaw combatCombat
WhirlwindWestland Whirlwind · 141Four cannon in the nose in 1940 — killed by its own temperamental engines.Heavy fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller580 km/hTop speed1940–1943In serviceSaw combatCombat
A6M ZeroMitsubishi A6M Zero · 142So agile that Allied pilots were ordered never to turn with it.Carrier fighter · Japan · Propeller533 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-24 LiberatorConsolidated B-24 Liberator · 143More built than any other American military aircraft — ever.Heavy bomber · United States · Propeller470 km/hTop speed1941–1968In serviceSaw combatCombat
BeaufighterBristol Beaufighter · 144‘Whispering Death’ — the night fighter and ship-killer named by its victims.Heavy fighter / strike · United Kingdom · Propeller515 km/hTop speed1940–1960In serviceSaw combatCombat
Fw 190Focke-Wulf Fw 190 · 145The ‘Butcher Bird’ — its 1941 debut outclassed every Allied fighter in the sky.Fighter · Germany · Propeller656 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
G4M ‘Betty’Mitsubishi G4M · 146Enormous range, no armour — its own crews called it the ‘flying lighter’.Medium bomber · Japan · Propeller428 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
HalifaxHandley Page Halifax · 147Bomber Command’s other heavy — 82,000 sorties flown in the Lancaster’s shadow.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller454 km/hTop speed1940–1961In serviceSaw combatCombat
He 177 GreifHeinkel He 177 Greif · 148Its coupled engines burned so often crews called it the Luftwaffe’s lighter.Heavy bomber · Germany · Propeller565 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Hs 129Henschel Hs 129 · 149A flying anti-tank gun — up to 75 mm of it, the largest forward-firing cannon of the war.Ground attack · Germany · Propeller407 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
IAR 80IAR 80 · 150Romania built its own fighter — it fought the USAAF, then turned on the Luftwaffe.Fighter · Romania · Propeller510 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Il-2 SturmovikIlyushin Il-2 Sturmovik · 151The most-produced military aircraft in history — Stalin called it as essential as bread.Ground attack · USSR · Propeller414 km/hTop speed1941–1954In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-45 ToryuKawasaki Ki-45 Toryu · 152The ‘Dragon Slayer’ — Japan’s night fighter that rammed B-29s when guns weren’t enough.Heavy fighter · Japan · Propeller540 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-46 ‘Dinah’Mitsubishi Ki-46 · 153So fast and so high that for two years nothing could intercept it.Reconnaissance · Japan · Propeller630 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-48 ‘Lily’Kawasaki Ki-48 · 154Built to outrun the Soviet bomber that embarrassed Japan over China.Light bomber · Japan · Propeller505 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-49 DonryuNakajima Ki-49 Donryu · 155The ‘Storm Dragon’ — a heavy bomber by name, a medium by any honest measure.Medium bomber · Japan · Propeller492 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-51 ‘Sonia’Mitsubishi Ki-51 · 156The army’s Stuka — from China in 1939 to the last sorties of the war.Ground attack · Japan · Propeller424 km/hTop speed1939–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-38 LightningLockheed P-38 Lightning · 157The fork-tailed devil — America’s two top aces both flew it.Fighter · United States · Propeller667 km/hTop speed1941–1949In serviceSaw combatCombat
Pe-2Petlyakov Pe-2 · 158The ‘Peshka’ — a dive bomber fast enough to embarrass fighters.Dive bomber · USSR · Propeller580 km/hTop speed1941–1954In serviceSaw combatCombat
Re.2000 seriesReggiane Re.2000–Re.2005 · 159Loved by Hungary, rejected at home — the line peaked in the superb Re.2005 Sagittario.Fighter · Italy · Propeller630 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
StirlingShort Stirling · 160The RAF’s first four-engine heavy — legend says hangar doors dictated its wingspan.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller434 km/hTop speed1941–1946In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-25 MitchellNorth American B-25 Mitchell · 161The bomber that hit Tokyo from a carrier deck in 1942.Medium bomber · United States · Propeller438 km/hTop speed1941–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-26 MarauderMartin B-26 Marauder · 162‘The Widowmaker’ grew up to post the lowest loss rate of any US bomber in Europe.Medium bomber · United States · Propeller460 km/hTop speed1941–1948In serviceSaw combatCombat
BarracudaFairey Barracuda · 163The ugly duckling that dive-bombed Tirpitz in its fjord.Torpedo / dive bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller367 km/hTop speed1943–1953In serviceSaw combatCombat
D4Y SuiseiYokosuka D4Y Suisei · 164A dive bomber faster than a Zero — born from a Heinkel license, ending as a kamikaze.Dive bomber · Japan · Propeller550 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
F4U CorsairVought F4U Corsair · 165The bent-wing bird flew combat from Guadalcanal to the ‘Football War’ of 1969.Carrier fighter-bomber · United States · Propeller718 km/hTop speed1942–1969In serviceSaw combatCombat
FulmarFairey Fulmar · 166Two seats, eight guns, no hurry — and still the Fleet Air Arm’s top-scoring fighter.Carrier fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller438 km/hTop speed1940–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-44 ShokiNakajima Ki-44 Shoki · 167‘Tojo’ traded Japan’s beloved agility for raw climb — B-29 crews noticed.Interceptor · Japan · Propeller605 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
LaGG-3Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 · 168Pilots joked the acronym meant ‘varnished guaranteed coffin’ — then its heirs won the air war.Fighter · USSR · Propeller575 km/hTop speed1941–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
MC.202 FolgoreMacchi MC.200 / 202 / 205 · 169Italian airframe artistry on a Daimler-Benz heart — finally a match for anyone.Fighter · Italy · Propeller600 km/hTop speed1941–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
MiG-3Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 · 170The first MiG — brilliant up high, where the Eastern Front refused to fight.High-altitude fighter · USSR · Propeller640 km/hTop speed1941–1944In serviceSaw combatCombat
Mosquitode Havilland Mosquito · 171The Wooden Wonder — faster than the fighters sent to catch it.Fighter-bomber / night fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller668 km/hTop speed1941–1963In serviceSaw combatCombat
SB2C HelldiverCurtiss SB2C Helldiver · 173‘The Beast’ to its crews — cranky, unloved, and present at the sinking of Yamato.Dive bomber · United States · Propeller475 km/hTop speed1943–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
SBD DauntlessDouglas SBD Dauntless · 174Four minutes at Midway — the dive bomber that turned the Pacific War.Dive bomber · United States · Propeller410 km/hTop speed1940–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
Typhoon / TempestHawker Typhoon / Tempest · 175The rocket-firing scourge of Normandy — and the Tempest hunted V-1s and Me 262s.Fighter-bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller686 km/hTop speed1941–1951In serviceSaw combatCombat
B6N TenzanNakajima B6N Tenzan · 176Kate’s successor arrived when there were no carriers — and few pilots — left to fly it.Torpedo bomber · Japan · Propeller482 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
BaltimoreMartin Baltimore · 177Built for Britain, never flown by America — the Desert Air Force’s workhorse.Light bomber · United States · Propeller488 km/hTop speed1942–1949In serviceSaw combatCombat
FireflyFairey Firefly · 178The Fleet Air Arm’s bruiser — it struck Tirpitz and flew on into Korea.Carrier fighter · United Kingdom · Propeller509 km/hTop speed1943–1956In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-61 HienKawasaki Ki-61 Hien / Ki-100 · 179The only Japanese fighter with an inline engine — Allied pilots kept mistaking it for a Messerschmitt.Fighter · Japan · Propeller580 km/hTop speed1943–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
LancasterAvro Lancaster · 180The Dambuster — it carried the heaviest bombs of the war, ten tons at a time.Heavy bomber · United Kingdom · Propeller454 km/hTop speed1942–1963In serviceSaw combatCombat
Me 163 KometMesserschmitt Me 163 Komet · 181The only rocket fighter ever to see combat — 960 km/h, and eight minutes of fuel.Rocket interceptor · Germany · Rocket960 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-47 ThunderboltRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt · 182Seven tons of ‘Jug’ — it could lose a cylinder and still bring its pilot home.Fighter-bomber · United States · Propeller697 km/hTop speed1942–1966In serviceSaw combatCombat
TBF AvengerGrumman TBF Avenger · 183George Bush was shot down in one — and the type helped sink Yamato and Musashi.Torpedo bomber · United States · Propeller442 km/hTop speed1942–1968In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-2Tupolev Tu-2 · 184Tupolev designed it inside a prison design bureau — it earned him his freedom.Medium bomber · USSR · Propeller528 km/hTop speed1942–1950In serviceSaw combatCombat
VengeanceVultee A-31 Vengeance · 185Unloved in Europe, devastating in Burma — diving at exactly 90 degrees.Dive bomber · United States · Propeller449 km/hTop speed1942–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
VenturaLockheed Ventura / PV-1 · 186The airliner that went to war twice — RAF bomber by day, Navy sub-hunter by sea.Patrol bomber · United States · Propeller518 km/hTop speed1942–1958In serviceSaw combatCombat
A-26 InvaderDouglas A-26 Invader · 187The only American bomber to fly combat in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.Light bomber · United States · Propeller570 km/hTop speed1944–1972In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-29 SuperfortressBoeing B-29 Superfortress · 188Pressurised, remote-gunned, atomic — a project more expensive than the bomb it carried.Heavy bomber · United States · Propeller574 km/hTop speed1944–1960In serviceSaw combatCombat
F6F HellcatGrumman F6F Hellcat · 189A 19:1 kill ratio — no fighter ever dominated its theatre so completely.Carrier fighter · United States · Propeller621 km/hTop speed1943–1954In serviceSaw combatCombat
J2M RaidenMitsubishi J2M Raiden · 190From the Zero’s designer — everything the Zero wasn’t: fast, tough, climbing like a rocket.Interceptor · Japan · Propeller655 km/hTop speed1943–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-67 HiryuMitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu · 191Japan’s best bomber — fast, armoured, self-sealing, and three years too late.Medium bomber · Japan · Propeller537 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
La-5 / La-7Lavochkin La-5 / La-7 · 192Kozhedub’s mount — the wooden fighter that beat the Fw 190 at low level.Fighter · USSR · Propeller661 km/hTop speed1942–1947In serviceSaw combatCombat
Me 410Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse · 194The Hornet hunted bomber streams with a 50 mm cannon in its nose.Heavy fighter · Germany · Propeller624 km/hTop speed1943–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
N1K Shiden-KaiKawanishi N1K Shiden / Shiden-Kai · 195Born a floatplane — it became the only Japanese fighter that could brawl with a Hellcat.Fighter · Japan · Propeller594 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-61 Black WidowNorthrop P-61 Black Widow · 196The first aircraft designed from scratch around radar — matte black, named for a spider.Night fighter · United States · Propeller589 km/hTop speed1944–1954In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-63 KingcobraBell P-63 Kingcobra · 197Bell fixed the Airacobra — and the Soviets took nearly every one built.Fighter · United States · Propeller660 km/hTop speed1943–1949In serviceSaw combatCombat
Yak-9Yakovlev Yak-9 (Yak-1/7/9 family) · 198The backbone of Soviet fighter aviation — the Yak family outnumbered everything in the sky.Fighter · USSR · Propeller591 km/hTop speed1942–1950In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ar 234 BlitzArado Ar 234 Blitz · 199The world’s first jet bomber — it flew the war’s last Luftwaffe sortie over Britain, uncatchable.Jet bomber · Germany · Jet742 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Ki-84 HayateNakajima Ki-84 Hayate · 201Japan’s best late-war fighter — a match for the Mustang when its engine held together.Fighter · Japan · Propeller687 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombatMeteorGloster Meteor · 202The Allies’ only operational jet of WWII — it hunted V-1s over Kent.Jet fighter · United Kingdom · Jet965 km/hTop speed1944–1980sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
P1Y GingaYokosuka P1Y Ginga · 203A Japanese Mosquito on paper — a mechanic’s nightmare on the flightline.Fast bomber · Japan · Propeller547 km/hTop speed1944–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Yak-3Yakovlev Yak-3 · 204The French Normandie-Niemen aces chose it over the Spitfire — the lightest dogfighter of the war.Fighter · USSR · Propeller655 km/hTop speed1944–1952In serviceSaw combatCombat
He 162Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger · 205The ‘People’s Fighter’ — designed and flown inside 90 days, built of wood and desperation.Jet fighter · Germany · Jet790 km/hTop speed1945–1945In serviceSaw combatCombat
Il-10Ilyushin Il-10 · 206The Sturmovik refined — it was still flying combat in Korea.Ground attack · USSR · Propeller551 km/hTop speed1944–1962In serviceSaw combatCombat
A-1 SkyraiderDouglas A-1 Skyraider · 207The ‘Spad’ — a piston dinosaur that shot down MiGs and guarded downed pilots in Vietnam.Attack · United States · Propeller518 km/hTop speed1946–1985In serviceSaw combatCombat
P-2 NeptuneLockheed P-2 Neptune · 208The Truculent Turtle flew 18,000 km non-stop in 1946 — a record that stood for 16 years.Maritime patrol · United States · Propeller586 km/hTop speed1947–1984In serviceSaw combatCombat
AttackerSupermarine Attacker · 209The Fleet Air Arm’s first jet — with a Spitfire’s wing and a tailwheel.Carrier fighter · United Kingdom · Jet950 km/hTop speed1951–1954In serviceNo combatCombat
B-36 PeacemakerConvair B-36 Peacemaker · 210Six turning, four burning — the biggest piston bomber ever, wings deep enough to crawl through.Strategic bomber · United States · Propeller672 km/hTop speed1948–1959In serviceNo combatCombat
F-84 ThunderjetRepublic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak · 211Korea’s bomb truck — and the first fighter to fly with a nuclear weapon.Fighter-bomber · United States · Jet1,059 km/hTop speed1947–1974In serviceSaw combatCombat
Yak-15 / 17 / 23Yakovlev Yak-15 / 17 / 23 · 212A jet bolted onto a Yak-3 — the Soviets’ crash course into the jet age.Early jet fighter · USSR · Jet868 km/hTop speed1946–1955In serviceNo combatCombat
B-45 TornadoNorth American B-45 Tornado · 213America’s first jet bomber — its recon versions overflew the USSR in secret.Jet bomber · United States · Jet920 km/hTop speed1948–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-47 StratojetBoeing B-47 Stratojet · 214The swept-wing revolution — every jetliner you’ve flown descends from this bomber.Strategic bomber · United States · Jet977 km/hTop speed1951–1977In serviceNo combatCombat
F2H BansheeMcDonnell F2H Banshee · 216The high-flying ‘Banjo’ — hero of the novel The Bridges at Toko-Ri.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet933 km/hTop speed1948–1961In serviceSaw combatCombat
F9F Panther / CougarGrumman F9F Panther / Cougar · 217The Navy’s Korea workhorse — Neil Armstrong and Ted Williams both flew it in combat.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,041 km/hTop speed1949–1974In serviceSaw combatCombat
Sea HawkHawker Sea Hawk · 219Elegant simplicity — it struck at Suez and served India into the 1980s.Carrier fighter · United Kingdom · Jet965 km/hTop speed1953–1983In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-4Tupolev Tu-4 · 220Stalin’s carbon-copy B-29 — reverse-engineered rivet for rivet from three interned bombers.Strategic bomber · USSR · Propeller558 km/hTop speed1949–1965In serviceNo combatCombat
F-89 ScorpionNorthrop F-89 Scorpion · 221The only aircraft ever to fire a live nuclear air-to-air rocket.All-weather interceptor · United States · Jet1,023 km/hTop speed1950–1969In serviceNo combatCombat
F3D SkyknightDouglas F3D Skyknight · 222The portly night killer — more Korean night kills than any other Navy type, still jamming radars over Vietnam.Night fighter · United States · Jet909 km/hTop speed1951–1970In serviceSaw combatCombat
F7U CutlassVought F7U Cutlass · 223Tailless, radical, and lethal mostly to its own pilots — the ‘Gutless Cutlass’.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,095 km/hTop speed1951–1959In serviceNo combatCombat
Il-28 BeagleIlyushin Il-28 · 224The Soviet Canberra — six thousand built, exported to every ally with a runway.Tactical bomber · USSR · Jet902 km/hTop speed1950–1980sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
SwiftSupermarine Swift · 225Supermarine’s troubled Spitfire successor — it briefly held the world speed record anyway.Fighter / recon · United Kingdom · Jet1,102 km/hTop speed1954–1967In serviceNo combatCombatTunnanSaab 29 Tunnan · 227The ‘flying barrel’ — Europe’s first swept-wing jet in service, and a UN veteran of the Congo.Jet fighter · Sweden · Jet1,060 km/hTop speed1951–1976In serviceSaw combatCombatCanberraEnglish Electric Canberra · 228The jet bomber so good the Americans built it under licence.Jet bomber · United Kingdom · Jet933 km/hTop speed1951–2006In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-94 StarfireLockheed F-94 Starfire · 229America’s first afterburning jet — scrambled into Korean nights.All-weather interceptor · United States · Jet1,030 km/hTop speed1950–1959In serviceSaw combatCombat
GannetFairey Gannet · 230Double turboprop, contra-rotating props, folding everything — gloriously odd, quietly effective.Carrier ASW · United Kingdom · Propeller500 km/hTop speed1953–1978In serviceNo combatCombatOuraganDassault MD.450 Ouragan · 231France’s first jet fighter, blooded over Suez and the Sinai.Jet fighter · France · Jet940 km/hTop speed1952–1980sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
ShackletonAvro Shackleton · 232‘Ten thousand rivets flying in loose formation’ — forty years of growling over the sea.Maritime patrol · United Kingdom · Propeller439 km/hTop speed1951–1991In serviceNo combatCombat
Venomde Havilland Venom · 233The Vampire’s hot-rod son — Switzerland kept it flying for three decades.Fighter-bomber · United Kingdom · Jet1,030 km/hTop speed1952–1983In serviceSaw combatCombat
CF-100 CanuckAvro Canada CF-100 Canuck · 234The only Canadian-designed fighter ever mass-produced — the ‘Clunk’ guarded NORAD for decades.All-weather interceptor · Canada · Jet888 km/hTop speed1953–1981In serviceNo combatCombat
FJ FuryNorth American FJ Fury · 235The Sabre that went to sea — folding wings, tailhook and all.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,090 km/hTop speed1948–1962In serviceNo combatCombat
F3H DemonMcDonnell F3H Demon · 237The Phantom’s underpowered father — its lessons built a legend.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,152 km/hTop speed1956–1964In serviceNo combatCombat
F4D SkyrayDouglas F4D Skyray · 238The bat-winged ‘Ford’ — it held five time-to-altitude world records at once.Carrier interceptor · United States · Jet1,162 km/hTop speed1956–1964In serviceNo combatCombatהאנטר הוקרHawker Hunter · 239Britain’s most elegant jet — nearly 2,000 built, and Switzerland flew it for over three decades.Transonic fighter · United Kingdom · Jet1,150 km/hTop speed1954–1994In service7 : 18Combat
JavelinGloster Javelin · 240The ‘Flat Iron’ — the RAF’s delta-winged night watchman.All-weather interceptor · United Kingdom · Jet1,140 km/hTop speed1956–1968In serviceNo combatCombat
Sea Vixende Havilland Sea Vixen · 241Twin booms, an offset cockpit, and an observer buried in the ‘coal hole’.Carrier interceptor · United Kingdom · Jet1,110 km/hTop speed1959–1972In serviceNo combatCombat
ValiantVickers Valiant · 242First of the V-bombers — it dropped Britain’s first live H-bomb, then its wings wore out.Strategic bomber · United Kingdom · Jet913 km/hTop speed1955–1965In serviceSaw combatCombat
A-3 SkywarriorDouglas A-3 Skywarrior · 243The ‘Whale’ — the heaviest aircraft ever to routinely fly from carriers.Carrier bomber · United States · Jet982 km/hTop speed1956–1991In serviceSaw combatCombatB-52 StratofortressBoeing B-52 Stratofortress · 244Seventy years in service and counting — the bomber that outlived its replacements.Strategic bomber · United States · Jet1,047 km/hTop speed1955–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombatFouga MagisterFouga CM.170 Magister · 245The butterfly-tailed trainer that taught a generation of NATO pilots.Jet trainer · France · Jet715 km/hTop speed1956–2000sIn serviceSaw combatCombatLansenSaab 32 Lansen · 246Sweden’s all-weather strike jet, in uniform for four decades.All-weather attack · Sweden · Jet1,130 km/hTop speed1956–1997In service—CombatMystère IVDassault Mystère IV · 247Dassault’s first swept-wing success, flown by France, Israel and India.Fighter-bomber · France · Jet1,120 km/hTop speed1955–1982In serviceSaw combatCombat
S-2 TrackerGrumman S-2 Tracker · 248Hunter and killer in one airframe — and it still fights, dropping retardant on wildfires.Carrier ASW · United States · Propeller450 km/hTop speed1954–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-16 BadgerTupolev Tu-16 / Xian H-6 · 249Seventy years in service and counting — China’s H-6 copies still probe the Pacific.Strategic bomber · USSR · Jet1,050 km/hTop speed1954–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatTu-95 BearTupolev Tu-95 · 250The counter-rotating turboprop giant still probing NATO airspace today.Strategic bomber · USSR / Russia · Propeller925 km/hTop speed1956–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
VautourSud Aviation Vautour · 251France’s do-it-all jet — Israel flew it to war in 1967.Bomber / interceptor · France · Jet1,105 km/hTop speed1956–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
VictorHandley Page Victor · 252The most sinister-looking V-bomber — it ended its days refuelling the Vulcans that replaced it.Strategic bomber / tanker · United Kingdom · Jet1,009 km/hTop speed1958–1993In serviceNo combatCombat
VulcanAvro Vulcan · 253The delta that howled — Black Buck raids to the Falklands were the longest bombing missions yet flown.Strategic bomber · United Kingdom · Jet1,038 km/hTop speed1956–1984In serviceSaw combatCombat
Yak-25 / 28Yakovlev Yak-25 / Yak-28 · 254Yakovlev’s twin-jet family — night interceptor, bomber, and the West’s ‘Brewer’ puzzle.Interceptor / bomber · USSR · Jet1,840 km/hTop speed1955–1992In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-100 Super SabreNorth American F-100 Super Sabre · 255The ‘Hun’ — first to supersonic in level flight, then a decade in the mud over Vietnam.Fighter-bomber · United States · Jet1,390 km/hTop speed1954–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-102 Delta DaggerConvair F-102 Delta Dagger · 256The ‘Deuce’ — the area rule made its waist and made it supersonic.Interceptor · United States · Jet1,304 km/hTop speed1956–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
M-4 BisonMyasishchev M-4 / 3M · 257It circled Moscow to look numerous — and invented the ‘bomber gap’ out of thin air.Strategic bomber · USSR · Jet947 km/hTop speed1955–1994In serviceNo combatCombat
MiG-19 FarmerMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 / Shenyang J-6 · 258The first Soviet supersonic fighter — and China built even more of them than Moscow.Fighter · USSR · Jet1,455 km/hTop speed1955–1990sIn serviceSaw combatCombat
A-4 SkyhawkDouglas A-4 Skyhawk · 259Heinemann’s Hot Rod — so small it didn’t need folding wings, so good Argentina bombed a fleet with it.Attack · United States · Jet1,077 km/hTop speed1956–2003In serviceSaw combatCombat
B-66 DestroyerDouglas B-66 Destroyer · 260Built to bomb, remembered for jamming — the EB-66 shielded every strike over Hanoi.Bomber / EW · United States · Jet1,020 km/hTop speed1956–1973In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-101 VoodooMcDonnell F-101 Voodoo · 261One-oh-Wonder — its recon versions brought home the Cuban missile photos.Interceptor / recon · United States · Jet1,825 km/hTop speed1957–1984In serviceSaw combatCombat
F11F TigerGrumman F11F Tiger · 263The only fighter ever to shoot itself down — it outran its own cannon shells.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,170 km/hTop speed1956–1969In serviceNo combatCombatDrakenSaab 35 Draken · 264The double-delta interceptor that could do the Cobra before it had a name.Interceptor · Sweden · JetMach 2.0Top speed1960–2005In service—Combat
F-105 ThunderchiefRepublic F-105 Thunderchief · 265The ‘Thud’ — it flew 75% of the strikes against North Vietnam in the early war, and paid for it.Strike fighter · United States · Jet2,208 km/hTop speed1958–1984In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-8 CrusaderVought F-8 Crusader · 266‘When you’re out of F-8s, you’re out of fighters’ — the last of the gunfighters.Carrier fighter · United States · Jet1,975 km/hTop speed1957–1999In serviceSaw combatCombat
GnatFolland Gnat · 267The ‘Sabre Slayer’ of the Indo-Pakistani wars — and the Red Arrows’ first mount.Light fighter · United Kingdom · Jet1,120 km/hTop speed1959–1979In serviceSaw combatCombat
Su-7 FitterSukhoi Su-7 · 269Fast, tough, thirsty — its pilots joked it could outrun anything except a fuel gauge.Ground attack · USSR · Jet1,700 km/hTop speed1959–1986In serviceSaw combatCombatU-2 Dragon LadyLockheed U-2 Dragon Lady · 270The glider-winged spyplane flying at 21 kilometres since Eisenhower — still in service.High-altitude reconnaissance · United States · Jet805 km/hTop speed1957–nowIn service—Combat
B-58 HustlerConvair B-58 Hustler · 271Mach 2 with a nuke in a belly pod — it collected speed records and crews’ nerves alike.Supersonic bomber · United States · Jet2,240 km/hTop speed1960–1970In serviceNo combatCombat
F-106 Delta DartConvair F-106 Delta Dart · 272The Ultimate Interceptor — one landed itself in a snowbank after its pilot ejected, and flew again.Interceptor · United States · Jet2,455 km/hTop speed1959–1988In serviceNo combatCombatG.91Fiat G.91 · 273NATO’s light-strike competition winner, flown by Italy, Germany and Portugal.Light attack · Italy · Jet1,075 km/hTop speed1961–1995In serviceSaw combatCombat
ScimitarSupermarine Scimitar · 275Supermarine’s last aircraft — a nuclear-armed brute that lost half its number in accidents.Carrier strike fighter · United Kingdom · Jet1,185 km/hTop speed1958–1969In serviceNo combatCombat
Su-9 / Su-11Sukhoi Su-9 / Su-11 · 276The delta that chased Gary Powers’ U-2 — unarmed, ordered to ram it.Interceptor · USSR · Jet2,120 km/hTop speed1959–1981In serviceNo combatCombatSuper MystèreDassault Super Mystère · 277Western Europe’s first fighter to go supersonic in level flight.Fighter-bomber · France · JetMach 1.13Top speed1958–1996In serviceSaw combatCombatEnglish Electric LightningEnglish Electric Lightning · 278The only all-British Mach 2 fighter — nothing in the West climbed like it.Supersonic interceptor · United Kingdom · JetMach 2.0Top speed1960–1988In serviceSaw combatCombat
A-5 VigilanteNorth American A-5 Vigilante · 280A Mach 2 bomber that tossed its nuke out backwards between the engines — then became the fleet’s camera.Recon / strike · United States · Jet2,123 km/hTop speed1961–1979In serviceSaw combatCombatBuccaneerBlackburn Buccaneer · 281The low-level maritime striker that refused to retire until after Desert Storm.Maritime strike · United Kingdom · Jet1,074 km/hTop speed1962–1994In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-22 BlinderTupolev Tu-22 · 283So hot on landing its crews called it the ‘man-eater’ — beautiful and vicious.Supersonic bomber · USSR · Jet1,510 km/hTop speed1962–1990sIn serviceSaw combatCombatF-5 Freedom FighterNorthrop F-5 / F-5E Tiger II · 284The lightweight fighter half the world could afford — and the aggressor the US trained against.Light fighter · United States · JetMach 1.6Top speed1962–nowIn service25 : 15CombatL-29 DelfínAero L-29 Delfín · 285The Warsaw Pact’s standard trainer — over 3,000 built, and the L-39’s father.Jet trainer · Czechoslovakia · Jet655 km/hTop speed1963–1990sIn serviceSaw combatCombatMirage IVDassault Mirage IV · 286The delta bomber built to carry France’s nuclear deterrent at Mach 2.Strategic bomber · France · JetMach 2.2Top speed1964–2005In service—Combat
P-3 OrionLockheed P-3 Orion · 287Six decades of hunting submarines — the airliner that never carried a passenger.Maritime patrol · United States · Propeller761 km/hTop speed1962–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombat
A-6 IntruderGrumman A-6 Intruder · 288No radar picture, no problem — the Intruder hit targets in zero visibility before smart bombs existed.All-weather attack · United States · Jet1,037 km/hTop speed1963–1997In serviceSaw combatCombat
HF-24 MarutHAL HF-24 Marut · 289Asia’s first home-built jet fighter — designed by Kurt Tank of Fw 190 fame.Fighter-bomber · India · Jet1,112 km/hTop speed1967–1990In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-128 FiddlerTupolev Tu-128 · 290The biggest fighter ever built — a bomber-sized interceptor prowling the Arctic gap.Long-range interceptor · USSR · Jet1,665 km/hTop speed1966–1990In serviceNo combatCombatA-12 OxcartLockheed A-12 Oxcart · 291The CIA’s Oxcart: the SR-71’s secret, faster, single-seat older sibling.Strategic reconnaissance · United States · JetMach 3.3Top speed1967–1968In service—Combat
Su-15 FlagonSukhoi Su-15 · 292The interceptor that shot down KAL 007 — guardian of the Soviet border, twice infamous.Interceptor · USSR · Jet2,230 km/hTop speed1965–1993In serviceSaw combatCombat
F-111 AardvarkGeneral Dynamics F-111 Aardvark · 293Terrain-hugging at Mach 1 in the dark — the raid on Libya was its masterpiece.Strike aircraft · United States · Jet2,655 km/hTop speed1967–2010In serviceSaw combatCombatMiG-25 FoxbatMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 · 294The stainless-steel interceptor that panicked the Pentagon — and later carried MiGFlug customers to the edge of space.High-speed interceptor · USSR · JetMach 2.83Top speed1970–2020sIn service10 : 7CombatSR-71 BlackbirdLockheed SR-71 Blackbird · 295The fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built. Nothing has caught it — not even time.Strategic reconnaissance · United States · JetMach 3.3Top speed1966–1998In service—Combat
A-7 Corsair IILTV A-7 Corsair II · 296The SLUF — ‘Short Little Ugly Fella’ — with the most accurate bombing computer of its era.Attack · United States · Jet1,123 km/hTop speed1967–2014In serviceSaw combatCombat
Q-5 FantanNanchang Q-5 · 297A MiG-19 stretched into a bomb truck — China’s first original combat jet.Ground attack · China · Jet1,240 km/hTop speed1970–2017In serviceNo combatCombatChengdu J-7Chengdu J-7 / F-7 · 298China’s MiG-21, built until 2013 and exported across three continents.Lightweight interceptor · China · JetMach 2.0Top speed1967–nowIn service1 : 0CombatMirage F1Dassault Mirage F1 · 299Dassault’s swept-wing workhorse of African and Gulf wars.Interceptor / multirole · France · JetMach 2.2Top speed1973–2014In service39 : 35Combat
Su-17 FitterSukhoi Su-17 / Su-22 · 300The Soviet swing-wing that just won’t retire — still flying combat over Syria.Strike fighter · USSR · Jet1,860 km/hTop speed1970–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatHarrierHawker Siddeley / BAe Harrier · 301The original jump jet — no runway required.V/STOL attack · United Kingdom · Jet1,180 km/hTop speed1969–2010In serviceSaw combatCombatMiG-23 FloggerMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 · 302The Soviet swing-wing: over 5,000 built, fought on every Middle East front.Swing-wing fighter · USSR · JetMach 2.35Top speed1970–1990sIn service12 : 35Combat
NimrodHawker Siddeley Nimrod · 303The Comet airliner reborn as a submarine hunter — the only jet MPA of its era.Maritime patrol · United Kingdom · Jet923 km/hTop speed1969–2011In serviceSaw combatCombatViggenSaab 37 Viggen · 304Canard, thrust reverser, highway basing — Sweden’s Cold War fortress in jet form.Attack / interceptor · Sweden · JetMach 2.1Top speed1971–2005In service—CombatJaguarSEPECAT Jaguar · 305The Anglo-French strike jet that hugged the desert floor in 1991.Strike / attack · UK / France · JetMach 1.6Top speed1974–in serviceIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Shenyang J-8Shenyang J-8 · 307The Finback — two MiG-21s’ worth of engine in one very long fuselage.Interceptor · China · Jet2,300 km/hTop speed1980–presentIn serviceNo combatCombat
Tu-22M BackfireTupolev Tu-22M · 308The swing-wing that terrified NATO carrier groups for twenty years.Supersonic bomber · USSR · Jet2,300 km/hTop speed1972–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombat
MiG-27 Flogger-DMikoyan MiG-27 · 310A Flogger with its nose to the ground — the ‘Ducknose’ that India flew until 2019.Ground attack · USSR · Jet1,885 km/hTop speed1975–2019In serviceSaw combatCombat
Su-24 FencerSukhoi Su-24 · 311The Soviet F-111 — two crew side by side, low and fast into any weather.Strike aircraft · USSR · Jet1,654 km/hTop speed1974–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Yak-38 ForgerYakovlev Yak-38 · 312The Soviet Harrier that hated heat — its ejection seat fired itself when the lift engines quit.VTOL carrier fighter · USSR · Jet1,280 km/hTop speed1976–1991In serviceSaw combatCombatA-10 Thunderbolt IIFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II · 313A titanium bathtub built around a 30 mm cannon. The infantry’s favourite sound.Close air support · United States · Jet706 km/hTop speed1977–nowIn service2 : 0CombatF-15 EagleMcDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15 · 314Over a hundred aerial victories and no confirmed air-to-air loss — the most one-sided record of the missile age.Air superiority · United States · JetMach 2.5Top speed1976–nowIn service104 : 0Combat
Alpha JetDassault/Dornier Alpha Jet · 315The Franco-German trainer that also flies with the Patrouille de France.Jet trainer / light attack · France / Germany · Jet1,000 km/hTop speed1979–in serviceIn service—CombatIAI KfirIsrael Aerospace Industries Kfir · 316Israel’s unlicensed Mirage with an American engine — an embargo turned into a fighter.Multirole · Israel · JetMach 2.3Top speed1975–nowIn service2 : 0Combat
J-22 OraoSoko J-22 Orao / IAR-93 · 318The joint striker that outlived both the countries that built it.Ground attack · Yugoslavia / Romania · Jet1,130 km/hTop speed1978–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatSuper ÉtendardDassault-Breguet Super Étendard · 319The carrier jet that fired the Exocets of the Falklands War.Carrier strike · France · Jet1,180 km/hTop speed1978–2016In serviceSaw combatCombatTornado IDSPanavia Tornado Interdictor/Strike · 320Europe’s terrain-hugging strike jet, flown on Desert Storm’s most dangerous missions.Interdictor / strike · Multinational · JetMach 2.2Top speed1979–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Su-25 FrogfootSukhoi Su-25 · 322Russia’s flying tank — titanium bathtub, both wings optional, somehow still coming home.Ground attack · USSR · Jet975 km/hTop speed1981–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatMB-339Aermacchi MB-339 · 323The Frecce Tricolori’s mount — and Argentina’s light attacker in the Falklands.Jet trainer / light attack · Italy · Jet900 km/hTop speed1979–in serviceIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Mitsubishi F-1Mitsubishi F-1 · 325Japan’s first post-war combat jet — a trainer turned anti-ship samurai.Strike fighter · Japan · Jet1,700 km/hTop speed1978–2006In serviceNo combatCombatSu-27 FlankerSukhoi Su-27 · 326The Flanker: cobra manoeuvres and the foundation of every Russian fighter since.Air superiority · USSR / Russia · JetMach 2.35Top speed1985–nowIn service3 : 1CombatF/A-18 HornetMcDonnell Douglas / Boeing F/A-18 · 327The carrier multirole that replaced four aircraft at once.Carrier multirole · United States · JetMach 1.8Top speed1983–nowIn service2 : 1CombatMirage 2000Dassault Mirage 2000 · 328The delta reborn with fly-by-wire — France’s backbone for four decades.Multirole · France · JetMach 2.2Top speed1984–nowIn service1 : 0Combat
Sea HarrierBritish Aerospace Sea Harrier · 329The jump jet that won the Falklands air war without losing a single dogfight.V/STOL carrier fighter · United Kingdom · Jet1,185 km/hTop speed1980–2016In service20 : 0CombatTornado ADVPanavia Tornado ADV (F.3) · 330The long-legged interceptor built to hunt bombers over the North Sea.Long-range interceptor · Multinational · JetMach 2.2Top speed1986–2011In serviceUntestedCombat
AV-8B Harrier IIMcDonnell Douglas / BAe AV-8B Harrier II · 331The jump jet, all grown up — from Gulf War decks to every Marine expedition since.VTOL strike fighter · USA / UK · Jet1,083 km/hTop speed1985–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatF-117 NighthawkLockheed F-117 Nighthawk · 332Faceted, black, and officially nonexistent for a decade.Stealth attack · United States · Jetמאך 0.92Top speed1983–2008In serviceSaw combatCombat
Tu-160 BlackjackTupolev Tu-160 · 334The ‘White Swan’ — the heaviest, fastest bomber ever built, and still in production.Strategic bomber · Russia · Jet2,220 km/hTop speed1987–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombat
AMX GhibliAMX International AMX · 335The Italo-Brazilian pocket bomber — Ghibli over Kosovo and Afghanistan.Light strike · Italy / Brazil · Jet1,047 km/hTop speed1989–2024In serviceSaw combatCombatB-1B LancerRockwell B-1B Lancer · 336The ‘Bone’: swing wings, supersonic dash and the heaviest bomb load in the US Air Force.Supersonic strategic bomber · United States · JetMach 1.25Top speed1986–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombatF-15E Strike EagleMcDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15E · 337The Eagle with a second seat and a bomb load heavier than a WWII bomber’s.Strike / multirole · United States · JetMach 2.5Top speed1988–nowIn service1 : 0CombatSu-33Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D · 339The navalised Flanker flying from the Kuznetsov’s ski-jump.Carrier air superiority · Russia · JetMach 2.17Top speed1994–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
JH-7 Flying LeopardXian JH-7 · 340China’s homemade ship-killer — on station a decade before the Flankers arrived.Maritime strike · China · Jet1,808 km/hTop speed1992–presentIn serviceNo combatCombatB-2 SpiritNorthrop Grumman B-2 Spirit · 342A flying wing that shows up on radar the size of a bird — at roughly two billion dollars apiece.Stealth bomber · United States · JetMach 0.95Top speed1997–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
F-CK-1 Ching-KuoAIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo · 343Taiwan’s answer to an arms embargo — designed at home, named for a president.Multirole fighter · Taiwan · Jet1,275 km/hTop speed1994–presentIn serviceNo combatCombatSu-30Sukhoi Su-30 · 344The two-seat super-manoeuvrable Flanker India built an air force around.Supermaneuverable multirole · Russia · JetMach 2.0Top speed1996–nowIn service1 : 0CombatSu-34 FullbackSukhoi Su-34 · 345The Fullback: a strike bomber with side-by-side seats and a galley.Tactical strike · Russia · JetMach 1.8Top speed2014–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Mitsubishi F-2Mitsubishi F-2 · 347An F-16 stretched and rebuilt in composites — the world’s first fighter with AESA radar.Multirole fighter · Japan · Jet2,124 km/hTop speed2000–presentIn serviceNo combatCombatSuper HornetBoeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet · 348The bigger, stealthier Hornet that rules today’s carrier decks.Carrier multirole · United States · JetMach 1.6Top speed1999–nowIn service1 : 0CombatChengdu J-10Chengdu J-10 Firebird · 350China’s first fully home-grown modern fighter.Multirole · China · Jet~Mach 2.0Top speed2005–nowIn service1 : 0CombatJ-11Shenyang J-11 · 351The Flanker, made in Shenyang — licence-built first, indigenous later.Air superiority · China · JetMach 2.35Top speed1998–nowIn serviceUntestedCombat
TejasHAL Tejas · 352Twenty years in the making — India’s tiny delta finally guards its own skies.Multirole fighter · India · Jet1,975 km/hTop speed2015–presentIn serviceNo combatCombat
FA-50 Golden EagleKAI T-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle · 353Korea’s supersonic export hit — it flew its first real strikes over Marawi.Light combat aircraft · South Korea · Jet1,837 km/hTop speed2005–presentIn serviceSaw combatCombatJF-17 ThunderCAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder · 354Pakistan and China’s affordable multirole, built in Kamra.Lightweight multirole · Pakistan / China · JetMach 1.6Top speed2007–nowIn serviceUntestedCombatF-35 Lightning IILockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II · 355Three services, a global coalition of air forces, one trillion-dollar programme.Stealth multirole · United States · JetMach 1.6Top speed2015–nowIn service1 : 0CombatSu-35Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E · 356The ultimate non-stealth Flanker: thrust vectoring and the Irbis-E radar.Air superiority · Russia · JetMach 2.25Top speed2014–nowIn service7 : 0CombatSu-57 FelonSukhoi Su-57 (PAK FA) · 357Russia’s first stealth fighter — built in small numbers, combat-tested over Ukraine.Stealth multirole · Russia · JetMach 2.0Top speed2020–nowIn serviceSaw combatCombat
Chengdu J-20Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon · 358China’s Mighty Dragon: the first non-US stealth fighter in service.Stealth air superiority · China · Jet~Mach 2.0Top speed2017–nowIn serviceUntestedCombatCombat recordsKill ratios, aerial victories and losses for every combat-proven type in this collection are documented in the fighter jet combat statistics database. Data as of July 2026.
New chapters open regularly — each aircraft gets the full treatment: history, engineering, eyewitness stories, specifications and combat record.
The part of the collection you can touch
You can’t fly most of these.
Eight of them, you can.
Some legends only live in museums — others are fuelled and waiting. MiGFlug has put civilians in real military jet cockpits since 2004.
Fly the L-39 AlbatrosThe world’s most-flown jet trainer — aerobatics included
Fly the F-104 Starfighter“The missile with a man in it”
Fly the MiG-21The Cold War’s most-produced jet
טסו על ה-T-33 Shooting StarAmerica’s first jet trainer
Fly the DH VampireA piece of early jet history
Fly the S.211Agile Italian jet trainer
Fly the MB-326The classic Aermacchi jet
Fly the MiG-15The Soviet legend of the Korean War