Greatest fighter jet
Seventeen landmark jet fighters from the Korean War to the stealth era. Which is the greatest?
Tier list by PairTier · 17 items
- North American F-86 Sabre — Swept-wing American fighter that battled the MiG-15 over Korea.
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 — Soviet swept-wing fighter that shocked the West over Korea in 1950 and was built in huge numbers.
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 — Soviet delta-wing fighter and the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in history.
- Dassault Mirage III — French delta-wing fighter, widely exported and famed for its Israeli service in 1967.
- Saab 35 Draken — Swedish fighter with a distinctive double-delta wing, first flown in 1955.
- Saab 37 Viggen — Swedish canard-wing fighter built for short take-offs from roads and dispersed bases.
- McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II — Big twin-engined American fighter flown by the US Air Force, Navy and Marines, and many allies.
- Grumman F-14 Tomcat — US Navy swing-wing carrier fighter armed with the long-range Phoenix missile; star of Top Gun.
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle — American air-superiority fighter credited with over 100 air-to-air victories without a loss in aerial combat.
- General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon — Agile, lightweight multirole fighter flown by more than 25 air forces.
- Sukhoi Su-27 — Soviet long-range air-superiority fighter famous for its manoeuvrability, including the 'Cobra'.
- Mikoyan MiG-29 — Soviet twin-engined fighter designed to counter the F-15 and F-16; widely exported.
- Saab JAS 39 Gripen — Light Swedish multirole fighter able to operate from road bases; exported to several countries.
- Eurofighter Typhoon — Canard-delta fighter developed by the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.
- Dassault Rafale — French twin-engined 'omnirole' fighter, including a carrier-based version.
- Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor — American stealth air-superiority fighter, the first fifth-generation fighter in service (2005).
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II — Stealth multirole fighter built in three variants, including one for short take-off and vertical landing.