The 5 Fastest Fighter Jet Planes in the World

by Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News

What are the fastest military planes in the world, those warbirds for whom breaking the sound barrier is just the starting point? 

    You’ll find fighters jocks are flying the fastest ones, which a couple of exceptions. Let’s look at five American fighters, two from Russia, one from China – and a couple of other jets that no one could possibly get close to.  

    Tops on the list is the F-15 Eagle, developed by McDonnell Douglas, which is now part of Boeing. The first F-15 flew in 1972, and since then, there have been a number of fighter and “Strike Eagle” versions. The latest fighter variant has a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 (1,650 miles per hour.) By some accounts, it’s the most successful modern fighter – the F-15 has more than 100 kills in aerial combat while suffering no losses.  

   The F-22 Raptor checks in right behind the F-15. The stealth fighter can hit Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph), and was a joint project between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Its powerful twin jets give it “supercruise” {supersonic capability) at a speed of Mach 1.5. Originally, the Air Force wanted to buy 750 Raptors to replace the F-15. But political opposition, largely due to the program’s high cost, resulted in only 195 being built. 

   Three other US fighters can hit Mach 2.0 or slightly below. 

    More than 4,600 F-16 Fighting Falcons have been built and are in service all over the world. The plane was built by General Dynamics from 1974 to 1993, and is now manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It has a maximum speed of Mach 2.0 (1,480 mph), and was the first fighter built to withstand 9-G maneuvers. 

   The F/A-18 Hornet was designed to be both a fighter and an attack plane, and can reach Mach 1.8 (1,190 mph).  And the F-35 Lightning can hit Mach 1.6 (1,200 mph). There are three primary variants of the plane – the F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing), the F-35B (short takeoff and vertical-landing) and the F-35C, which flies from aircraft carriers.