Fighters are a type of aircraft that are used for military purposes primarily to destroy enemies. In this way, it is possible to gain air superiority, protect ground targets and accompany other vehicles, such as bombers. Among the many types of such aircraft, the best military fighters in the world were eventually identified.
Despite its name, the vehicle is considered a defensive weapon. Fighters themselves are not used for offensive purposes. The exception is local conflicts when aircraft hit ground targets (much less often surface targets). There is an opinion that fighters will soon be replaced by UAVs, which are currently being actively developed, but for now the aircraft retain their value.
Tenth place. Dassault "Mirage" 2000
During World War II, French aviation was almost completely defeated by the German army. Since then, the country has managed to come to its senses, and thirty years ago the French Mirage fighter appeared, which instantly became the main one of its type. The aircraft performed well in operations carried out in North Africa.
Successful application led to rapid orders from India. In this country, “Mirage” also showed its best side. With its help, they destroyed enemy headquarters and aircraft, and also carried out attacks using guided missiles. As a result, the resistance was broken in just a few days.
The Mirage was discontinued in 2006, but there is still evidence that this fact did not prevent its participation in the Libyan War. According to the information, the fighter caused serious damage to the equipment of Gaddafi's army.
North American X-15
North American X-15
The highest speed (8225.28 km/h) was achieved by rocket plane , designed by North American engineers. This result was achieved thanks to the use of the XLR-99 rocket engine, which ran on alcohol and liquid nitrogen. The pilots who took part in the aircraft development and mastering program flew it to an altitude of 80-100 km.
At speeds of up to Mach 6.72, the X-15 performed suborbital controlled flight. The goal of the program was 1959-1968. was the study of changes in a person’s physical condition. It can be argued that the introduction of the X-15 had more scientific than military significance.
Ninth place. F-16 Fighting Falcon
More recently, this fighter was among the most widely used throughout the world. This was achieved due to good quality, which was combined with a moderate cost. At that time, the Falcon became the main export product of the US Air Force. Today, more than 4,700 units of this fighter are used in the world.
Falcon is actively used in various conflicts. Most often it is remembered through the example of the NATO operation, which was carried out against the troops of Yugoslavia. It was also used in the Iraq War. In total, you can count about a hundred conflicts involving such an American fighter.
If we consider the Israeli army, then the aircraft still remains the most effective of its kind. At the same time, by the end of 2017, production of an improved, modernized version of this series will begin.
"Supermarine Spitfire"
The king of turns and the undoubted symbol of British aviation. Despite the fact that there were twice as many Hurricanes as Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, it is the Spit that is considered the aircraft that saved the country from the Nazis in 1940. The unique feature of this machine was that, thanks to its intelligent design, it had enormous potential for modernization. The Spitfire, with a variety of engines, weapons and equipment, remained on the assembly line for ten years - from 1938 to 1948, outlasting almost all of its peers in production - which explains the total production volume of 22,000 units.
"Spitfire"
Eighth place. MiG 35
The phrase “Russian production” can evoke a variety of thoughts, but only if we are not talking about military equipment. The country has established itself here since the times of the Soviet Union. As for the MiG 35 fighter, it managed to get into the ratings of the best even before the prototypes reached combat operations.
The aircraft should begin to be used only in 2022, while significant improvements achieved by domestic engineers are already visible in it.
For example:
- The fighter uses fuel much more economically,
- Has the ability to automatically control during aiming,
- The volume of air produced by the oxygen station has been increased,
- The production of the aircraft costs three times less than its foreign counterparts.
In general, the MiG 35 has much more comfortable working conditions for the pilot. However, since the model has not yet been put into operation, various flaws in the equipment remain. Perhaps this is due to the desire of the Ministry of Defense to present the fighter early for participation in tenders.
Lockheed YF-12
Lockheed YF-12
The pilots of the YF-12 prototype, designed in 1963 by Lockheed engineers, were given the only task by the US Department of Defense - to reach a record speed. During test flights, the aircraft showed a result of Mach 3.35, or 4100.4 km/h, at an altitude of 27.6 km. The secret testing site "Area 51" (now Edwards Air Force Base) was used for testing.
For the Air Force, these studies had the only practical significance: not a single missile could shoot down a reconnaissance aircraft at such a speed and altitude. In addition to the military department, the NASA space agency was the customer for test flights on the YF-12. The research program, during which three prototypes were built, was closed in 1979.
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Seventh place. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
For almost forty years, this particular aircraft was considered America's most successful project. Moreover, it is guaranteed to be used by the armed forces until at least 2025, which means that it will remain effective well into its fifties.
The F-15 Eagle performs extremely well in combat. It is believed that he was defeated only once, which did not prevent him from hitting about a hundred other aircraft along the way. The fighter was used for combat in Syria, where pilot Peled managed to crash six enemy aircraft and seriously damage four more.
This model is actively used by the armed forces of many countries around the world. There are about six hundred Eagles in total, which is an excellent figure for an aircraft of this age. On average, it is believed that any problems appear in it once every fifty thousand hours of flight.
Sixth place. Dassault "Rafal"
For French aviation, this particular aircraft is considered the real crown of thought of aircraft designers. It is unknown what heights could be achieved with the help of this fighter if the cost of its production were not so high. It requires precision engineering objects in huge quantities.
The Rafale first came into use fifteen years ago, during the war in Afghanistan. He then demonstrated his abilities beautifully against the Libyan army. However, in more modern conflicts, the fighter has only been used a few times to strike the Islamic State inside Iraq.
Now the Rafale is used primarily for training exercises. This may be partly due to the numerous incidents in which vehicles have crashed or exploded in the air. It is worth noting that the cause of such incidents was considered to be human factor.
"Junkers" Yu-88
Yu-88 is one of the most successful German aircraft of World War II. It served many roles and had a huge number of modifications. Bomber, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and even night fighter - all this is about the hard worker Yu-88. And even though there were certain complaints about the aircraft in each of these roles (for example, difficulty with control in a dive or insufficient speed as a night fighter), as a platform for solving a wide variety of problems, it was simply irreplaceable. This explains its “circulation” of 15,000 copies.
Yu-88
Fifth place. Sukhoi Su-30
Another representative of domestic aviation. This fighter model is one of the most reliable. It demonstrates itself perfectly during exercises, but is also widely used in other areas. For example, with its help, training battles were carried out with England and America, where the Su-30 showed complete superiority.
This fighter forms the backbone of the Indian Air Force. He played a huge role in the operation in Syria, and it was largely thanks to him that it ended successfully. Sukhoi was no less important during the liberation of Palmyra.
However, not everything is so rosy. Incidents have occurred with this aircraft. During its existence there were nine of them, which is a fairly low figure. However, the incidents were related to a lack of fuel and an engine fire rather than human error.
Lockheed SR-71A
Lockheed SR-71A
On July 28, 1976, two US Air Force pilots, Major J.T. Morgan and Captain E.W. George, lifted the unique SR-71A Blackbird aircraft from the Beale Air Force Base in California. On a closed 25-kilometer route, the high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft "Blackbird" set an official speed record for serial military aircraft with ramjet engines - 3529.56 km/h.
The body of the car was made of titanium alloy. However, this did not save us from record heating at high speeds. The operational base was therefore limited to only 32 aircraft built . And the cost of the plane, which was put into operation in 1964, was fantastically expensive. The decision to decommission was made after the entry into service of the Soviet high-altitude interceptor MiG-31.
Fourth place. Eurofighter Typhoon
This fighter can be considered unique in many ways. First of all, this is due to the fact that it was produced jointly by several countries. These are members of the European Union, namely Spain, Italy, Germany and England. The aircraft quickly proved its effectiveness in real-life operations, for example in Iraq and Syria.
One of the main advantages of the Typhoon is its ability to interfere with enemy radars, making it possible to change the flight of guided missiles. The aircraft has one of the best performance in terms of firing range.
The Typhoon is widely used by the armed forces of not only European countries, but also the countries of the Middle East. About five hundred of these aircraft have now been put into operation. Many of them are distinguished by their own modification and were produced using unique technologies.
Tu-160
Tu-160
Among modern bombers, the championship not only in speed, but also in combat capabilities belongs to the strategic missile carrier Tu-160. Its operation by the USSR Air Force began in 1987. The most important characteristics of the aircraft were:
- flight range – 13950 km;
- thrust of NK-32 engines in afterburner - 4x25000 kgf;
- combat load - 45 tons.
- The maximum flight speed is 2300 km/h.
The updated Black Jack (NATO classification), aka: “White Swan”, Tu-160M, received a digital avionics complex and new electronic equipment. The first test flight of the new machine took place in January 2022. The combat load kit is supplemented with half-ton OFAB-500U high-precision aerial bombs. The emphasis is on a fundamentally new technical base inside an exceptionally successful airframe. The next modification, Tu-160M2, should be equipped with a strapdown inertial navigation system. Other important components of the aircraft will also be equipped with digital control: fuel consumption control; weapons control; EW.
With the power of thought, man constantly pushes the boundaries of knowledge further and further. No one knows at what speed it will stop. Military aircraft today rarely fly at speeds exceeding 2,500 km/h. Therefore, the above list will be replenished extremely rarely.
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Third place. Sukhoi Su-35
For a long time, this fighter was something of a dark horse, since its production technology was kept in strong secrecy. This led to many potential buyers being hesitant to invest in such a seemingly risky project.
Everything changed when the Su-35 demonstrated itself in action. The fighters worked alongside the main attacking Russian Aerospace Forces forces, causing many to take notice. In the future, it is this aircraft that will form the backbone of the Russian military base in Syria.
In essence, it is a modernization of the Su-27 model. This can be judged by the identical airframe. However, this only proves that Russian aviation technology is durable and follows traditions.
Russian Air Force -3, Israeli Air Force - 4th in the world
Leading aviation experts have compiled a list of the five strongest air forces in the world, which was published by the National Interest. These are the USA, China, Russia, Israel and Great Britain.
According to analysts, the aviation of these countries will, until 2030, as it does today, dominate in various conflict scenarios - from isolated actions against terrorists (the number of which will grow) to a full-scale war in a particular geographic space.
These countries have a large amount of equipment of high or relatively high quality, modern methods of rapid response, air reconnaissance and global control means.
The king of the air, who has already taken his throne, is the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, made using Stealth technology. This is a set of methods for reducing the visibility of combat vehicles in radar, infrared and other areas of the detection spectrum through specially designed geometric shapes and the use of radar-absorbing materials and coatings.
The F-35 manufacturing consortium, led by Lockheed Martin, includes world leaders in technology, avionics and aircraft engines. These are the American companies Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Allison and the British British Aerospace (BAE Systems).
The F-35 ensures the independence of tactical operations from enemy ground assets - not a single radar in the world sees these fighters. The level of automation of the aircraft is such that the pilot practically does not monitor the instruments and flight characteristics of the aircraft, but is focused on completing the task. Thus, flight reliability increases sharply and its dependence on the so-called human factor is significantly reduced.
The Israeli company Elbit Systems also participated in the development of the F-35; Lockheed Martin opened a technology center in Israel to cooperate with it. Israeli researchers and engineers created the F-35's original wing, composite materials, avionics components and a high-tech pilot's helmet, many of which are classified. The adoption of the Israeli version of the helmet is all the more gratifying because Elbit won this championship against one of the world leaders - the British concern BAE Systems.
It is in this regard, according to analysts, that the cost of fighters for Israel has dropped to $90 million, while for other countries it costs, on average, 30% more.
At the end of June 2011, the Israeli Air Force sent its specialists to the United States, where they headed a team developing the Israeli version of the fighter, the F-35I. Together with engineers from the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, they integrated Israeli technologies into the new aircraft.
By agreement with the Israelis, the Americans hid the “Israeli elements” of the F-35 for a long time - until Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, purchasing these fighters worth tens of billions of dollars, demanded that they be equipped not with “native” ones, but with Israeli avionics adapted for conducting combat operations in the Middle East.
The US Air Force has a full range of the highest indicators of air power: these are aircraft of all types without exception, and their own element base, which allows them to produce everything necessary for wars in the air, global reconnaissance, and conducting network-centric wars with the participation of the Air Force.
The United States differs from the rest in that it produces its own aircraft, practically without the help of foreign companies. The only exceptions are 2 countries - Great Britain and Israel, which supply their developments for American fighters - avionics, weapons, helmets, accessories.
All other countries are significantly inferior to the United States in all respects, especially in terms of high technology and quality of equipment.
The US has been criticized for the high cost of fighter jets. But critics are disingenuous: it is not the cost that determines the purchase of a weapon - it is chosen according to the “efficiency/price” criterion, according to which the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II are significantly ahead of their competitors, which are also not cheap, but much less effective. However, they do not yet exist in nature.
The use of modern fighters, due to their efficiency, saves money on waging wars, as it reduces the duration of a military conflict.
By 2030, the US Air Force will have 187 F-22 generation V multirole fighters, 178 generation IV++ F-15C all-weather fighters with radar systems and infrared sensors.
But the main force of the US Air Force will be 1,800 fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers - “invisible” fighters that enemy radars cannot see.
The service will also include Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft and 100 B-21 stealth bombers.
It is also important that the United States (together with Israel) is significantly ahead of its competitors in the field of creating unmanned aerial vehicles.
Well, and of course, experts take into account the fact that the United States already (judging by many events) has a prototype of a VI and even VII generation fighter - both piloted and unmanned.
The Chinese Air Force , according to experts, is progressing - the number of aircraft in the air fleet is decreasing, but the quality is increasing.
However, by 2030, China's air force will consist primarily of generation IV and IV+ fighters, significantly lagging behind the United States. We are talking about Su-30 and J series aircraft with numbers 10, 11 and 15.
China's plans include the creation of a fifth generation fighter, announced as the J-20 and J-31. However, the level of technology development in China does not yet allow the creation of a modern fighter.
China also has the Y-20, a heavy military transport aircraft that is very mediocre in terms of modern technology, as well as a group of refueling aircraft.
China is expanding and diversifying its fleet of support aircraft - developing its own early warning and reconnaissance aircraft, air tankers and unmanned aerial vehicles, the most interesting of which is the Divine Eagle. But all of them are still deprived of the main thing - a technological perspective for combat use.
The Russian Air Force , which after World War II was the strongest in the world for a long time, and then lost primacy to the Americans and Europeans, is today experiencing a “rebirth.” It is defined as quantitative - the army regularly receives new fighters. But in terms of quality, it should be noted that they were developed back in the late 90s, although they are being modernized.
Experts from the National Interest publication believe that if events develop according to the optimal scenario for Russia, then by 2030 the country’s air force could become second only to the United States in terms of firepower.
Experts named the best conditions for the Russian economy as rising oil prices, recovery from recession, lifting of sanctions and increased exports of goods.
But even in the worst-case scenario, experts are confident that the Russian Air Force will be among the top ten.
Two major developments have been announced in Russia - the T-50 fifth generation fighter and a new generation strategic missile-carrying bomber.
Possessing the best aerodynamics among fighters in the world, the T-50 so far only meets the requirements of the fourth generation - due to the lag in technology and elemental base. Aerodynamics are important for an aircraft, but today there are no more dogfights between fighters, where aerodynamic characteristics played a vital role. Today, the decisive role, as mentioned above, is played by the effectiveness of the use of fighter aircraft, and this depends on its “intelligence,” determined by the level of technology development.
There is no need to talk about a new generation Russian missile carrier, which will be stealthy and capable of carrying nuclear warheads - it doesn’t exist yet. However, there is also no doubt that it will be created. It will have to replace the supersonic strategic missile-carrying bomber Tu-160 Blackjack and the missile-carrying bomber Tu-22M (BACKFIRE - according to NATO classification).
But a characteristic detail is that the word “bomber” in the aviation of the advanced countries of the world today is used only in combination with the words “smart bombs”, and their production also requires technology. The footage where the Tu-160 in Syria opens the compartment and drops a rain of bombs flying under its own weight on the al-Nusra Front terrorists is historical, you will not see them in the future - bombs in the old sense are becoming a thing of the past as inaccurate weapons.
Regarding the Russian Air Force, experts note the negative impact on its development of a modest defense budget, aggravated by sanctions, bureaucracy and corruption.
the Israeli Air Force in 4th place, believing that it is the most combat-ready aircraft in the Middle East, which in a few years will be the most powerful in the region. Expert opinion is that by 2030, Israel will move up in the air force “table of ranks.”
But if Israel today lags behind the United States both in the number of aircraft and in their quality, then it lags behind China and Russia only in quantity, outpacing their aircraft fleet in terms of technology - avionics and weapons. However, it should be noted that Russia produces its own aircraft, and Israel flies mainly on American technology, which, however, as already mentioned, contains many Israeli patents and developments.
Today, the Israeli Air Force consists of 58 F-15A and F-15C fighters, 25 F-15I fighters and 312 F-16 multirole fighters.
For the future technological leadership in the air force predicted by experts, Israel will need to rearm its air force, since by then most of the fighters will be more than 40 years old. And this process has already begun: the F-15s are being replaced by the F-35s.
In October 2010, Israel signed an agreement to purchase 50 F-35 fighter jets at an average price of $90 million, and received permission to install a number of additional systems from its own avionics and weapons developments. Those that the Arabs later asked to install on their planes.
A new qualitative stage in Israeli fighter aviation began on December 12, 2016: on this day, the first 2 fighters landed at the Nevatim military airbase. By this time, a group of Israeli pilots and technicians had been trained at the Pentagon base in the United States.
...On the night of January 13, 2022, several powerful explosions occurred at the Mezze military airfield, an important strategic air base for the Syrian government forces, 5 km from the presidential palace in Damascus. As a result of the missile strike, a strong fire broke out, which could not be extinguished for a long time, and high-ranking officers of the Syrian army and Hezbollah were killed. And this did not happen by chance.
In recent years, Israel has been closely monitoring the supply of Iranian missiles to Hezbollah. Lebanon prohibits doing this through its territory, and therefore the Shiites use Mezze airport for these purposes - and the action of the new Israeli F-35s, and this, according to military experts, was exactly what they were, turned surface-to-surface missiles, as well as anti-aircraft and Hezbollah anti-ship missiles into a pile of iron.
Noteworthy is the fact that the actions of the “invisible” missiles were not detected by the Syrian missile defense radars.
The UK's Royal Air Force is ranked 5th and will remain there by 2030.
By this time, 160 powerful Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters equipped with laser-guided Paveway series guided bombs manufactured by the American corporation Rockwell Automation will fly under the British flag.
The RAF's current Panavia Tornado combat jets will be replaced by 138 F-35Bs by 2030.
2030 is the era of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), equipped with artificial intelligence, “smart” weapons, including laser ones. They are the future of the world's air forces.
Today, the rating of this class is led by the USA and Israel by a large margin from their pursuers. The leader in the export of military UAVs is Israel. The main importers are European countries, India, Arab countries, Australia, Japan, Russia.
The rival of the UAVs, which they are designed to displace, is the F-35, the operation of which throughout the coming years should tune the intelligence of the best UAVs in 2030.
Second place. F-22 Raptor
This fighter is a very interesting case. In fact, it can rightfully be considered the best, as it has various advantages. Raptor is economical, efficient and multifunctional. It is the backbone of the American Air Force in Syria, where it seriously interferes not only with radical Islamists, but also with representatives of the IS military forces.
The superiority of the Raptor is demonstrated by a story in which the pilot not only quickly and efficiently completed the task, but also managed to remain in the air for about six hours without attracting the attention of the enemy. This allowed him to transmit the coordinates of several important positions.
In recent years, the fighter has completed more than 200 combat missions and has generally demonstrated good reliability indicators. However, the cost of its production is very high, and the presence of the latest developments on board led to an export ban. Moreover, there were so many problems with this fighter that it was eventually discontinued.
Bell X-2
Bell X-2
The first aircraft to reach Mach 3.0 (3370 km/h) in flight was the experimental Bell Aircraft X-2 . The main task of the X-2 developers was to study the aerodynamics of the airframe at high altitudes and speeds. Strictly speaking, it’s a stretch to consider the X-2 a military aircraft – only because it was not tested by civilian pilots. The maximum flight speed of the X-2 Science Laboratory is 3911.9 km/h.
First place. Sukhoi T-50
The first place is occupied by the Russian fifth-generation fighter. It is distinguished by the ability to engage in combat with several opponents at once, some of them may be in the airspace, while others may be on the ground. This was achieved due to increased maneuverability and a number of advanced technologies.
The aircraft is highly valued not only by domestic specialists, but also by Western experts, who specifically noted Russia’s progress in the area of visibility reduction technologies. However, the T-50 has not yet been put into full operation. At the moment, tests are being carried out, and behind closed doors. Even the final version of the prototype has not yet been made public.
