Within military aviation, fighter planes are definitely the most famous and attention-grabbing models, whether for their design, performance, media appearance or even their own application in combat.
There are numerous models, with various functions and different capacities, some larger, others cheaper, in short, several variables. But have you ever stopped to understand which are the fighters most used by air forces around the planet?
The portal Flightglobal listed in its compilation World Air Forces the ten most operated fighter models in the world. Let's meet them!
10th – Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and Tiger II
The F-5 is the most successful product of the American manufacturer Northrop (today Northrop Grumman). Its development began in the 50s with the N156 project. His first success, however, was in the form of a training aircraft, the T-38 Talon, still in service as well.
Later the plane started to be marketed to US allies. The two versions of the light fighter, F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II were sold to 34 countries and around 2246 units of both versions were produced.
As a light fighter, the F-5 has several limitations such as autonomy and load capacity, but its low operating cost, simple maintenance and modernization programs are factors that place the Tigre in 9th place on the list, with approximately 412 aircraft in service.
With seven gunpoints and two 20mm cannons, the F-5E Tiger II can carry 3.2 tons of bombs, rockets and various missiles. The F-5 is in service in several countries such as the United States, Switzerland, Turkey, Iran, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, Spain, Botswana and others.
Here in Brazil he is already an old acquaintance. The Brazilian Air Force modernized 47 aircraft with Fourth Generation systems, but has already acquired 36 F-39E/F Gripen fighters to replace the old fighter. The F-5EM/FM, as they are designated by the FAB, are operated by units in Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro and Goiás.
9th – Chengdu J-7
With 445 units in service in the Air Force and Navy of China, the 8th place is a Chinese copy of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed. The Chengdu J-7 (designated F-7 in export versions) was born in the 1960s and has been updated ever since.
The small Chinese fighter is capable of reaching twice the speed of sound, being able to carry two tons of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, in addition to carrying a 23mm or 30mm cannon according to the variant.
The model was almost exported to Brazil in the 1980s, which ended up not happening after the US sold 26 used F-5E/F to the Brazilian Air Force.
8th – Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
The model that occupies the 8th position in the ranking is also the most advanced on the list. The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation stealth fighter, already acquired by 15 different countries, despite the controversy surrounding the aircraft due to its price and number of problems. Two recent serious accidents also tarnish the plane's reputation, despite being seen as human error.
Even so, 445 F-35 fighters are in service in America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. And that number is expected to grow even more, as more and more nations become interested in the US stealth fighter.
7th – Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot
The Su-25 Frogfoot is a ground-attack jet, dedicated to close air and attack operations of smaller installations, like its American counterpart, the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Operating in 20 countries, Frogfoot ranks seventh with about 474 aircraft in service in Russia, Iraq, Belarus, Angola, Peru, Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries. Including, the Su-25 was extensively used in the recent conflict between these last two nations.
Recognized for its robustness and great resistance to enemy fire, the Su-25 can carry more than 4 tons of a wide range of weapons such as anti-radar missiles, guided bombs and heavy S-25 rockets, in addition to carrying a GSh-30 cannon. -2 caliber 30mm double barrel.
The Su-25UTG variant is also used in Russian Naval Aviation pilot training.
6th – Eurofighter Typhoon
Developed by , the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, the Eurofighter Typhoon is the newest aircraft on the list. A 4.5 Generation fighter, the EF-2000, as it is also called, is one of the most modern aircraft in the world, with an advanced electronic warfare suite, competing directly with other fighters such as the JAS-39E/F Gripen, Dassault Rafale and Sukhoi Su-35.
At least 512 copies they serve the air forces of , United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Austria in addition to having firm orders from Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
Capable of flying at Mach 2.0 and at Mach 1.5 in a supercruise regime – where the plane flies supersonic without using the afterburner – the Typhoon can use the most modern bombs and missiles available on the market, such as the IRIS-T, Meteor, Storm Shadow and Paveway IV, with a capacity to carry 9 tons of payload.
5th – Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29/35 Fulcrum
Coming into the Top 5 with one of the world's best-known combat aircraft, the Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum. Developed in the 70s to operate alongside the Sukhoi Su-27, the MiG-29 is renowned for its agility and performance. Another feature that usually draws attention is the large volume of smoke generated by the RD-33 turbofan engines.
The fighter is in service in 25 countries with 822 operating units. Among them are Poland, Russia, Peru, Algeria, Cuba, India, Iran, Serbia, North Korea and many others. Throughout its career, the aircraft has been used extensively in combat, having even faced the Su-27 itself in real combat in the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia in the late 1990s.
The fighter can carry up to 4 tons of various weapons in seven hard points, six on the wings and one on the fuselage between the engines. In addition to this, it is also armed with a 30mm GSh-1-30 cannon.
4th – Boeing F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet
The main naval fighter in service is also one of the most present in “airspace”. The F/A-18 was born out of Northrop's YF-17 Cobra project, but was eventually marketed by McDonnell Douglas (later acquired by Boeing), partially replacing the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II. Still in service, the Hornet is already showing signs of age and intense use by combat aviation, especially in models used in the USA.
The Super Hornet came in the 90s and replaced the famous Grumman F-14 Tomcat. The “little brother” will soon be transitioning to the Block III standard, which incorporates several structural and avionics upgrades.
At least 893 F/A-18s are in service in the USA, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Kuwait, Canada and Australia.
Despite differences in performance, Hornet and Super Hornet share several characteristics. Both are armed with a 61mm M20 Vulcan rotary cannon in the nose and can be armed with most of the bombs and missiles available in the US arsenal and other weapons on the international market.
3rd – Boeing F-15 Eagle/Strike Eagle
Third place is occupied by the most successful fighter in aerial combat in history: it shot down 104 planes without ever being shot down by another aircraft. The F-15 is a heavy aircraft!
The F-15 Eagle emerged in the early 1970s as an aircraft dedicated to air superiority – that is, developed specifically to shoot down other fighters – and later evolved into the Strike Eagle, a long-range fighter-bomber to replace the F-111. -XNUMX Aardvark.
Today there are 963 F-15s of various variants in service. in the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore and Japan. Soon one of the most modern versions of the fighter, the F-15QA, will enter service with the Qatari Air Force. The same goes for the F-15EX Eagle II, developed to replace older examples in the US fleet.
Recognized mainly for its performance - the Eagle can exceed 2600 km/h -, it can use AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles, Paveway and JDAM bombs, AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles, with stealth characteristics, and several other weapons. .
2nd – Sukhoi Su-27/Su-30 Flanker
The second place is occupied by the “arch-enemy” of the F-15: the su-27 flanker. He and the MiG-29 emerged in the former Soviet Union to face the Eagle and the F-16. One of the most ired planes by aviation enthusiasts, the Su-27 and the fighters that followed it are well known for their high level of manoeuvrability.
There are 1063 Flankers currently operating, serving in Russia, Venezuela, Algeria, India, Malaysia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and other countries. The original version gave rise to multiple variants and subvariants. The Su-30 itself has more than 15, for example.
Despite the number of aircraft, the Flanker saw very little combat with other similar aircraft. Even so, it should not be underestimated: in addition to carrying a 30mm cannon, it can use up to 12 air-to-air missiles, depending on the variant (this is the case of the Su-35S Flanker-E, for example), not to mention its respectable electronic suite.
1st – Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
Let's get straight to the point: there are 2248 F-16s in operation worldwide. Since 1973, over 4600 Vipers have been produced and the fighter is still in production. The F-16 is the most produced 4th Generation fighter of all time, and it is very likely that this number will not be sured.
Even though it is small and very agile, the F-16 can carry 7,7 tons of various weapons, such as anti-ship and anti-radar missiles, penetration bombs against bunkers and reinforced structures and even nuclear warheads.
Serving in 26 countries, the fighter has been receiving constant updates and its latest variant, F-16V Block 70, incorporates very advanced avionics and systems and is already entering service. The F-16 will remain the most used fighter in the world for a long time to come.
There are the most used fighters in the world. The list was compiled by Flightglobal and is available in the article World Air Forces 2021.
