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Military Factory > Top 10 Fighter Planes in History
Top 10 Fighter Planes in History
Our picks of the best based on historical performance - and not potential.
Authored By Staff Writer
"Finally a Top Ten Fighter plane list I can live with!" - Tony via email
The following is a MilitaryFactory.com study of the best military fighter designs of all time. Fighters were chosen based on production numbers, combat performance and a general assessment of their effect during that particular portion of aviation history.
As such, our list contains aircraft mainly from World War 2, with only one stellar example coming from World War 1, and several proven performers from the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict. Left out - perhaps to the dismay of many-a-fanboy out there - are the likes of the untested Lockheed F-22 Raptor and the limited Messerschmitt Me 262 - aircraft appearing regularly on other Top Ten Fighter lists around the web. We went looking for hearty performers with the numbers and history to back their respective legacies.
This list is by no means comprehensive but it does shine some light into the idea of what makes a potent fighter aircraft, particularly when forced through the rigors of combat. A fighter must provide maximum protection for her pilot, fuel stores and critical systems alike while presenting capabilities unmatched on the battlefield and supply the pilot the means to accomplish air supremacy over his adversary. This means a skillful and reliable combination of engineering, construction and training - attributes not wholly available to every fighter aircraft ever made. We believe the following exhibits of aircraft represent all of these facets.
The listing is provided as a countdown starting from 10 to 1, culminating in our selection for Best Fighter of All Time. Enjoy!
Military Aircraft
By Decade:
• Aircraft Timeline
• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• VIEW ALL
By Type:
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Close Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout Aircraft
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Specific Aircraft Collections:
• Aircraft Cockpits
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• Compare Aircraft
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Modern Chinese Military Aircraft
• Modern Military Aircraft (ALL)
• US Military Aircraft
• MiG-15 vs F-86 Sabre
• Mikoyan Military Aircraft
• Sukhoi Military Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
Other Conflicts:
• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)
World War 2:
• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft (What If?)
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain
• Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• Dive Bombers
• Canada Aircraft
• Fighters
• China Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japan Aircraft
• Imperial Japan Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
World War 1:
• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
Korean War:
• Australia Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• North Korea Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
Vietnam War:
• Helicopters
• North Vietnam Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
Cold War:
• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• US Cold War Aircraft
• US Cold War Bombers
• US Cold War Interceptors
• Soviet Cold War Aircraft
• Soviet Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Cold War Interceptors
• Soviet Cold War Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command (SAC) Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
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