Top 14 Fighters

14. The JAS.39 Gripen. This is a small single-seat fighter using the American F404 turbofan engine. This aircraft is capable of numerous missions (point-defense interceptor, ground attack fighter, and even anti-shipping). It is highly maneuverable, and is a worthy successor to the Draken and Viggen interceptors that Sweden has built. This is what the 1980s F-20 Tigershark (an early competitor of the F-16 and F-18) could have been, had it not been stillborn.

13. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This is the ultimate Hornet, without the range limitations of the F/A-18A/B/C/D, and with two extra weapons pylons. This fighter is based on a proven design, and has even been used as a tanker with the premature retirement of the S-3 Viking. Sheer versatility – and improvement from the original make the Super Hornet’s place on this list a secure one.

12. F-15C Eagle. This is perhaps one of the last of the single-purpose aircraft. This plane has done one thing for 30 years (air-to-air combat), and done it well (over 100 kills to no losses). However, what is remarkable is the almost-untapped potential the airframe has as a ground-attack platform. The F-15E Strike Eagle has become a superb multi-role fighter. However, the F-15 has gotten long in the tooth for air superiority.

11. Chengdu J-10 - This Chinese fighter is almost as good as teh F-16C Fighting Falcon. Carries the almost same payload (within 300 pounds) of the F-16. Same speeds at altitude and sea level as F-16.

10. F-16C Fighting Falcon. This is a bird that has become a classic. Widely exported, and it has amassed a solid record. Still being built to special order for export customers, it not only has scored air-to-air kills in service with the United States, Israel, and Pakistan, but it is also one of the most numerous modern fighters in service today.

9. Su-27 Flanker. This was built to counter the F-15, and it has become one of the more feared aircraft out of Russia. Highly maneuverable, it is equipped and designed for a dogfight, it has been exported. The wide export market for this plane and its variants (the Su-30 in particular) is the primary reason for the F-22.

8. F-14D Tomcat. This is a plane that had aged like fine wine. Originally designed to face the Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber in protection of American carriers, it has become a carrier-launched version of the F-15E. Capable of long-range attacks using the AIM-54 Phoenix, the F-14 proved it was capable of dogfighting in two incidents with Libya (the U.S. Navy fighters scored four kills for no losses). This is a plane retiring before its time.

7. Eurofighter Typhoon. A low-observable multi-role fighter. It is fast, maneuverable, and carries a lot of air-to-air missiles. It also can be used for attack missions as well. This is a fighter that will be the backbone of at least four air forces (the UK, Spain, Germany, and Italy).

6. Dassault Rafale. Another European multi-role fighter with some stealth built in, this aircraft not only carries out the air-to-air and attack missions, it also comes in a naval version. Its first export order was recently signed – to Saudi Arabia. Equipped with French air-to-air missiles, it edges out the Eurofighter since its naval version could interest other countries who have carriers (Brazil and India come to mind).

5. F-35. This plane will be the new F-16 in ten years. Not only is this replacing the F-16, the A-10, the AV-8B, and some F/A-18s in U.S. service, but it will replace aircraft in other countries as well. Like the F-16, it will be produced in numbers. When it enters service, it will outclass many aircraft. Comes with HELLADS AAM system. Flies vertically like Harrier IIs.

4. Chengdu Super-10 : A stealth, 5th-generation fighter developed from the J-10B featuring a more powerful engine, thrust-vector control, stronger airframe and passive phased-array radar, and much more, according to Russian sources. It is also reported to be having carrier-born capabilities.

3. Sukhoi PAK FA - The PAK FA was designed to compete with the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, the world's first fifth-generation fighter jets. Due to it having the same take-off weight as Raptors; it is basically a clone. It doesn't have supercruise, but it does have afterburner.


2. F-22 Raptor. This is the F-15C’s replacement. Entering service in 2005, it renders every other air-superiority aircraft obsolete. This is a plane that can not only outfly any other plane in the world, outrun any other plane in the world, and it can do so while remaining virtually unseen. The F-22 is a true heir to the F-15, and could do so in another fashion if Lockheed’s FB-22 proposal takes off. Comes with HELLADS AAM system. This F-22 Raptor gets #2, because it has supercruise technology; otherwise it would get #3 and PAK-FA would get #2

1. Northrop Grumman Switchblade - Evolution of the X-29; featured in Popular Mechanics magazine two years ago, this is variable switchable aircraft does exist in blueprints and dates 1999. It has three modes Long wingspan increases lift, enabling slower flight speeds for precision bombing and landing on short runways. Forward sweep provides a good balance of lift and drag; efficient airflow over the wings and control surfaces enhances the fighter's maneuverability for air-to-air combat. Low aspect ratio provides the least drag, enabling the aircraft to speed up to Mach 3. In this configuration the trailing edge becomes the leading edge, a section of the wing root becomes the new trailing edge. Comes with HELLADS AAM system.