What’s The Fastest Fighter Jet Currently In Service?

In this article, we will look at the fastest fighter jets currently in service with the world’s military and describe why having the world’s fastest fighter jet is not necessarily the best aircraft when it comes to aerial combat. Since Tony Scott’s “Top Gun” hit the cinema in 1986, people have been interested in fighter jets. Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) was sent to the United States Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The dogfighting skills he learned were used aboard the USS Enterprise when Maverick’s Grumman F-14 Tomcat encountered hostile Russian MiGs.

Fast-forward 36 years, and interest in fighter jets was ignited again when Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was selected to train other Navy aviators for a dangerous mission. The plan was to destroy an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant before it became operational. Maverick leads the mission, piloting a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet while avoiding surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighters.

According to an article published by the BBC, neither the F/A-18 Super Hornet nor the Sukhoi Su-57 is in the top ten of the world’s fastest fighter jets.

The world’s fastest fighter jets

Starting at number ten and progressing to number one, we have compiled a list of the world’s fastest fighter jets currently in service.

Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor

Photo: USAF

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in December 2005. A product of the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the F-22 was designed to be an all-weather stealth fighter aircraft. Initially solely an air superiority fighter, the F-22 is also capable of ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. Able to cruise at supersonic speeds with a top speed of Mach 2.25, the F-22 is not the fastest fighter jet, but because of its agility and stealth capabilities, it is better than any other jet fighter on our list.

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Mikoyan MiG-29

Designed during the Cold War by the Mikoyan design bureau, the MiG-29 was a twin-engine Soviet air superiority fighter developed to counter the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. NATO reported the name Fulcrum, the aircraft that first entered service with the Soviet Union Air Force in August 1983. Rugged and capable of operating from poor runways, the lightweight fighter jet has a top speed of Mach 2.3.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Developed in the late 1950s to be an aircraft carrier capable of long-range, high-endurance interceptor to defend its carrier battle groups against threats posed by the Soviet Union, the F-14 first flew on December 21, 1970. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat entered service with the United States Navy in 1974 and became the Navy’s top fighter jet, replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. With a top speed of Mach 2.34, the F-14 was replaced by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2006. Despite being retired by the United States Navy, the F-14 Tomcat is still in service with the Iranian Air Force.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

Photo: US Department of Defense | Wikimedia Commons

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a third-generation jet fighter and the first Soviet aircraft capable of firing beyond-visual-range missiles. Considered the most produced variable-sweep wing aircraft in history, the MiG-23, NATO reporting name Flogger, entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1970. Extremely agile and fast, with a top speed of Mach 2.35, the MiG-23 was a very capable aircraft agile enough to take on enemy fighters.

Sukhoi Su-27

The Sukhoi Su-27, NATO reporting name Flanker, is a Soviet twin-engine supersonic supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was developed to compete with American fourth-generation fighters like the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. With a top speed of Mach 2.35 and the ability to climb to 7.45 miles in less than a minute, the Su-27 is still being built nearly 40 years after entering service with the Soviet Air Force in 1985.

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

Photo: USAF

Designed to be a dedicated air superiority fighter, the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle entered service with the United States Air Force on January 9, 1976. Although built to be an air superiority fighter, the F-15 also has ground attack capabilities, making it a popular export to American allies. Despite being in service for nearly 50 years, the F-15 Eagle remains one of the world’s fastest fighter jets, with a top speed of Mach 2.5.

Mikoyan MiG-31

The Mikoyan design bureau developed the Mikoyan MiG-31, NATO reporting name Foxhound, to replace the Soviet Air Force’s earlier MiG-25 “Foxbat.” Built to be user-friendly, the MiG-31, while less maneuverable than other fighter jets on our list, can carry a multitude of weapons, including missiles, with a range of 200 miles. Currently being used by Russia against Ukraine, the MiG-31 has a top speed of Mach 2.83.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

Despite having made its maiden flight nearly 60 years ago, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, NATO reporting name Foxbat, remains one of the world’s fastest fighter jets with a top speed of Mach 2.83. Theoretically capable of flying at Mach 3.2, the speed was capped at Mach 2.83 to prevent damage to the engines. When the MiG-25 first entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1970, it concerned NATO and led to the Americans building the F-15 Eagle.

The MiG-25 made headlines around the world on September 6, 1976, when Lieutenant Viktor Belenko defected to the West, flying his MiG-25 from Vladivostok to Hakodate Airport in the Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan.

Lockheed SR-71 and NASA X-43

While not fighter jets, the two fastest aircraft ever made are the retired Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which has a top speed of Mach 3.3, and the experimental unmanned hypersonic NASA X-43, which has a top speed of Mach 9.6.

While not the fastest aircraft on our list in terms of performance and its ability to be undetected by radar, the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is by far the most capable aircraft.

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