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Latest fighter aircraft +
supersonic bombers & passenger
jets
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The Vietnam and Falklands wars proved
short range air-to-air missiles had
become more effective than guns or
cannon. Most air-to-air kills from then
on would be achieved with either
short-range heat-seeking missiles or
medium-range to long- range (out of
visual sight) radar guided missiles. A
combination of pilot training, speed,
radar, missiles and now stealth,
determines what are the most affective
fighters. The only way to really gauge
the packages of each aircraft is through
direct combat and success in wars. This
can be misleading at times though, as
most countries that build aircraft, only
export versions with less capable
electronics and radars than on their own
versions.This is a safeguard, as in the
event any were to be used against the
manufacturing country, they would be at a
disadvantage.
Beyond Visual
Range missile usually refers to a
radar-guided air-to-air missile that is
capable of engaging at ranges beyond 20
nautical miles. Short-range heat-seeking
missiles have a range of between 0.5
and 11 miles. Aircraft cannon, or guns,
have a kill range between 350 and 2,000
meters. Most modern aircraft are still
fitted with cannon, although rarely used
in air-to-air combat now.
The deadliest Surface to Air Missiles
such as the Russina S-300 can
hit targets up to 120 miles away, fly at
over 4,000 mph and climb to an altitude
of 27,000 m (88,583 ft). The most
advanced modern fighters can operate up
to 2,000 mph and to an altitude of about
19,000 m (65,000 feet).
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XB-70 Valkyrie
1964, U.S., 2,056 mph
Although this fast bomber never made it
into service, the thought of its
existence led to the Soviets building
exceptionally fast fighters such as the
MiG-25 Foxbat capable of matching its
performance. North American Aviation's
B-70 Valkyrie was a nuclear-armed,
six-engined bomber aircraft able to fly
Mach 3 at high altitudes.
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The proposed cost of the
aircraft, along with the
introduction of the first effective
anti-aircraft missiles, led to the
cancellation of the program in
1961. February 4th 1969, Valkyrie
number one was retired and flown to
the National Museum of the United
States Air Force at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
near Dayton/ Ohio..
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XB-70
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Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-25 Foxbat 1970, Soviet, 2,115
mph
The MiG-25 is a very high-speed,
low-range interceptor with a top speed of
Mach 3.2, a powerful radar and Bisnovat
R-40 long-range air-to-air missiles. The
MiG-25 forced the U.S. to develop the
1,665 - 1,875 mph F-15 Eagle. With its
speed advantage, on the few occasions the
Mig-25 has encountered western aircraft
in the Israeli and Gulf wars, it has
caused considerable concern with its high
speed. In 1981, Israeli F-15A's managed
to trap and shoot down 2 Syrian MiG 25s
with AIM-7F Sparrow missiles.
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Two MiG-25s were shot down by
U.S. F-15Cs during the Gulf War.
After the war, in 1992, a U.S. F-16
downed a MiG-25 that violated the
no-fly zone in southern Iraq. One
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet was shot
down on the first night of the Gulf
War, believed to be with a Bisnovat
R-40 long-range air-to-air missile
fired from a MiG-25.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-25_Foxbat
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F-14 Tomcat
1974, U.S., 1,544 mph
The F-14 began replacing the F-4 Phantom
II in the U.S. Navy from September 1974.
The F-14 had its first kills August 19th
1981 over the Gulf of Sidra after two
F-14s from the aircraft carrier USS.
Nimitz were engaged by two Libyan 1,155
mph Su-22 Fitters. The F-14s evaded the
short-range heat seeking AA-2 Atoll
missiles and returned fire, downing both
Libyan aircraft with their short-range
heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles.
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January 4th 1989, 2 U.S. Navy
F-14s shot down two Libyan 1,553
mph MiG-23 Floggers over the Gulf
of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra
incident. Also armed with the AIM-7
Sparrow medium-range semi-active
radar homing air-to-air missiles
and AIM-54 Phoenix radar-guided,
long-range air-to-air
missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-14_Tomcat
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F-15 Eagle
1976, U.S., 1,665 mph - 1,875 mph
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an
all-weather tactical fighter designed to
gain and maintain air superiority in
aerial combat. The fastest U.S. fighter
to date with its main rival at the time
being the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat, capable
of 2,115 mph, although that speed could
only be maintained for short periods. In
1979–81 during Israeli-Lebanese
border disputes, F-15As downed 13 Syrian
MiG-21 Fishbeds and two Syrian MiG-25
Foxbats. F-15A and B models were used by
Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War where
Israeli F-15s shot down 23 MiG-21
Fishbeds and 17 MiG-23 Floggers. The
Persian Gulf in 1991 saw U.S. F-15s shoot
down five MiG-29 Fulcrums, two MiG-25
Foxbats, eight MiG-23 Floggers, two
MiG-21 Fishbeds, two Su-25 Frogfoots,
four Su-22 Fitters, one Su-7 and six
Mirage F1s. No F-15s have been shot down
by enemy aircraft to date.
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Armed with the AIM-9 Sidewinder
heat-seeking, short-range missiles,
AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range
semi-active radar homing missiles
and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range
Air-to-Air Missiles, or
AMRAAM.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-15_Eagle
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Tupolev Tu-144
1975, Soviet, 1,553 mph
The Tupolev Tu-144 was the first
supersonic transport aircraft capable of
carrying 140 passengers with a top speed
few modern fighter aircraft can achieve.
A prototype first flew December 31st 1968
near Moscow, two months before British
& French designed Concorde. The
aircraft had two major crashes, one at
the Paris Air Show June 3rd 1973. The
Tu-144s went into service December 26th
1975, flying mail and freight between
Moscow and Alma-Ata. Its passenger
services commenced in November 1977 and
ran until a Tu-144 experienced an
in-flight failure during a test flight,
crash-landing with crew fatalities May
23rd 1978.
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An Aeroflot flight June 1st 1978
was the Tu-144's 55th and last
scheduled passenger service. The
Tu-144 was then only used by Russia
as an in-flight laboratory and one
by the U.S. in 1996 to test a
proposed new generation supersonic
aircraft.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-144
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Concorde 1975,
British & French, 1,350 mph
Concorde was the more successful of the
only two supersonic airliners to have
ever operated commercially, the Tupolev
Tu-144, nicknamed Concordski, being the
other. The Tu-144 had a higher maximum
speed, but required more fuel and had
less range than Concorde. Capable of
carrying 128 passengers, Concorde entered
service in 1976 and continued for 27
years. It flew regular transatlantic
flights from London Heathrow (British
Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air
France) to New York JFK and Washington
Dulles, flying these routes in under half
the time of other airliners.
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The only Concorde to crash, Air
France Flight 4590 at Gonesse/
France, killing all 100 passengers,
9 crew and 4 people on the ground,
July 25th 2000, led to the
withdrawal of Concorde from
service.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde_SST
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F-16 Fighting
Falcon 1978, U.S., 1,500 mph
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
is a multi role lightweight fighter with
sales to air forces of 25 nations. Two
air-to-air victories were scored by U.S.
F-16s in Operation Southern Watch.
December 27th 1992, an F-16D shot down an
Iraqi MiG-25 in UN-restricted airspace
over southern Iraq with an AIM-120 AMRAAM
(Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air
Missile); this was the first U.S. F-16
kill since the F-16 was introduced; and
also the first AMRAAM kill.
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January 17th 1993, a U.S. F-16C
destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an
AMRAAM missile for the second U.S.
F-16 victory. Also armed with the
AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking,
short-range missiles and AIM-7
Sparrow medium-range semi-active
radar homing missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon
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Panavia
Tornado 1979, European, 1,511
mph
The Panavia Tornado is a family of
twin-engine combat aircraft jointly
developed by the UK, West Germany and
Italy. There are three primary versions
of the Tornado; the Tornado
fighter-bomber, Electronic
Combat/Reconnaissance and the Tornado Air
Defense Interceptor. It is one of the
world's most sophisticated and capable
attack aircraft, with a large payload,
long range and high survivability.
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There is no evidence of the
Tornado ever being involved in
direct air-to-air combat with
another fighter. Armed with the
AIM-132 advanced short-range,
heat-seeking, air-to-air missiles
and Skyflash medium-range
air-to-air missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_fighter
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Mikoyan MiG-31
Foxhound 1982, Soviet, 1,868
mph
The MiG-31 is a supersonic interceptor
aircraft developed to replace the MiG-25
Foxbat. The MiG-31 was the most advanced
interceptor fielded by the Soviets at
that time, with a far greater range and
superior maneuverability than the MiG-25
Foxbat. There seem to be no reports of
MiG-31s in air-to-air combat with other
fighter aircraft.
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Armed with Molniya R-60
short-range heat-seeking missiles,
Vympel R-77 medium-range active
radar-guided missiles and Bisnovat
R-40 long-range semi-active radar
homing missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-31_Foxhound
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Mikoyan MiG-29
Fulcrum 1983, Soviet, 1,518
mph
The MiG-29 is a fighter aircraft designed
for the short-range air-superiority role
in the Soviet Union. The MiG-29 remains
in use by the Russian Air Force as well
as in many other nations, intended to
counter American fighters such as the
F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F/A-18
Hornet. The U.S. claimed their F-15
Eagles shot down 5 MiG-29s during the
Gulf War. F-15 Eagles & F-16s are
believed to have shot down between 3
& 6 MiG-29s during the Yugoslav war
in the 1990s, although the Yugoslav MiGs
were so run down, some might have crashed
or even been shot down by their own
surface-to-air missiles.
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F/A-18 Hornet
1983, U.S., 1,127 mph
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an
all-weather, light-weight carrier-capable
strike fighter, designed to attack both
ground and aerial targets.They were
integrated with the heavier and more
expensive to produce and run 1,544 mph
F-14 Tomcat. Entered service with the
U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and with air
forces of several other nations. Two
F/A-18s from the aircraft carrier USS
Saratoga were credited with two kills
during the Gulf War, both MiG-21s.
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Armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder
heat-seeking, short-range missiles
and AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range
semi-active radar homing
missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-18
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Sukhoi Su-27
Flanker 1984, Soviet, 1,550
mph
The Sukhoi Su-27 is a long-range
all-weather tactical fighter designed to
gain and maintain air superiority. It was
built to counter the U.S. fighters of
this time, especially the 1,665 - 1,875
mph F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 has seen
limited action since it first entered
service. Ethiopian Su-27s reportedly shot
down 6 Eritrean MiG-29 Fulcrums.
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Tupolev Tu-160
1985, Soviet, 1,380 mph
The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic heavy
bomber, the heaviest combat aircraft ever
built & fastest heavy bomber.
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This was the last Soviet
strategic bomber to be designed
with production still continuing,
at least 16 are currently in
service with the Russian Air Force.
Only a few of the modern fighter
aircraft have a higher top
speed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160
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AIDC F-CK-1
Ching-kuo 1994, Republic of China
(Taiwan), 1,350 mph
The Republic of China Air Force's AIDC
F-CK-1 Ching-kuo is a light fighter
aircraft that was a joint effort between
Taiwanese and United States defense
companies. There have been no air-to-air
encounters involving these aircraft so
far.
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JAS 39 Gripen
1996, Swedish, 1,320 mph
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light-weight
fighter aircraft manufactured by the
Swedish aerospace company Saab. The
Swedish Airforce claim the Gripen is the
world's best light-weight multi role
combat aircraft in production. The
aircraft is in service with the Swedish
Air Force, Czech Air Force, Hungarian Air
Force, South African Air Force and has
been ordered by the Royal Thai Air
Force.
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Armed with the AIM-120 Advanced
Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or
AMRAAM, a modern Beyond Visual
Range air-to-air missile, and AIM-9
Sidewinder, heat-seeking,
short-range, air-to-air
missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAS_39_Gripen
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Dassault
Rafale 2000, French , 1,320
mph
The Dassault Rafale is a French
twin-engined delta-wing highly agile
multi-role fighter aircraft designed and
built by Dassault Aviation. The Rafale is
being produced both for land-based use
with the French Air Force and for
carrier-based naval operations with the
French Navy. It has also been marketed
for export. While several countries have
expressed interest in the Rafale, there
have been no foreign sales as of yet.
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Armed with the French designed
MBDA MICA fire-and-forget
short-range air-to-air missile
system and the Meteor, an active
radar guided beyond-visual-range
air-to-air missile
(BVRAAM).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Rafale
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Eurofighter
Typhoon 2003, European, 1,480
mph
The Eurofighter is an all-weather
tactical fighter designed to gain and
maintain air superiority, also with
robust air-to-ground capabilities. After
the F-22 Raptor, the Eurofighter is
considered by many experts to be the most
advanced fighter now in development. The
aircraft has entered service with the UK
Royal Air Force, German Luftwaffe,
Italian Air Force, Spanish Air Force,
Austrian Air Force and Saudi Arabia has
signed a contract for 72 aircraft.
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Armanent for the Eurofighter is
the short-range heat-seeking AIM-9
Sidewinder and the Meteor, an
active radar guided
beyond-visual-range air to air
missile (BVRAAM).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon
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F-22 Raptor
2005, U.S., 1,600 mph
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is
a fighter aircraft that uses stealth
technology. It is primarily an air
superiority fighter, but has multiple
capabilities that include ground attack,
electronic warfare and signals
intelligence roles. The F-22 is claimed
by multiple sources to be the
world’s most effective air
superiority fighter. The US Air Force
states the F-22 cannot be matched by any
known or projected fighter aircraft.
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Armed with the AIM-9 Sidewinder
heat-seeking short-range air-to-air
missiles and the AIM-120 Advanced
Medium-Range Air-to-Air missile, or
AMRAAM.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor
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F-35 Lightning
II 2011, U.S., 1,200 mph
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is
a single-seat, single-engine,
stealth-capable military strike fighter,
a multi-role aircraft that can perform
close air support, tactical bombing, and
air superiority fighter missions. The
F-35 appears to be a smaller, slightly
more conventional, one-engine sibling of
the sleeker, two-engine F-22 Raptor. The
F-35 is planned to be built in three
different versions to suit the needs of
its various users such as conventional
takeoff and landing, and short takeoff
and vertical landing suitable for
aircraft carriers.
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Countries to participate in the
funding and development of this
aircraft are United Kingdom, Italy,
Netherlands, Canada, Turkey,
Australia, Norway and Denmark. Will
no doubt be fitted with the latest
short and medium range air-to-air
missiles.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35_Lightning_II
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