8 of the Air Force’s greatest fighters throughout history

Logan Nye
May 28, 2022 3:26 AM PDT
2 minute read
Air Force photo

SUMMARY

From the formation of the Air Force in 1947 to today, the flying branch’s sexiest assets have always been its fighters. These soaring agents of death intentionally fly into fights in one of the planet’s most unforgiving environments. He…

From the formation of the Air Force in 1947 to today, the flying branch's sexiest assets have always been its fighters. These soaring agents of death intentionally fly into fights in one of the planet's most unforgiving environments.


Here are 8 of the machines that defined Air Force fighter history:

1. P-51 Mustang

(Photo: U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Ben Bloker)

The P-51, renamed in 1948 to the F-51 when the Air Force changed its plane designation system, was one of the fighters that the U.S. Air Force inherited when it morphed from the Army Air Force. The beloved Mustang variant served with distinction in the Korean War, but mostly as a close-air support asset, not as a fighter.

3. P-80

(Photo: U.S. Air Force B. Butcher)

The P-80 flew during World War II but wasn't deployed to combat until Korea where it became one of America's early champions against the rampant MiG threat from China.

4. F-86 Sabre

(Photo: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Chris Massey)

America's other great champion in MiG Alley fights over North Korea and Manchuria was the F-86 Sabre, a swept-wing jet fighter capable of breaking the sound barrier and going toe-to-toe with the best MiGs of the day.

5. F-4 Phantom

(Photo: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)

The Phantom got a bad reputation in the Vietnam War where early variants lacked a cannon and used unreliable air-to-air missiles. But the powerful A-4 got improvements over time that made it more than capable of going up against anything the Soviets could throw at it. The A-4 is still in service in the Middle East where two Israeli F-4s interrupted an Egyptian attack of 28 planes, shooting down seven MiGs with no F-4s lost.

6. F-15 Eagle

(Photo: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Hughel)

One of the main reasons that later F-4 variants couldn't redeem themselves in American service is that the F-15 Eagle overshadowed the F-4 from day one. The Eagles boast powerful engines that gave it nearly unprecedented speed as well as "look down, shoot down" radar, powerful missiles, and a 20mm Gatling gun. The F-15 is still in service with the U.S. and feared by adversaries around the world.

7. F-16 Fighting Falcon

(Photo: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby)

With a long combat radius, all-weather, and day and night capabilities, the F-16 is prepared to fly, fight, and win everywhere. While the F-16 is a capable strike aircraft, its greatest value may reside in its capabilities as one of the world's premier dogfighters.

8. F-22 Raptor

(Photo: U.S. Air National Guard Senior Airman Ashley Williams)

The reason that the F-16 isn't the world's premier dogfighter is that the F-22 exists. The Raptor can sneak up on its prey and watch it for minutes without the enemy ever knowing it was there. Or, it can shoot down opposing fighters from outside of its adversaries detection and engagement ranges.

Currently, the plane is serving as a sensor platform in Iraq and Syria where it detects enemy air defenses and guides friendlies around them, but it could eradicate other fighters in the sky on a moment's notice.

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