24/7 Wall St. Insights:

• The Harrier II was developed in the 1970s and introduced to service in 1985
• This fighter jet is defined by its capability to take off and land vertically, which most aircraft cannot do
• The Harrier II is outfitted with a 30mm ADEN cannon and a suite of drop bombs or missiles
• Also: Discover the next Nvidia

The AV-8B Harrier II is one of the most iconic jets in the U.S. military, and it is only used by one branch, the U.S. Marine Corps. Its unique capabilities and armament make it ideal for the missions that Marines normally undertake. While the Harrier II is not one of the fastest jets in the fleet, it is one of the most heavily armed. (These are the most widely used fighter jets on Earth.)

Developed in the late 1970s and introduced into service in 1985, the Harrier II is built for close-air support, reconnaissance and air interdiction. Perhaps the defining feature of the Harrier II is its ability to take off and land vertically. This allows the Harrier II to land anywhere where small airstrips to amphibious assault ships.

In terms of its armament, the Harrier II is outfitted with 30mm ADEN cannons standard and can equip a variety of drop bombs and laser-guided bombs. Along with this, it can equip Maverick, Harpoon, and Sidewinder missiles depending on the mission.

The versatility in the Harrier II’s armament make it ideal for whatever operational needs are required. It is just one of a few fighter jets that are employed by the Marine Corps. There are a number of other heavily armed fighter jets and attack helicopters in use by the Corps as well. (These countries have the most Apache attack helicopters.)

24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the U.S. Marine Corps’ aerial arsenal. To identify the most heavily armed aircraft currently in service of the U.S. Marine Corps, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website, and ranked these aircraft according to their weapons systems and excluded those without any armament. Additionally, we’ve included supplemental information on the type of aircraft, top speed, how many are in active service, and armament.

Here is a look at the heavily armed U.S. Marine Corps aircraft currently in service:

Why Are We Covering This?

On average, the U.S. spends $400 billion a year on the operation and support of its military units. In 2024, $5.7 billion was budgeted to the Marines Corps for aviation readiness. Overall, the Department of Defense has $2.02 trillion in budgetary resources which is 14.6% of the federal budget for 2024.

10. T-34 Mentor

• Type: Basic trainer / light attack aircraft
• Year introduced: 1953
• Active aircraft: 2
• Top speed: 322 mph
• Armament: 1,200 lbs of drop ordnance

9. MV-22 Osprey

• Type: Tilt Rotor VTOL aircraft
• Year introduced: 2007
• Active aircraft: 288
• Top speed: 316 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm machine guns

8. CH-53K King Stallion

• Type: Heavy-lift transport helicopter
• Year introduced: 2018
• Active aircraft: 11
• Top speed: 196 mph
• Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 12.7mm GAU-21 miniguns

7. CH-53E Super Stallion

• Type: Super heavy-lift transport helicopter
• Year introduced: 1981
• Active aircraft: 135
• Top speed: 196 mph
• Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 12.7mm GAU-21 miniguns

6. UH-1Y Venom

• Type: Medium-lift utility / transport helicopter
• Year introduced: 2009
• Active aircraft: 127
• Top speed: 190 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm GAU-16/A gatling guns, hydra rocket pods

5. AH-1Z Viper

• Type: Twin-engine attack helicopter
• Year introduced: 2010
• Active aircraft: 176
• Top speed: 255 mph
• Armament: 20mm M196 cannon, Hellfire missiles, air-to-surface missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Hydra rocket pods

4. F-5 Freedom Fighter

• Type: Lightweight multirole aircraft
• Year introduced: 1962
• Active aircraft: 12
• Top speed: 1077 mph
• Armament: 20mm M39A2 automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Maverick missiles, rocket pods, drop bombs, cluster bombs, nuclear drop bombs

3. AV-8B+ Harrier II

• Type: Short take-off and vertical landing strike aircraft
• Year introduced: 1985
• Active aircraft: 99
• Top speed: 665 mph
• Armament: 30mm ADEN cannons, drop bombs, laser-guided bombs, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, cluster munitions, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, joint direct attack munitions

2. F/A-18 Hornet

• Type: Carrier-based strike fighter aircraft
• Year introduced: 1983
• Active aircraft: 186
• Top speed: 1190 mph
• Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided / precision drop bombs, gun pods, rocket pods, nuclear-tipped ordnance

1. F-35 Lightning II

• Type: Multirole fifth generation strike fighter aircraft
• Year introduced: 2016
• Active aircraft: 145
• Top speed: 1,199 mph
• Armament: 25mm GAU-12/U cannon in external pod, Sidewinder missiles, Paveway guided bombs, Rockeye II bombs, Brimstone missiles, Storm Shadow missiles, drop bombs

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