24/7 Wall St. Insights:

• The Super Hornet and Lightning II are two of the most prominent combat aircraft in the U.S. Navy
• The Super Hornet has been a staple of the U.S. Navy since the late 1990s
• The F-35 Lightning II is one of the newest combat aircraft to enter the Navy, and many of these aircraft are being added annually
• Also: Discover the next Nvidia

Known as perhaps the most powerful navy on the planet, the U.S. Navy is home to some of the most advanced warships, submarines, and aircraft. Apart from its sea power, the Navy is also known for having one of the largest cohorts of combat aircraft in the world. At the forefront of this is the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35 Lightning II. (This fighter jet makes up almost half of the Navy’s aircraft.)

The F/A-18 Super Hornet has been a staple of the U.S. Navy since the late 1990s. Its versatility in terms of agility and firepower make it a standout among Navy aircraft. It is powered by twin General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofan engines which deliver a combined 22,000 pounds of thrust, allowing the jet to hit speeds around Mach 1.6 or 1,200 mph.

In terms of armament, the Super Hornet comes standard with a 20mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon, and it can equip a wide array of missiles, joint direct attack munitions, and other ordnance. These armaments, in combination with the jet’s advanced avionics, allow it to perform a wide range of operations.

Outside of the Super Hornet, the Navy has been making significant additions to its F-35 Lightning II stock. The Navy uses the C-variant of the F-35 specifically for takeoff and landing on aircraft carriers. These fifth-generation fighter jets, like the label suggests, excel on the next level of stealth technology and even more advanced avionics.

The F-35 comes standard with a 25mm GAU-22/A and can further be outfitted with a series of missiles, joint direct attack munitions, and other ordnance, much like those of the Super Hornet.

These are just two examples of some of the combat aircraft employed by the U.S. Navy. 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the Navy’s arsenal and what combat aircraft it has in stock. (This attack helicopter is one of the newest additions to the U.S. Marine Corps.)

To identify the combat aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website, and ranked the aircraft according to armament. Additionally, we’ve included supplemental information on the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and top speed. We have excluded all trainer aircraft.

Here is a look at the combat aircraft in the U.S. Navy:

Why Are We Covering This?

24/7 would like our readers to understand where their tax dollars are being spent. The Navy received $202.6 billion in government funding in 2024, second only to the Air Force at $216.1. billion. In fiscal year 2025, the Navy has requested $16.6 billion of its funding to purchase 75 aircraft and helicopters, which is actually slightly less than in 2024.

6. MV-22 Osprey

• Type: Tilt Rotor VTOL aircraft
• Year introduced: 2007
• Active aircraft: 27
• Top speed: 316 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm machine guns

5. MH-53E Pave Low

• Type: Multirole transport helicopter
• Year introduced: 1981
• Active aircraft: 26
• Top speed: 196 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm M134 miniguns, 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns

4. S-70 Black Hawk

• Type: Medium-lift multi-mission helicopter
• Year introduced: 1979
• Active aircraft: 454
• Top speed: 183 mph
• Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, Hellfire missiles, 12.7mm gatling guns, M134 gatling guns, rocket pods, 30mm chain gun

3. EA-18G Growler

• Type: Carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft
• Year introduced: 2009
• Active aircraft: 153
• Top speed: 1,181 mph
• Armament: Detection pods, high band jamming pods, low band jamming pods, AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR, SHARP, Harm missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Joint stand-off weapons

2. F-35C Lightning II

• Type: Multirole fifth generation strike fighter aircraft
• Year introduced: 2016
• Active aircraft: 30
• 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

1. F/A-18 Super Hornet

• Type: Carrier-based strike fighter aircraft
• Year introduced: 1999
• Active aircraft: 421
• Top speed: 1,187 mph
• Armament: 20mm M61A1 Vulcan automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, Maverick missiles, joint direct attack munitions, Rockeye II bombs, general purpose bombs

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