World War II was a time of rapid advancement within the American military. Before this bloody war, America was home to only several hundred aircraft. By the time the Allies crushed the Axis Powers, America owned the largest Air Force, with over 80,000 planes. Desperate to defeat enemy forces, we put our brightest mind to work designing and testing aircraft. During this time, many advancements were made in the flight world. Together, the U.S. and Great Britain focused on air warfare, creating an arsenal of powerful fighter jets.
To determine the most mass-produced American fighter planes from WWII, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of World War II aircraft compiled by Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. We only included fighter planes active during the war, ranking them based on the total number produced. Prototypes and concept aircraft were excluded. Supplemental information about the year entered service, type, manufacturer, crew size, and top speed also came from the Military Factory.
One airplane produced in large numbers was the Ryan Fireball, a mixed-power aircraft. About 66 of these planes were designed and built by Ryan Aeronautical during the early 1940s. They entered service in 1945, just as the war came to an end.
Why We’re Covering This
Fighter planes significantly impacted the outcome of WWII. In addition, many of the innovations and technologies from these aircraft are incorporated into today’s newest generation of fighter jets, the F-35 Lightning II.
Here is a look at the most mass-produced American fighter planes of World War II:
27. Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon
- Number of aircraft produced: 62
- Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
- Type: Fighter/interceptor aircraft
- Year entered service: 1939
- Top speed: 314 mph
- Crew: 1
26. Bell P-59 Airacomet
- Number of aircraft produced: 66
- Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft
- Type: Jet-powered fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1945
- Top speed: 389 mph
- Crew: 1
25. Ryan FR Fireball
- Number of aircraft produced: 66
- Manufacturer: Ryan Aeronautical
- Type: Mixed-power fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1945
- Top speed: 426 mph
- Crew: 1
24. Vultee P-66 Vanguard (Model 48)
- Number of aircraft produced: 146
- Manufacturer: Vultee Aircraft
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 339 mph
- Crew: 1
23. Grumman F3F
- Number of aircraft produced: 147
- Manufacturer: Grumman
- Type: Carrierborne biplane fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1936
- Top speed: 264 mph
- Crew: 1
22. Boeing P-26 Peashooter
- Number of aircraft produced: 151
- Manufacturer: Boeing
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1932
- Top speed: 227 mph
- Crew: 1
21. Douglas P-70 Nighthawk
- Number of aircraft produced: 163
- Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft
- Type: Night fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1942
- Top speed: 339 mph
- Crew: 3
20. Seversky P-35
- Number of aircraft produced: 196
- Manufacturer: Seversky (Republic)
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1937
- Top speed: 308 mph
- Crew: 1
19. Curtiss SBC Helldiver
- Number of aircraft produced: 257
- Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
- Type: Naval dive bomber/fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1938
- Top speed: 237 mph
- Crew: 2
18. Republic P-43 Lancer
- Number of aircraft produced: 272
- Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 357 mph
- Crew: 1
17. Brewster F2A (Buffalo)
- Number of aircraft produced: 509
- Manufacturer: Brewster Aeronautical
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1939
- Top speed: 321 mph
- Crew: 1
16. Brewster F3A (F4U-1) Corsair
- Number of aircraft produced: 600
- Manufacturer: Brewster Aeronautical
- Type: Carrierborne fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1943
- Top speed: 416 mph
- Crew: 1
15. Northrop P-61 / F-61 Black Widow
- Number of aircraft produced: 742
- Manufacturer: Northrop
- Type: Night fighter reconnaissance aircraft
- Year entered service: 1943
- Top speed: 366 mph
- Crew: 3
14. Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75/Mohawk)
- Number of aircraft produced: 1,115
- Manufacturer: Curtiss Aeroplane Company
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1938
- Top speed: 322 mph
- Crew: 1
13. Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk
- Number of aircraft produced: 1,180
- Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 351 mph
- Crew: 1
12. Grumman F8F Bearcat
- Number of aircraft produced: 1,266
- Manufacturer: Grumman
- Type: Carrierborne interceptor aircraft
- Year entered service: 1945
- Top speed: 421 mph
- Crew: 1
11. Lockheed P-80 / F-80 Shooting Star
- Number of aircraft produced: 1,715
- Manufacturer: Lockheed
- Type: Jet-powered fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1945
- Top speed: 577 mph
- Crew: 1
10. Bell P-63 Kingcobra
- Number of aircraft produced: 3,303
- Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft
- Type: Fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1943
- Top speed: 410 mph
- Crew: 1
9. Douglas A-20 Havoc / Boston
- Number of aircraft produced: 7,478
- Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft
- Type: Light bomber/night fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 339 mph
- Crew: 3
8. Grumman F4F Wildcat
- Number of aircraft produced: 7,722
- Manufacturer: General Motors / Grumman
- Type: Carrierborne fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1940
- Top speed: 332 mph
- Crew: 1
7. Bell P-39 Airacobra
- Number of aircraft produced: 9,588
- Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 386 mph
- Crew: 1
6. Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Number of aircraft produced: 9,923
- Manufacturer: Lockheed
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1939
- Top speed: 414 mph
- Crew: 1
5. Grumman F6F Hellcat
- Number of aircraft produced: 12,272
- Manufacturer: Grumman
- Type: Carrierborne fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1943
- Top speed: 380 mph
- Crew: 1
4. Vought F4U Corsair
- Number of aircraft produced: 12,571
- Manufacturer: Chance Vought / Brewster Aeronautical
- Type: Carrierborne night fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1942
- Top speed: 446 mph
- Crew: 1
3. North American P-51 Mustang
- Number of aircraft produced: 15,586
- Manufacturer: North American Aviation
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1942
- Top speed: 437 mph
- Crew: 1
2. Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
- Number of aircraft produced: 15,660
- Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1942
- Top speed: 433 mph
- Crew: 1
1. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
- Number of aircraft produced: 16,800
- Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1941
- Top speed: 378 mph
- Crew: 1
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