The news recently emerged that Pakistan was planning on purchasing 40 J-35s, a fifth-generation stealth multirole combat aircraft, from China. Should this sale go through, it would be the first sale of these fifth-generation jets to an ally for China. The J-35 is incredibly stealthy. It has the ability to travel at high speeds up to Mach 2 (approximately 1,534 mph), has a high payload capacity, and is cheaper and easier to manufacture than some previous versions. The J-35 is also a prime example of how stealth aircraft design and capabilities have shifted over the years. When stealth technology was first conceptualized in World War I, the manufacturers had no idea how far the technology would come to this day. (You won’t believe how fast these military stealth planes fly.)
Stealth aircraft are especially valuable for military forces because of their ability to evade radar detection. Along with advanced warfare systems and sensors, and new weapon capabilities, stealth planes allow militaries to gain a stronger understanding of who they’re up against — and strike first, should the need arise. While some countries are still using stealth aircraft from decades ago, others have pivoted to more modern stealth planes. To identify the oldest and newest stealth planes in world militaries or on order, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the report 2023 World Air Forces from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website, as well as other sources. We ordered these stealth aircraft, including uncrewed aerial vehicles and aircraft on order, chronologically. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, top speed, manufacturer, and armament came from Military Factory. Data on notable countries that operate these aircraft came from FlightGlobal.
Why We’re Discussing Stealth Aircraft
Covert air operations began in World War I with militaries attempting to reduce the visibility or sound of their aircraft. Technology in this regard has made leaps and bounds since the First World War. Companies that manufacture these jets for the military, like Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), make billions in sales every year, and it’s worth understanding how these companies operate if you’re considering investing in them.
Here are the oldest and most cutting-edge military aircraft still used to this day:
1. A-12 Archangel
- Top speed: 2,212 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed
- Weapons: None (was used to spy by CIA on Soviet Union)
- Year first used: 1963
2. SR-71 Blackbird
- Maximum speed: 2,274 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed
- Weapons: None
- Year first used: 1966
3. AQM-91 Firefly
- Maximum speed: 505 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Ryan Aeronautical and Teledyne-Ryan
- Weapons: None (used for drone reconnaissance)
- Year first used: 1968
4. F-117 Nighthawk
- Maximum speed: 646 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed
- Weapons: Laser-guided bombs, drop bombs, HARM anti-radiation missiles, Maverick missiles, Sidewinder missiles
- Year first used: 1982
5. B-2 Spirit
- Maximum speed: 628 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Weapons: Free-fall nuclear bombs, air-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, drop bombs, joint direct attack munitions
- Year first used: 1997
6. J-11 Flanker B+
- Maximum speed: 1,553 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China
- Weapons: 30mm GSh-30-1 internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, air-to-surface missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs, cluster bombs, rocket pods
- Year first used: 1998
7. F-22 Raptor
- Maximum speed: 1,599 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin and Boeing
- Weapons: 20mm internal automatic canon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, joint direct attack munitions, air-launched cruise missiles, guided bombs
- Year first used: 2005
8. RQ-170 Sentinel
- Maximum speed: 590 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Weapons: Unknown
- Year first used: 2007
9. J-16 Red Eagle
- Maximum speed: 1,522 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and Aviation Industry Corporation of China
- Weapons: Anti-radiation missiles, rocket pods, anti-ship missiles, laser-guided munitions, drop bombs, internal cannons, several types of air missiles
- Year first used: 2013
10. RQ-180
- Maximum speed: 590 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Weapons: None
- Year first used: 2015
11. WZ-10 Cloud Shadow
- Maximum speed: 390 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group
- Weapons: Air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided bombs, light cruise missiles
- Year first used: 2016
12. F-35 Lightning II
- Maximum speed: 1,199 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, United States
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin
- Weapons: Rockeye II cluster bombs, joint direct attack munitions, guided bombs, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, Sidewinder missiles
- Year first used: 2016
13. J-20 Black Eagle
- Maximum speed: 1,305 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Aviation Industry Corporation of China
- Weapons: Internal cannons, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-radiation missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
- Year first used: 2017
14. GJ-11 Gongji
- Maximum speed: 621 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: State Factories
- Weapons: Laser-guided bombs, drop bombs, air-to-surface missiles
- Year first used: 2019
15. Su-57 Felon
- Maximum speed: 1,616 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi OKB and the United Aircraft Corporation
- Weapons: Internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, guided bombs
- Year first used: 2019
16. XQ-58 Valkyrie
- Maximum speed: 652 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division
- Weapons: Precision-guided bombs, drop bombs
- Year first used: 2020
17. CH-7
- Maximum speed: 550 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: China
- Manufacturer: Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
- Weapons: Air-to-surface missiles, anti-radiation missiles, precision-guided bombs, drop bombs
- Year first used: 2022
18. Su-75 Checkmate
- Maximum speed: 808 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi OKB and Rostek State Corporation
- Weapons: Internal cannons, air-to-surface missiles, air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
- Year first used: Expected in 2026
19. B-21 Raider
- Maximum speed: 621 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: United States
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Weapons: Precision-guided drop bombs, conventional drop bombs, nuclear ordnance
- Year first used: Expected in 2028
20. Tupolev PAK DA
- Maximum speed: 559 mph
- Countries that use this aircraft: Russia
- Manufacturer: Tupolev and the United Aircraft Corporation
- Weapons: Air-launched cruise missiles, precision-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
- Year first used: Expected in 2032
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