Special Report

The World's Future Military Aircraft

Chris Lange

Published: November 29, 2023 12:31 pm

The F-35 Lightning II is the face of the fifth generation of fighter jets. This new generation of aircraft incorporates cutting-edge technology to improve their stealth capabilities, among many other tactical improvements. Although this generation is just now getting off the ground, countries around the world are ordering and stocking up on many of these next-generation aircraft. (These are the top 10 most used fighter jets in the world.)

As it stands now, the Lightning II has the most units on order of any of these advanced aircraft at 2,758. Produced by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is a multi-role, stealth combat aircraft that features an array of capabilities, including an advanced sensor package, internal and external weapons, and interoperability. (These are the top 10 most used fighter jets in the world.)

The current temperature of geopolitical relations has driven the demand for these advanced aircraft. In fact, many U.S. allies have purchased and ordered the new F-35, including Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and others. Also, many of these aircraft are produced by the United States so it makes sense that they would be distributed among U.S. allies, as opposed to being sold to China or Russia which are manufacturing their own fifth-generation aircraft. (These are the largest air forces in the world.)

To identify the military aircraft of the future, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed what militaries across the world are ordering this year from the report, 2023 World Air Forces by FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. Aircraft were ranked by the number of units on order across all 163 countries reporting to FlightGlobal. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and notable countries that utilize these aircraft came from FlightGlobal.

There may be some familiar names on this list but perhaps one of the most talked about is the B-21 Raiders. These are long-range stealth bombers developed by Northrop Grumman intended to replace the aging B-1 and B-2 aircraft. The B-21 is set to eclipse these popular bombers on all fronts, especially technologically. However, it remains to be seen when the actual rollout for the B-21 will take place.

Here is a look at the future military aircraft of the world.

26. Kamov Ka-62

• Aircraft on order: 100 (tied)
• Active aircraft: 0
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Russia

25. B-21 Raider

• Aircraft on order: 100 (tied)
• Active aircraft: 0
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: United States

24. Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40

HAL... (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Anirvan Shukla

• Aircraft on order: 106
• Active aircraft: 0
• Type: Training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: India

23. HAL Tejas

Top view HAL Tejas (CC BY 2.0) by Mark Jones Jr.

• Aircraft on order: 112
• Active aircraft: 19
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: India

22. F/A-18 Hornet

• Aircraft on order: 116
• Active aircraft: 1,111
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Canada, Spain, Switzerland, United States

21. C-130 Hercules

• Aircraft on order: 119
• Active aircraft: 1,133
• Type: Combat aircraft, special mission, tanker, transport
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: United States, Austria, Israel

20. Boeing 767

• Aircraft on order: 123
• Active aircraft: 76
• Type: Special mission, tanker
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Colombia, Israel, Italy, Japan

19. AW119 Koala

SAJ helikopter vjeu017eba Dan Policije (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia

• Aircraft on order: 129
• Active aircraft: 32
• Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Bangladesh, Ecuador, United States

18. NH90 Caiman

• Aircraft on order: 147
• Active aircraft: 446
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Australia, France, Netherlands

17. Eurofighter Typhoon

EGVA - Eurofighter Typhoon EF2... (CC BY 2.0) by Steve Lynes

• Aircraft on order: 148
• Active aircraft: 522
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom

16. KAI KUH-1 Surion

KUH-1 Surion Demo Flight (CC BY 2.0) by Korea Aerospace Industries

• Aircraft on order: 153
• Active aircraft: 100
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: South Korea

15. F-16 Fighting Falcon

• Aircraft on order: 156
• Active aircraft: 2763
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt

14. Bell 412

• Aircraft on order: 164
• Active aircraft: 295
• Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Japan, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan

13. KAI KF-21 Boramae

KF-21 prototype (CC BY-SA 4.0) by KF-21A

• Aircraft on order: 170
• Active aircraft: 0
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Indonesia, South Korea

12. Airbus H160

Airbus Helicopters H160 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Berg2

• Aircraft on order: 174
• Active aircraft: 1
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: France

11. Mil Mi-28 Havoc

• Aircraft on order: 175
• Active aircraft: 145
• Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Algeria, Iraq, Russia, Venezuela

10. Saab JAS 39 Gripen

Saab JAS39C Gripen u00e2u0080u009840u00e2u0080u0099 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Aircraft on order: 178
• Active aircraft: 159
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Brazil, Hungary, South Africa, Sweden

9. Kamov Ka-226 Hoodlum

Kamov Ka-226T at the MAKS-2009 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by u041du0438u0440u0432u0430u043du044cu0447u0438u043a

• Aircraft on order: 200
• Active aircraft: 37
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: India, Russia, Ukraine

8. CH-47 Chinook

• Aircraft on order: 202
• Active aircraft: 925
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Australia, Germany, United States

7. Ch-53 Sea Stallion

Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion (CC BY 2.0) by Paul VanDerWerf

• Aircraft on order: 215
• Active aircraft: 250
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Germany, Israel, United States

6. F-15 Eagle

• Aircraft on order: 222
• Active aircraft: 1,066
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Indonesia, Israel, Japan, United States

5. Dassault Rafale

• Aircraft on order: 313
• Active aircraft: 234
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Croatia, Egypt, France, India

4. AH-64 Apache

Boeing AH-64 Apache (CC BY 2.0) by Clemens Vasters

• Aircraft on order: 324
• Active aircraft: 1,233
• Type: Combat helicopter
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Greece, India, United States

3. T-7A Red Hawk

• Aircraft on order: 351
• Active aircraft: 0
• Type: Training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: United States

2. S-70 Black Hawk

• Aircraft on order: 806
• Active aircraft: 3,909
• Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: United States, Saudi Arabia, Poland

1. F-35 Lightning II

Two F-35C Lightning II aircraf... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Aircraft on order: 2,758
• Active aircraft: 716
• Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
• Notable countries ordering the aircraft: Canada, Israel, United States