Special Report
The World's Most Iconic Strike Fighter Aircraft Since WWII
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Strike fighter aircraft mark an important step in the evolution of military aircraft since World War II. Built to serve a few combat roles, these aircraft are capable of carrying out tactical strikes or bombings as well as engaging in air-to-air combat. Previous generations of aircraft attempted to merge these functions of combat aircraft, but it was not until the 1960s and 1970s that strike aircraft fully emerged as a class of its own. (This is every major fighter plane flown by the US Air Force.)
There is an important distinction to make between aircraft that might fall into this category. Although the term “strike fighter” emerged during World War II, the aircraft of that time did not truly fall into that category. Instead, many were fighter-bomber aircraft modified to accommodate more features, whether in a fighter or bomber aspect. Strike fighter aircraft were originally designed for this multirole.
Many of the strike fighter aircraft in military service today were first introduced during the third and fourth generations of fighter jets. The newest generation of aircraft being developed today is employing many of the aspects of strike fighter aircraft but with more of a focus on stealth.
To identify the world’s most iconic strike fighter aircraft, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of aircraft from Military Factory, an online database of arms, vehicles, and aircraft used by militaries worldwide. We only included post-WWII aircraft that made it out of the prototype phase and had more than 100 units produced in total. We included supplemental information from Military Factory regarding the type of aircraft, year entered service, country of origin, manufacturer, units produced, top speed, and armament.
The F-15E Strike Eagle, true to its name, is one of the most iconic strike fighter aircraft of the fourth generation. It entered service in 1988 as a product of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. The Strike Eagle is also one of the fastest aircraft in its class, capable of hitting top speeds over 1,600 mph. (This is the most widely used American fighter jet on Earth.)
In terms of armament, the Strike Eagle is outfitted with the standard automatic cannon and a series of air-to-air missiles, including Sidewinders and Sparrows. Additionally, Maverick air-to-ground missiles come standard along with laser-guided or conventional drop bombs.
Here is a look at the world’s most iconic strike fighter aircraft.
Westland Wyvern
- Type: Carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1953
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Manufacturer: Westland Aircraft
- Total units produced: 127
- Top speed: 382 mph
- Armament: 20mm Hispona cannons, RP-3 rockets, MK15/MK17 torpedoes, conventional drop bombs
A-4 Skyhawk
- Type: Carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1956
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft
- Total units produced: 2,960
- Top speed: 645 mph
- Armament: 20mm Mk 12 automatic internal cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Bullpup missiles, Maverick missiles, Shrike anti-radiation missiles, Walleye glide drop bombs, LAU-10 rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
Fiat Aeritalia G.91 (Gina)
- Type: Jet-powered fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1958
- Country of origin: Italy
- Manufacturer: Fiat Aviazone
- Total units produced: 770
- Top speed: 668 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns, 30mm DEFA cannons, conventional drop bombs, rocket pods
Su-7 (Fitter-A)
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 1959
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi
- Total units produced: 1,847
- Top speed: 715 mph
- Armament: 30mm NR internal automatic cannon, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, nuclear bombs
F-4 Phantom II
- Type: Carrierborne multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1960
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas
- Total units produced: 5,195
- Top speed: 1,473 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan internal cannon, Sparrow, Sidewinder, Skyflash, Python 3, Maverick, Shrike, HARM missiles, gun pods, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
J35 Draken (Dragon / Kite)
- Type: Multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1960
- Country of origin: Sweden
- Manufacturer: Saab
- Total units produced: 644
- Top speed: 1,320 mph
- Armament: 30mm ADEN internal automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Falcon missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
F-111 Aardvark
- Type: Long range strategic bomber / tactical strike aircraft
- Year entered service: 1967
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 554
- Top speed: 1,650 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan internal cannon, laser-guided bombs, HARM anti-radiation missiles, Sidewinder missiles, conventional drop bombs
LTV A-7 Corsair II
- Type: Carrierborne strike aircraft
- Year entered service: 1967
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Vought
- Total units produced: 1,569
- Top speed: 659 mph
- Armament: 20mm automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Maverick missiles, rocket pods, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
JA37 Viggen (Thunderbolt)
- Type: Supersonic strike fighter
- Year entered service: 1968
- Country of origin: Sweden
- Manufacturer: Saab
- Total units produced: 329
- Top speed: 1,320 mph
- Armament: 30mm Oerlikon internal cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sky Flash missiles, AMRAAM missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
MiG-23 (Flogger)
- Type: Swing-wing strike fighter / interceptor aircraft
- Year entered service: 1970
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Manufacturer: Mikoyan-Gurevich
- Total units produced: 5,047
- Top speed: 1,553 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
Su-17 / Su-20 / Su-22
- Type: Strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1970
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi
- Total units produced: 2,867
- Top speed: 718 mph
- Armament: 30mm NR autocannons, conventional drop bombs, napalm, laser-guided bombs, rocket pods, gun pods, air-to-surface missiles, air-to-air missiles
SEPECAT Jaguar
- Type: Strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1973
- Country of origin: France
- Manufacturer: SEPECAT
- Total units produced: 543
- Top speed: 1,056 mph
- Armament: 30mm ADEN internal cannons, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, rocket pods, Martel missiles, conventional drop bombs, precision guided bombs, Sidewinder missiles, Magic missiles
Su-24 (Fencer)
- Type: Long-range strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1974
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi
- Total units produced: 1,400
- Top speed: 1,439 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh internal cannon, Aphid missiles, Archer missiles, Kerry missiles, Kyle missiles, Kingbolt missiles, Krypton missiles, rocket pods, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
Yak-38 (Forger)
- Type: Carrierborne vertical take-off and landing strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1976
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Manufacturer: Yakovlev
- Total units produced: 231
- Top speed: 723 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh gunpods, Aphid missiles, Kerry missiles, general purpose bombs, incendiary bombs, nuclear bombs
BAe Sea Harrier
- Type: Carrierborne short take-off and vertical landing strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1978
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Manufacturer: British Aerospace Systems
- Total units produced: 118
- Top speed: 734 mph
- Armament: 30mm ADEN cannons, Matra rocket pods, Sidewinder missiles, anti-radiation missiles, conventional drop bombs, Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, R550 Magic missiles
F-16 Fighting Falcon
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1978
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin
- Total units produced: 4,604
- Top speed: 1,317 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 internal automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Maverick missiles, Penguin missiles, cluster munitions, laser-guided bombs
Mirage 2000
- Type: Multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1979
- Country of origin: France
- Manufacturer: Dassault Aviation
- Total units produced: 611
- Top speed: 1,453 mph
- Armament: 30mm DEFA internal cannons, Magic 2 missiles, Matra missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs, cluster munitions, Armat missiles, anti-radar missiles, nuclear stand-off missiles
J-8 / J-8 II (Finback)
- Type: Multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1980
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Aviation Industry Corporation of China
- Total units produced: 325
- Top speed: 1,453 mph
- Armament: 23mm cannon, air-to-air missiles, rocket pods, air-to-surface missiles, conventional drop bombs
F/A-18 Hornet
- Type: Carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1983
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing / Northrop
- Total units produced: 1,480
- Top speed: 1,190 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan internal cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided bombs
AV-8B Harrier II
- Type: Short take-off and vertical landing strike aircraft
- Year entered service: 1985
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing / BAe Systems
- Total units produced: 500
- Top speed: 665 mph
- Armament: 25mm GAU-12 automatic cannon, laser-guided bombs, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, cluster munitions, Sidewinder missiles, joint direct munitions
F-15E Strike Eagle
- Type: Strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1988
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
- Total units produced: 420
- Top speed: 1,653 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 internal cannon, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Maverick missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
KF-16 Fighting Falcon
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1991
- Country of origin: South Korea
- Manufacturer: Korean Aerospace Industries
- Total units produced: 140
- Top speed: 870 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan internal cannon, Sidewinder missiles, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, rocket pods, cruise missiles, conventional drop bombs, precision guided bombs
JH-7 (Flounder) / FBC-1 (Flying Leopard)
- Type: Strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1992
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Xian Aircraft Industry Corporation
- Total units produced: 240
- Top speed: 1,118 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-radiation missiles, conventional drop bombs
Su-30 (Flanker-C)
- Type: Air superiority strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1996
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi Design Bureau
- Total units produced: 635
- Top speed: 1,317 mph
- Armament: 30mm GSh internal automatic cannon, Alamo missiles, anti-radiation missiles, laser-guided missiles, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, conventional drop bombs
JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin)
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1997
- Country of origin: Sweden
- Manufacturer: Saab
- Total units produced: 247
- Top speed: 1,370 mph
- Armament: 27mm Mauser internal automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sky Flash missiles, Meteor missiles, MICA missiles, Maverick missiles, cluster bombs, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
F/A-18 Super Hornet
- Type: Carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 1999
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
- Total units produced: 615
- Top speed: 1,187 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 Vulcan automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, Maverick missiles, rocket pots, laser-guided bombs, cluster munitions
Rafale
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2001
- Country of origin: France
- Manufacturer: Dassault Aviation
- Total units produced: 201
- Top speed: 1,383 mph
- Armament: 30mm GIAT internal automatic cannon, MICA missiles, Meteor missiles, nuclear stand-off missiles, Exocet missiles, laser-guided missiles, rocket pods, air-launched cruiser missiles
Typhoon (EF2000)
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2003
- Country of origin: Germany
- Manufacturer: BAe Systems / Eurofighter GmbH
- Total units produced: 570
- Top speed: 1,550 mph
- Armament: 27mm Mauser internal automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Meteor missiles, Storm Shadow missiles, laser-guided bombs, Harm missiles, Penguin missiles, joint direct attack munitions
JF-17 Thunder
- Type: Multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2007
- Country of origin: Pakistan
- Manufacturer: Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
- Total units produced: 132
- Top speed: 1,218 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Exocet missiles, Matra missiles, cluster munitions, guided bombs
J-16 (Red Eagle)
- Type: Fourth generation multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2013
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Shenyang Aircraft Company / Aviation Industry Corporation
- Total units produced: 105
- Top speed: 1,522 mph
- Armament: 30mm GSh internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, conventional drop bombs, laser-guided bombs, rocket pods, anti-ship missiles, anti-radiation missiles
Su-34 (Fullback)
- Type: Long-range strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2014
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi
- Total units produced: 134
- Top speed: 1,367 mph
- Armament: 30mm GSh internal cannon, Archer missiles, Uran missiles, Moskit missiles, Ovod missiles, rocket pods, guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
Su-35 (Flanker-E / Super Flanker)
- Type: Multirole strike fighter aircraft
- Year entered service: 2014
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi
- Total units produced: 130
- Top speed: 1,491 mph
- Armament: 30mm GSh internal automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, laser-guided bombs, anti-radiation missiles, rocket pods
F-35 Lightning II
- Type: Fifth generation strike fighter / fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year entered service: 2016
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin / Northrop Grumman
- Total units produced: 785
- Top speed: 1,199 mph
- Armament: 25mm GAU-12/U, Sidewinder missiles, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, Paveway II/III guided bombs, Rockeye II cluster bombs, joint direct attack munitions
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