Special Report

This Is the Most Widely Used Military Aircraft on Earth

usairforce / Flickr

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the most widely used combat aircraft in the world. Although it was introduced to service in 1978, it continues to be widely popular weapons system. For many militaries, it acts as a relatively low-cost and high-performance option, even compared against newer combat aircraft. The Fighting Falcon is just one of many military aircraft that pervades many national air forces. (These are the newest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.)

To identify the military aircraft that are most widely used, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the report 2023 World Air Forces from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked each aircraft by the number of units in service in the 163 countries reporting to FlightGlobal. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, how many are on order, and notable countries that use these aircraft also came from FlightGlobal.

Like the F-16, many of these military aircraft are relatively cheaper than their newer counterparts making them more affordable for countries looking to build up their military might. Another common theme among some of these combat aircraft mentioned is that they have been in production for decades, which gives credence to their combat record.

The F-35 Lightning II is one of the newer models that is widely used by world militaries. Lockheed Martin has been producing hundreds of these fighter jets over the last decade and many NATO nations have purchased this fifth-generation multirole aircraft. One of the main selling points on the F-35 is its versatility and its stealth capabilities.

It is worth noting that the vast majority of this list consists of combat aircraft and combat helicopters. Militaries tend to have fewer tankers, transports, and special mission aircraft because their roles are limited, while combat aircraft are more effective to project power.

The only instance of a transport, tanker, and special mission aircraft on this list is the versatile C-130 Hercules and its multiple variants. Designed by Lockheed Martin, this aircraft is used in multiple roles on and off the battlefield, including humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and military logistics. (These are the oldest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.)

Here is a look at the most widely used military aircraft on Earth:

25. NH90 Caiman

VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active aircraft: 446
  • Aircraft on order: 147
  • Type: Combat helicopter
  • Notable countries: Australia, France, Netherlands

24. Chengdu J-7 Fishcan

sdasmarchives / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 452
  • Aircraft on order: 0
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: China

23. Bell 206 JetRanger

Shadman Samee / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 478
  • Aircraft on order: 0
  • Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Argentina, Germany, Iraq, Italy

22. Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot

my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 489
  • Aircraft on order: 0
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Armenia, Belarus, North Korea, Russia

21. Eurocopter H145

Tim Rademacher / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 533
  • Aircraft on order: 88
  • Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Albania, Germany, United States

20. AH-1 Cobra

friedebach / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 573
  • Aircraft on order: 46
  • Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan

19. T-38 Talon

Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
  • Active aircraft: 575
  • Aircraft on order: 0
  • Type: Training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Turkey, United States

18. Aero L-39 Albatros

volvob12b / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 575
  • Aircraft on order: 36
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Libya, Mali, Russia

17. MD500 Defender

James Cromwell / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 588
  • Aircraft on order: 86
  • Type: Combat helicopter
  • Notable countries: Argentina, Colombia, North Korea

16. F-5 Tiger II

rancho_runner / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active aircraft: 611
  • Aircraft on order: 0
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Brazil, Chile, South Korea, Switzerland

15. F-35 Lightning II

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

14. Mil Mi-17 Hip

Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 765
  • Aircraft on order: 65
  • Type: Combat helicopter
  • Notable countries: Bangladesh, India, Venezuela

13. Mil Mi-24 Hind

friedebach / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 828
  • Aircraft on order: 33
  • Type: Combat helicopter
  • Notable countries: Armenia, Russia, Ukraine

12. Mikoyan MiG-29

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 899
  • Aircraft on order: 79
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Egypt

11. Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker

James Jones / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active aircraft: 964
  • Aircraft on order: 87
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: China, Kazakhstan, Russia

10. CH-47 Chinook

39955793@N07 / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 925
  • Aircraft on order: 202
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Notable countries: Australia, Germany, United States

9. T-6 Texan

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 980
  • Aircraft on order: 68
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Thailand, United States, Iraq

8. F-15 Eagle

tomasdelcoro via Wikimedia Commons
  • Active aircraft: 1,066
  • Aircraft on order: 222
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Indonesia, Israel, Japan, United States

7. Bell UH-1 Iroquois

cak757 / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 1,105
  • Aircraft on order: 33
  • Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: United States, Turkey, South Korea

6. F/A-18 Hornet

usairforce / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 1,111
  • Aircraft on order: 116
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Canada, Spain, Switzerland, United States

5. C-130 Hercules

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 1,133
  • Aircraft on order: 119
  • Type: Combat aircraft, special mission, tanker, transport
  • Notable countries: United States, Austria, Israel

4. AH-64 Apache

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

3. Mil Mi-8 Hip

peer_gynt / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 2,039
  • Aircraft on order: 17
  • Type: Combat helicopter
  • Notable countries: Algeria, Croatia, Cuba, Russia

2. F-16 Fighting Falcon

usairforce / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 2,763
  • Aircraft on order: 156
  • Type: Combat aircraft, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt

1. S-70 Black Hawk

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Active aircraft: 3,909
  • Aircraft on order: 806
  • Type: Combat helicopter, training aircraft
  • Notable countries: United States, Saudi Arabia, Poland

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