Special Report

Every US Military Aircraft Currently in Active Service

F-35+Lightning+II | Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II"
Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr

Out of all the air forces in the world, the U.S. military is home to the largest with over 13,000 aircraft currently in its fleet. These aircraft span the range of fighters, bombers, transport, and surveillance planes, each with its own set of unique capabilities. Each one of these plays an instrumental role in how the U.S. projects power around the world. (These are the nations with the largest air forces in the world.)

U.S. military aircraft provide support for various operations, from combat and surveillance to search and rescue missions. And to keep its position as the world’s dominant military power, the United States invests heavily in its air force. Accordingly, the U.S. has built an incredibly diverse fleet of aircraft.

24/7 Wall St. referenced the report, 2024 World Air Forces, from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website to identify all of the planes in active service in the U.S. military. We ranked aircraft by the number of units in active service. We excluded all trainer aircraft and helicopters and all aircraft from the Coast Guard. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and how many are on order came from FlightGlobal.

Out of all the combat aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II is one of the most recent to enter service. With over 350 units in service, the F-35 forms the backbone of the military’s air dominance strategy. This advanced multirole fighter, developed by Lockheed Martin, combines stealth capabilities, advanced sensors, and networking technology, making it an indispensable tool for maintaining military superiority. (These are the oldest and newest fighter jets in modern air forces.)

Separate from fighter jets, the U.S. military employs logistical support and surveillance aircraft like the C-130 Hercules and the E-3 Sentry. The C-130 Hercules, with hundreds of units in service, remains the workhorse for mobility and transport in the U.S. military. It also takes on a few different variants across branches. The E-3 Sentry is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, providing critical surveillance and command-and-control capabilities.

Here is a look at every U.S. military plane in active service:

49. DHC-6 Twin Otter

tomasdelcoro / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 1
  • On order for the military: 0

48. PA-31 Navajo

Jeroen Stroes Aviation Photography / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 1
  • On order for the military: 0

47. Gulfstream G550

Anna Zvereva / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission, transport
  • Active in military: 2
  • On order for the military: 9

46. AC-130W Stinger II

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 3
  • On order for the military: 0

45. Cessna 208 Caravan

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force, Army
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 3
  • On order for the military: 0

44. de Havilland Canada Dash 7

Alan Radecki Akradecki / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Army
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 3
  • On order for the military: 0

43. E-8 Joint STARS

fireballsg72 / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 4
  • On order for the military: 0

42. Boeing E-4

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 4
  • On order for the military: 0

41. Boeing C-32

dylan33 / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 4
  • On order for the military: 0

40. Douglas C-41

Jud McCranie / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Army
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 5
  • On order for the military: 0

39. Gulfstream C-20

Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
  • Branch: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 5
  • On order for the military: 0

38. Beechcraft 1900

santirf / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Branch: Air Force, Army
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 6
  • On order for the military: 0

37. Leonardo C-27 Spartan

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Army
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 7
  • On order for the military: 0

36. Bombadier Express E-11

  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 7
  • On order for the military: 4

35. Martin P-3 Orion

Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 8
  • On order for the military: 0

34. EP-3 Ares II

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 9
  • On order for the military: 0

33. Boeing E-6 Mercury

AllenJMSmith / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 16
  • On order for the military: 0

32. B-2 Spirit

prayitnophotography / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 17
  • On order for the military: 0

31. C-40 Clipper

scubabix / Flickr
  • Branch: Marine Corps, Navy
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 18
  • On order for the military: 0

30. Bombadier Dash 8

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force, Army
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 19
  • On order for the military: 0

29. Learjet 35

tomasdelcoro / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 19
  • On order for the military: 0

28. KC-10 Extender

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Tanker
  • Active in military: 20
  • On order for the military: 0

27. C-146 Wolfhound

Thanh Liem / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 20
  • On order for the military: 0

26. E-3 Sentry

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 21
  • On order for the military: 0

25. Fairchild C-26 Metroliner

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Army, Navy
  • Type: Special mission, transport
  • Active in military: 21
  • On order for the military: 0

24. Boeing RC-135

kitmasterbloke / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 22
  • On order for the military: 0

23. C-2 Greyhound

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 26
  • On order for the military: 0

22. U-2 Dragon Lady

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 26
  • On order for the military: 0

21. AC-130J Ghostrider

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 29
  • On order for the military: 0

20. U-28A Draco

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Special mission, transport
  • Active in military: 35
  • On order for the military: 0

19. Citation Encore/Sovereign/Ultra

  • Branch: Army, Marine Corps
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 38
  • On order for the military: 2

18. B-1B Lancer

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 42
  • On order for the military: 0

17. C-5M Super Galaxy

markyharky / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 52
  • On order for the military: 0

16. KC-46 Pegasus

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Tanker
  • Active in military: 72
  • On order for the military: 99

15. B-52H Stratofortress

my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 72
  • On order for the military: 0

14. E-2 Hawkeye

Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 83
  • On order for the military: 25

13. AV-8B Harrier II

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Marine Corps
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 87
  • On order for the military: 0

12. Boeing P-8 Poseidon

venkatmangudi / Flickr
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 118
  • On order for the military: 10

11. EA-18G Growler

usairforce / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Navy
  • Type: Special mission
  • Active in military: 153
  • On order for the military: 0

10. F-22 Raptor

tomasdelcoro / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 178
  • On order for the military: 0

9. C-17 Globemaster III

crudmucosa / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Transport
  • Active in military: 228
  • On order for the military: 0

8. Beechcraft C-12 Huron

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps
  • Type: Special mission, transport
  • Active in military: 255
  • On order for the military: 2

7. A-10C Thunderbolt II

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 270
  • On order for the military: 0

6. F-35 Lightning II

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 376
  • On order for the military: 1,855

5. F-15EX Eagle II

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 377
  • On order for the military: 102

4. KC-135 Stratotanker

US Air Force / United States government work / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Tanker
  • Active in military: 377
  • On order for the military: 0

3. C-130 Hercules

Oren Rozen / Wikimedia Commons
  • Branch: Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy
  • Type: Special mission, transport, tanker
  • Active in military: 539
  • On order for the military: 51

2. F/A-18 Hornet / Super Hornet

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Marine Corps, Navy
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 561
  • On order for the military: 76

1. F-16C Fighting Falcon

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Branch: Air Force
  • Type: Combat aircraft
  • Active in military: 738
  • On order for the military: 0

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