US Fighter Jets Ranked (2021)

Russian Fighter Jets ranked https://youtu.be/LUkv6_Ojhlw Chinese Fighter Jets ranked https://youtu.be/hIxtudj3zUw To review the full ranking. Take a look in the description! For those of you asking why the A-10 is here, I developed a ranking system shortly after this video that allows me to compare any aircraft type from any era. So it doesn't really matter if it isn't a fighter jet. Check out the video explanation of the ultimate aircraft ranking system here. https://youtu.be/5ceOBXRjdVs

I served with a pilot that had flown the F-14, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, and test flew the YF-22. He once told us you could buy 6 F/A-18s for the price of 1 F-22 and said "which is the better deal?..........The F-22. If you put 6 F/A 18s against 1 F-22 you're going to have 6 dead Hornet drivers before they even knew they were in a fight"

The A-10 while an awesome aircraft... it's not really a fighter aircraft... It really is in a class of it's own.

My family was in the start of flight, my great grandfather built the heads for the Wright brothers, my father was an avenger torpedo dive bomber in WW2, I study aircrafts, I consider myself an expert on the subject, your list is right on it from worst to first my hats off to you.

I was a designer and worked on the F-35 in it's early stages (Early 2000s). I remember seeing it for the first time and it blew my mind. Still have my coin that was given to those who worked on the project. One of my favorite jobs I ever had. Awesome to see it so highly ranked. While it has been 20yrs since I worked on it, I am a proud to see it has evolved to really be a great fighter.

Since learning more about the F-35's computing and network technologies, it's quickly become one of my favourites

I'm an F-15C pilot. Multi-role = compromise. You did a good job separating the F-15C and F-15E as different aircraft, because they are. The F-15E has larger 229 engines to the F-15C 220 engines, but as an engineer you know aerodynamic drag is exponential, which is why the F-15E is not nearly as effective in air combat as the C model because the mudhen has so much stuff hanging off the bottom of it. The E model is just a small B1B honestly, to me. The radars are different as well, the C-model has a pure air to air radar while some of the AESA antenna in the E model are dedicated to ground attack, which is a compromise. This is the same reason why the F/A-18 (both Hornet and Rhino variants) is easy peasy for me in air combat. I can acquire and shoot it with a purist, slick aircraft with a purist air to air radar which pairs better with AMRAAMs. Some multi-role radars do not unlock the AMRAAMs full potential, even if the jet can carry it. If the fight is visual, I can usually bait a Hornet driver to crank nose, dump energy, and then I can easily outrun it in a 2-circle. If bait doesn't work, it's just a longer fight, and I add vertical axis to drive the Hornet closer to stall. The only 2 aircraft I ever really have problems with are F-22 because it cheats :) And the Eurofighter close in and at medium or low alt because the Eurofighter has a magnificent pair of engines. Eurofighters up high in the cons are easy because of air density and wing loading, just like the F-16, but the F-22 is hard everywhere. We should have bought many, many more F-22s and never bought the F-35.

The Harrier was one of a kind. It isn't specifically a "fighter" in the classic sense - it's more like a Close Air Support/Multi-Mission Attack plane that the Marines used with great effectiveness. It was a part of the Marine Air/Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with Amphibious Infantry Elements, Armored Elements, Anti-Air, Rotor-Wing (helos), and Fixed-Wing aircraft (Harriers, F/A-18C/D's, and F-4 Wild Weasels) all working in tandem with MARSOC (Marine special ops) and with Navy, Air Force, and Army detachments. It was one of the hardest planes to fly and Marine Pilots had to be tip-top, squared-away to even qualify. I have a soft spot for the Harrier because I was part of a Harrier Maintenance Support Squadron from '87-'92. Good times Action Jackson.... P.S.: 400~600+ MPH is reaaally fast if you're flying treetop levels - of which the Marine Harrier Pilots did a LOT of. Really impressive when you see them fly that fast and that low - no margin for error at all.... P.S.S.: The F-5 was the base design that birthed the F/A-18 Hornet.

F22 is the unicorn the rest of the world could have never imagined

For the hog going at 439 mph, that’s good speed to plow the fields. Plus, slower speed helps in maneuverability, and the wing configuration is perfect for that.

The f 35 is a newer fighter, but the amount of upgrades in the works are insane. Sometime around 2028-29, all the systems are getting a upgrade known as the block upgrade, which will multiply onboard systems power by 30x, so for now the raptor can be the best

The F-22 is my favorite as well. There was some talk of putting the F-35's avionics into an F-22 body, which would be amazing.

F-22 was so ahead of it's time other countries are only now building 5th gen that are somewhat close to it almost 3 decades later. Insane.

Young fella....I learned a lot from your video and agree with your rankings. At 60ish, you taught me a few things...great job !! Glad to see there IS hope for our great country.....

Thank you so much for educating me on this topic!

Excellent information. Very interesting. Thanks.

I love the F22 so much. Such a beautiful Fighter and the flight vectoring system is just awesome. Although I still have love for the McDonald Douglass YF23 Black widow. I actually think in several areas like stealth and thermal dampening of its exhaust (although no thrust vectoring)

The F-15C was designed for air-to-air only, but the F-15E is a ground attack aircraft as well. I'd put it just above the F-18E. Just above either of those I'd put the new F-15EX.

Really easy to follow... Great Job!!!

Great job reporting on these jets. They are amongst the best fighter jets of all time. Great news from an aironotics engineer.