A sea battle currently taking place is the U.S. Navy’s longest since World War 2. The aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, sits in the Red Sea fighting off attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as it holds a strategic position to launch Air Force aircraft without the limits of surrounding host nations. For nine months, the personnel have faced two deployment extensions, and leaders have continued a raging debate on how to bring them home or if they can bring them home.
The aircraft carrier holds Navy F/A-18s, Tomahawk missiles, and about 7,000 sailors, and they are becoming desperate for respite and maintenance. Of the 11 US aircraft carriers currently in service, four are deployed, three are in training and preparing to deploy, and four are in routine maintenance and repair, which can take up to a year or more to complete. As of January 2024, there are 5,189 aircraft in active service, with nearly a third of those being fighter jets. The United States aircraft fleet has made itself the largest, most powerful, and technologically advanced in the world, or as the Air Force says so succinctly, “airpower anytime, anywhere.”
To identify every combat aircraft in the US military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ordered these aircraft based on how many were currently in service and we excluded combat helicopters. We also included supplemental data on how many of these aircraft are on order, which military branch they fall under, the year they began service, and who initially manufactured them.
Why Are We Talking About the US Aircraft Fleet?
Source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Juan S. Sua, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
As stated, the US air fleet dominates across the globe. It stands ready to act on many different types of efforts worldwide and functions as transports, trainers, bombers, fighters, tankers, and in special missions. This fleet requires maintenance, upkeep, and advancements on rotation in order to hold onto the global superpower status, and that costs a great deal of money. Each year, the Department of Defense presents an ever-growing budget to lawmakers to facilitate these costs and many others.
Here is a look at every U.S. combat aircraft:
14. AT-802U
- Active aircraft: 0
- Aircraft on order: 75
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Air Tractor and L3Harris
- Entered Service: October 1990
13. B-21
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 0
- Aircraft on order: 100
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Entered Service: November 2023
12. AC-130W
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 3
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Boeing
- Entered Service: 2012
11. B-2
- Active aircraft: 17
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Entered Service: April 1997
10. AC-130J
Source: ajw1970 / Flickr
- Active aircraft: 29
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Boeing
- Entered Service: June 2015
9. B-1B
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 42
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: North American Rockwell
- Entered Service: October 1984
8. B-52H
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 72
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Boeing Company
- Entered Service: February 1955
7. AV-8B/+
Source: Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK via Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 87
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Marine Corps
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft
- Entered Service: November 1981
6. F-22
Source: tomasdelcoro / Flickr
- Active aircraft: 178
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Entered Service: December 2005
5. A-10C
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 270
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Fairchild Aircraft
- Entered Service: September 2007
4. F-35 A/B/C
Source: Sgt. Donald R. Allen, U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 376
- Aircraft on order: 1855
- Military branch: United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Entered Service: F-35B: 31 July 2015 (USMC) F-35A: 2 August 2016 (USAF) F-35C: 28 February 2019 (USN)
3. F-15 C/E/EX
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 377
- Aircraft on order: 102
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: Boeing Defense, Space & Security
- Entered Service: 1976, F-15E: September 1989, F-15EX: July 2024
2. F/A-18 A/C/D/E/F
- Active aircraft: 561
- Aircraft on order: 76
- Military branch: United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
- Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas (1974–1997) with Northrop (1974–1994) Boeing (1997–2000)
- Entered Service: Marine Corps in 1983 and the U.S. Navy in 1984
1. F-16C
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Active aircraft: 738
- Aircraft on order:
- Military branch: United States Air Force
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Entered Service: June 1984
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