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Ranking WWII American Carrier-Based Planes by Production Numbers During the War

Chris Lange

Published: December 18, 2023 9:35 am

Military aviation began in 1909 with the production of the world’s first military airplane, the Wright Military Flyer. In between the First and Second World Wars, advancements in aviation were immense, and this period was known as the Golden Age of Flight. During the Second World War aviation technology took several additional major leaps forward, perhaps most notably for carrier-based aircraft. These are planes that can take off and land from the flight deck of a carrier. These giant vessels became mobile airfields for the first time during a major war and played a crucial role in the Pacific Theater. 

To identify every carrier-based aircraft the United States used during WWII, 24/7 Wall St. referenced U.S. naval aircraft in the WWII era from the online military equipment database Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. The planes were listed in ascending order on production totals. We excluded prototype aircraft or those with limited production runs were excluded. Supplemental information about the aircraft’s type, crew size, top speed, roles, and year entered service also came from Military Factory.

The initial production line of fighter aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Marines was the Grumman F4F Wildcat. It served as the primary carrier-based fighter in the early stages of the war in the Pacific, proving to be an exceptionally rugged and reliable aircraft. (Also see, these are the most produced aircraft by any nation during WWII.)

The F6F Hellcat was introduced by the United States as the war advanced. This was a more advanced fighter aircraft. The carrier-borne aircraft improved upon the design of the Wildcat and boosted the odds against its adversaries. The Hellcat’s introduction into service was timely, as it played a decisive role in turning the tide against the Japanese from the Caroline Islands to the Battle of the Philippine Sea and beyond. (Here are the US Navy’s 15 most expensive planes.)

The additional planes on this list include aircraft capable of launching torpedoes, dive bombers, interception, and fighter aircraft. These planes played various roles throughout the conflict, whether in air-to-air combat, anti-submarine warfare, ground attacks, or intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance as seen on the list. The U.S. Navy established its dominance in the Pacific through the successful implementation of aircraft carriers and their carrier-based aircraft. 

Here is a Ranking of World War II American Carrier-Based Planes by Production Numbers During the War

20. Douglas BTD Destroyer

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 30
• Year entered service: 1944
• Type: Torpedo/dive bomber
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 334 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship

19. Ryan FR Fireball

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 66
• Year entered service: 1945
• Type: Mixed-power fighter
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 426 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception

18. Douglas TBD Devastator

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 130
• Year entered service: 1937
• Type: Navy torpedo bomber
• Crew: 3
• Top speed: 206 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship

17. Martin AM Mauler

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 151
• Year entered service: 1948
• Type: Attack aircraft
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 384 mph
• Roles: Close-air support

16. Consolidated Vultee TBY Sea Wolf

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 180
• Year entered service: 1944
• Type: Torpedo bomber
• Crew: 3
• Top speed: 306 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

15. Curtiss SBC Helldiver

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 257
• Year entered service: 1938
• Type: Naval dive bomber/fighter
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 237 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship

14. Vought SB2U Vindicator

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 260
• Year entered service: 1937
• Type: Dive bomber
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 251 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship, training

13. Brewster F2A (Buffalo)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 509
• Year entered service: 1939
• Type: Single-seat, single-engine monoplane fighter
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 321 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter

12. Brewster F3A (F4U-1) Corsair

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 600
• Year entered service: 1943
• Type: Single-engine fighter
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 416 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception, ground attack (bombing, strafing), close air support, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance

11. Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

Source: Angel Di Bilio / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Number built: 739
• Year entered service: 1943
• Type: Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft
• Crew: 11
• Top speed: 300 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-submarine, anti-ship, search & rescue, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance

10. Brewster SB2A Buccaneer

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 771
• Year entered service: 1941
• Type: Scout bomber
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 273 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance

9. Grumman F8F Bearcat

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat u00e2u0080u009812267... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Number built: 1,266
• Year entered service: 1945
• Type: Fighter/interceptor
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 421 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception

8. Douglas SBD Dauntless

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 5,936
• Year entered service: 1938
• Type: Dive bomber
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 255 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship

7. Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Source: icholakov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Number built: 7,140
• Year entered service: 1943
• Type: Dive bomber/reconnaissance aircraft
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 260 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), anti-ship, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance

6. Grumman F4F Wildcat

Source: KGrif / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Number built: 7,722
• Year entered service: 1940
• Type: Single-seat, single-engine monoplane fighter
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 332 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, ground attack (bombing, strafing)

5. de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Number built: 7,781
• Year entered service: 1942
• Type: Multirole heavy fighter/fighter-bomber
• Crew: 2
• Top speed: 407 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception, ground attack (bombing, strafing), close air support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, training

4. North American B-25 Mitchell

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Number built: 9,816
• Year entered service: 1941
• Type: Twin-engine medium bomber
• Crew: 5
• Top speed: 272 mph
• Roles: Ground attack (bombing, strafing), close-air support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship, transport, VIP service, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, training

3. Gruman TBF Avenger

TBM3 Avenger - Chino Airshow 2014 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Airwolfhound

• Number built: 9,835
• Year entered service: 1942
• Type: Torpedo bomber
• Crew: 3
• Top speed: 271 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, ground attack (bombing, strafing), airborne early warning, anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship, electronic warfare, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance

2. Grumman F6F Hellcat

Source: rancho_runner / iStock via Getty Images

• Number built: 12,272
• Year entered service: 1943
• Type: Fighter-bomber
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 380 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception, ground attack (bombing, strafing), close air support

1. Vought F4U Corsair

Vought F4U Corsair 7 (CC BY 2.0) by Tony Hisgett

• Number built: 12,571
• Year entered service: 1942
• Type: Fighter-bomber
• Crew: 1
• Top speed: 446 mph
• Roles: Air-to-air combat fighter, interception, ground attack (bombing, strafing), close-air support, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance