This US Military Aircraft Can Reach Speeds of 1,650 MPH

The US Air Force is the largest in the world with over 5,000 military aircraft currently in service. These planes include fighter jets, bombers, transport aircraft, and tankers. Beyond the Air Force, all branches of the US military combined have over 13,000 military aircraft. The US not only has the most aircraft in its fleet than anywhere else in the world, but it’s also the most powerful and technologically advanced. (Also see the first planes of the US Air Force.)

To identify all of the planes in active service in the U.S. military, 24/7 Wall St. referenced the report, 2024 World Air Forces, from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website. We ranked aircraft by top speed, excluding all trainer aircraft and helicopters and all aircraft from the Coast Guard. We also included supplemental data from FlightGlobal regarding the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and how many are on order.

Here is a look at the slowest and fastest U.S. military planes:

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding the diversity in speed and capabilities of these aircraft highlights the technological breadth and versatility of the US Air Force. Recognizing the different speeds and operational roles helps us appreciate how these elements come together to form a robust national defense.

49. Douglas C-41

• Top speed: 198 mph
• Branch: Army
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 5
• On order for the military: 0

48. DHC-6 Twin Otter

• Top speed: 213 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 1
• On order for the military: 0

47. Cessna 208 Caravan

Mission Aviation Fellowship Cessna 208 Caravan S2-AEC Landing (BY-SA 2.0) by Faisal Akram Ether

• Top speed: 214 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Army
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 3
• On order for the military: 0

46. de Havilland Canada Dash 7

• Top speed: 266 mph
• Branch: Army
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 3
• On order for the military: 0

45. Beechcraft 1900

FAIRFORD 26 JULY 1998 US ARMY ... (CC BY 2.0) by simon butler

• Top speed: 284 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Army
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 6
• On order for the military: 0

44. AC-130W Stinger II

• Top speed: 300 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 3
• On order for the military: 0

43. U-28A Draco

• Top speed: 322 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission, transport
• Active in military: 35
• On order for the military: 0

42. Fairchild C-26 Metroliner

• Top speed: 331 mph
• Branch: Army, Navy
• Type: Special mission, transport
• Active in military: 21
• On order for the military: 0

41. C-146 Wolfhound

01 United States Air Force, Dornier Do-328-110, Larnaca, Cyprus (CC BY 3.0) by Tupungato

• Top speed: 335 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 20
• On order for the military: 0

40. Beechcraft C-12 Huron

• Top speed: 336 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps
• Type: Special mission, transport
• Active in military: 255
• On order for the military: 2

39. E-3 Sentry

• Top speed: 360 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 21
• On order for the military: 0

38. C-130 Hercules

Lockheed C-130H Hercules u00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0098CH... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Top speed: 366 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy
• Type: Special mission, transport, tanker
• Active in military: 539
• On order for the military: 51

37. Leonardo C-27 Spartan

Alenia C-27J Spartan (CC BY-SA 2.0) by slezo

• Top speed: 374 mph
• Branch: Army
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 7
• On order for the military: 0

36. AC-130J Ghostrider

Lockheed-Martin AC-130J Ghostr... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Top speed: 384 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 29
• On order for the military: 0

35. C-2 Greyhound

18-1215 Kawazaki C-2 Japanese ... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Colin Cooke Photo

• Top speed: 395 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 26
• On order for the military: 0

34. E-2 Hawkeye

• Top speed: 400 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 83
• On order for the military: 25

33. Bombadier Dash 8

• Top speed: 415 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Army
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 19
• On order for the military: 0

32. A-10C Thunderbolt II

• Top speed: 420 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 270
• On order for the military: 0

31. EP-3 Ares II

• Top speed: 440 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 9
• On order for the military: 0

30. Martin P-3 Orion

• Top speed: 473 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 8
• On order for the military: 0

29. Citation Encore/Sovereign/Ultra

• Top speed: 490 mph
• Branch: Army, Marine Corps
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 38
• On order for the military: 2

28. C-17 Globemaster III

C-17 boarding (BY 2.0) by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

• Top speed: 517 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 228
• On order for the military: 0

27. C-5M Super Galaxy

• Top speed: 518 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 52
• On order for the military: 0

26. PA-31 Navajo

Piper PA-31-350 Navajo N828KT cockpit (CC BY 2.0) by Jeroen Stroes Aviation Photography

• Top speed: 520 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 1
• On order for the military: 0

25. U-2 Dragon Lady

• Top speed: 528 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 26
• On order for the military: 0

24. Learjet 35

N506LG 1984 Learjet C-21A s/n ... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tomu00c3u0083u00c2u00a1s Del Coro

• Top speed: 530 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 19
• On order for the military: 0

23. KC-135 Stratotanker

• Top speed: 530 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Tanker
• Active in military: 377
• On order for the military: 0

22. Boeing P-8 Poseidon

• Top speed: 564 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 118
• On order for the military: 10

21. KC-46 Pegasus

• Top speed: 570 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Tanker
• Active in military: 72
• On order for the military: 99

20. Boeing RC-135

• Top speed: 580 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 22
• On order for the military: 0

19. E-8 Joint STARS

• Top speed: 587 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 4
• On order for the military: 0

18. B-52H Stratofortress

• Top speed: 595 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 72
• On order for the military: 0

17. Boeing E-6 Mercury

• Top speed: 601 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 16
• On order for the military: 0

16. Boeing E-4

• Top speed: 602 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 4
• On order for the military: 0

15. Boeing C-32

• Top speed: 605 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 4
• On order for the military: 0

14. KC-10 Extender

• Top speed: 610 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Tanker
• Active in military: 20
• On order for the military: 0

13. C-40 Clipper

USAF United States Air Force B... (CC BY 2.0) by Diegonvs

• Top speed: 615 mph
• Branch: Marine Corps, Navy
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 18
• On order for the military: 0

12. B-2 Spirit

Illinois National Guard (CC BY 2.0) by The National Guard

• Top speed: 630 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 17
• On order for the military: 0

11. Gulfstream C-20

• Top speed: 652 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy
• Type: Transport
• Active in military: 5
• On order for the military: 0

10. Gulfstream G550

• Top speed: 670 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission, transport
• Active in military: 2
• On order for the military: 9

9. AV-8B Harrier II

AV-8B (CC BY-SA 2.0) by iyoupapa

• Top speed: 673 mph
• Branch: Marine Corps
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 87
• On order for the military: 0

8. Bombadier Express E-11

2010-07-08 BD700 Tyrolean OE-IGS EDDF 03 (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE) by Wo st 01

• Top speed: 675 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 7
• On order for the military: 4

7. B-1B Lancer

• Top speed: 950 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 42
• On order for the military: 0

6. EA-18G Growler

• Top speed: 1,190 mph
• Branch: Navy
• Type: Special mission
• Active in military: 153
• On order for the military: 0

5. F-35 Lightning II

• Top speed: 1,190 mph
• Branch: Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 376
• On order for the military: 1,855

4. F/A-18 Hornet / Super Hornet

• Top speed: 1,200 mph
• Branch: Marine Corps, Navy
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 561
• On order for the military: 76

3. F-16C Fighting Falcon

• Top speed: 1,345 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 738
• On order for the military: 0

2. F-22 Raptor

F-22 Raptor (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tomu00c3u00a1s Del Coro

• Top speed: 1,500 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 178
• On order for the military: 0

1. F-15EX Eagle II

• Top speed: 1,650 mph
• Branch: Air Force
• Type: Combat aircraft
• Active in military: 377
• On order for the military: 102