The Jet Age began in the wake of World War 2, when technology made a massive leap and more fighter aircraft began incorporating jet engines to their design. Aerial combat evolved in kind. While there were less dog fights and engagements overall, the military doctrine of air superiority reigned supreme. Better tech and design gave way to many of the iconic fighter aircraft we know today. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at some of the most lethal aircraft of the Jet Age.
To determine the post-WW2 aircraft with the most confirmed kills or aerial victories used by the U.S. Military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of aircraft from Military Factory (among other sources), an online database of small arms, aircraft, and other military assets. We ranked these fighter jets according to their confirmed kills. We included supplementary information regarding the type of aircraft, top speed, year entered service, and armament. Some of the data for these aircraft was not available or limited, and it will be noted.
Note that some of these iconic fighter aircraft did not score any kills but were still instrumental for the U.S. Armed Forces in maintaining air superiority. There are even some fighters that suprisingly did not tally a single kill for US operators.
Here is a look at the post-WW2 US aircraft with the most confirmed kills and aerial victories:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding air superiority, as it relates to how it’s earned or measured, comes down to more than tallying aircraft shot down. It’s about persistent control of the airspace in terms of denying the enemy freedom of action through attrition and by disrupting their radar, logistics, and more. Kill counts are a solid metric for tallying the score. Militaries with finite resources are less willing to risk it, if they know their aircraft will be shot down repeatedly. Also, air superiority gives a strategic foothold to larger military operations in general.
20. F-22 Raptor
- Confirmed kills: Not publicly available
- Type: 5th generation air dominance fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 2005
- Top speed: 1,599 mph
- Armament: 20mm automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, joint drop munitions, drop bombs, air-launched cruise missiles
The F-22 has no publicly detailed confirmed kills, but these aircraft have shot down high-altitude objects–whether they were manned is unknown.
19. F-35 Lightning II
- Confirmed kills: Not publicly available
- Type: Multirole 5th generation aircraft
- Year introduced: 2016
- Top speed: 1,199 mph
- Armament: 25mm GAU-12/U automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Paveway guided bombs, Rockeye II bombs, Brimstone missiles, Storm Shadow missiles, drop bombs
American flown F-35s have not registered any confirmed kills publicly. However, allies with F-35’s have recorded kills of their own.
18. F-104 Starfighter
- Confirmed kills: 0
- Type: Fighter / Interceptor aircraft
- Year introduced: 1958
- Top speed: 1320 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Selenia Aspide missiles, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, nuclear ordnance
There were effectively no combat kills for this aircraft with US operators. However, multiple kills have been logged by foreign operators like Taiwan and Pakistan.
17. F-14 Tomcat
- Confirmed kills: 0
- Type: Swing-wing, carrierborne fleet defense fighter
- Year introduced: 1974
- Top speed: 1,544 mph
- Armament: 20mm internal gatling gun, Phoenix missiles, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
Although the US Armed Forces do not have any confirmed kills with this aircraft, the ones sold to Iran are credited with a fair amount (~55).
16. F-102 Delta Dagger
- Confirmed kills: 0
- Type: Supersonic interceptor aircraft
- Year introduced: 1956
- Top speed: 825 mph
- Armament: AIM-4A semi-active radar-homing air-to-air missiles, InfraRed homing air-to-air missiles, folding-fin aerial rockets, Falcon nuclear missiles
There were no significant US air-to-air combat kills recorded, as there was little-to-no wartime scoring with this aircraft.
15. AV-8B/+ Harrier II
- Confirmed kills: 0
- Type: Short take-off and vertical landing strike aircraft
- Year introduced: 1985
- Top speed: 665 mph
- Armament: 30mm ADEN cannons, drop bombs, laser-guided bombs, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, cluster munitions, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, joint direct attack munitions
There are no notable US air-to-air confirmed kills with this aircraft. Most of the confirmed kills come from foreign operators, notably in the Falklands.
14. F-101 Voodoo
- Confirmed kills: 0
- Type: Interceptor / Reconnaissance aircraft
- Year introduced: 1957
- Top speed: 1134 mph
- Armament: 20mm M39 automatic cannons, MB-1 Genie missiles (nuclear-tipped), Falcon air-to-air missiles
This aircraft served during the Cold War but recorded no confirmed kills by US operators.
13. A-4 Skyhawk
- Confirmed kills: 1
- Type: Multirole carrier-based fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1956
- Top speed: 645 mph
- Armament: 20mm Colt Mk 12 automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, Bullpup missiles, Maverick missiles, Shrike missiles, Walleye drop bombs, LAU-10 rocket pods, nuclear bombs (B43, B57, B61), Rockeye bombs, Rockeye II bombs, conventional drop bombs
The US Navy and Marines scored one confirmed kill with this aircraft in the Vietnam War.
12. F/A-18 Super Hornet
- Confirmed kills: ~1
- Type: Carrier-based strike fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1999
- Top speed: 1,187 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 Vulcan automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, Maverick missiles, joint direct att munitions, Rockeye II bombs, general purpose bombs
This solo confirmed kill happened in June 2017 to a Su-22. However, there have been a number of shootdowns for drones.
11. F/A-18 Hornet
- Confirmed kills: ~2
- Type: Carrier-based strike fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1983
- Top speed: 1,190 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided / precision drop bombs, gun pods, rocket pods, nuclear-tipped ordnance
These confirmed kills came from Operation Desert Storm.
10. A-10C Thunderbolt II
- Confirmed kills: ~2
- Type: Close-air support / forward air control
- Year introduced: 1976
- Top speed: 439 mph
- Armament: 30mm GAU-8/A gatling gun, Maverick missiles, Sidewinder missiles, rocket pods, drop bombs, cluster bombs, Paveway bombs
A-10’s are not air-superiority fighters, so their air-to-air combat record is incredibly limited. However, this aircraft did down 2 helicopters in 1991.
9. F-100 Super Sabre
- Confirmed kills: ~3
- Type: Air superiority / fighter-bomber / reconnaissance aircraft
- Year introduced: 1954
- Top speed: 864 mph
- Armament: 20mm M39 autocannons, Sidewinder missiles, Bullpup missiles, Shrike missiles, HVAR rockets, conventional drop bombs, nuclear missiles
There were very few kills by this aircraft during the Vietnam War and many claims are probables.
8. P-80 Shooting Star
- Confirmed kills: ~5
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1945
- Top speed: 577 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine guns, conventional drop bombs, HVAR rockets
The kills by this aircraft came from early in the Korean War but some are contested.
7. F-84 Thunderjet
- Confirmed kills: ~8
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1947
- Top speed: 587 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, aerial rockets, conventional drop bombs, napalm
These were 8 credited MiG kills in the Korean War.
6. F-16 Fighting Falcon
- Confirmed kills: ~10
- Type: Multirole 4th generation fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1978
- Top speed: 1,317 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Maverick missiles, Penguin missiles, Runway denial bombs, cluster bombs, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
US operators generally scored low confirmed kills with this aircraft compared to other militaries around the world. Most of the F-16 kills belong to countries like Israel or Pakistan. A couple of the US confirmed kills came in no-fly-zone ops and the Balkans.
5. F-8 Crusader
- Confirmed kills: ~19
- Type: Carrier-based fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1957
- Top speed: 1118 mph
- Armament: 20mm automatic cannons, Sidewinder missiles, air-to-air missiles, Bullpup missiles, Matra missiles, Magic missiles
The US Navy is credited with kills in the high-teens with this aircraft during the Vietnam War.
4. F-105 Thunderchief
- Confirmed kills: ~27
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1958
- Top speed: 1390 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, mine dispensers, air-to-surface missiles, anti-radiation missiles, rocket pods, nuclear-tipped weapons, conventional drop bombs
All of these air-to-air victories came from the Vietnam War.
3. F-15 Eagle / Strike Eagle
- Confirmed kills: ~36
- Type: Air superiority fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1976
- Top speed: 1,875 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided bombs, joint direct attack munitions, cluster bombs, nuclear bombs
These kills primarily come from Operation Desert Storm and other smaller engagements. The F-15C actually scored the bulk of the USAF air-to-air victories in Desert Storm.
2. F-4 Phantom II
- Confirmed kills: ~150
- Type: Strike fighter
- Year introduced: 1960
- Top speed: 1,473 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61 Vulcan, Skyflash missiles, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, rocket pods, gun pods, conventional drop bombs, guided bombs
The Armed Forces of the US have a combined total of 150 air-to-air kills in Vietnam. In terms of the breakdown, the USAF tallied 107, Navy got 40, and the Marines got 3.
1. F-86 Sabre
- Confirmed kills: ~792
- Type: Fighter-bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1949
- Top speed: 690 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine guns, 20mm automatic cannons, rockets, Sidewinder missiles, conventional drop bombs
The US claims to have nearly 800 kills with this aircraft, primarily stemming from the Korean War. However, some are revising this number down to around 200.
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks