The U.S. fleet of military aircraft is integral in providing support for various operations, from combat and surveillance to search and rescue missions. To keep its position as the world’s dominant military power, the United States invests in its military, including maintaining the most powerful fleet of military aircraft on the planet.
The U.S. military currently operates roughly 13,300 aircraft, making it the largest and most powerful air force in the world. This fleet consists of various types of aircraft, including fighters, bombers, transport, and surveillance planes, each with its own set of unique capabilities. (These are the largest air forces in the world.)
24/7 Wall St. referenced the report, 2023 World Air Forces, from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website to identify all of the planes in active service in the U.S. military. We ranked aircraft by the number of units in active service. We excluded all trainer aircraft and helicopters and all aircraft from the Coast Guard. Supplemental data regarding the type of aircraft, how many are in active service, and how many are on order came from FlightGlobal. Data on each aircraft’s first flight came from various military and historical sources.
The F-35 Lightning II stands out among the fighter aircraft as a cutting-edge machine, representing the next generation of air combat. With over 300 units in service, the F-35 forms the backbone of the military’s air dominance strategy. This advanced multirole fighter, developed by Lockheed Martin, combines stealth capabilities, advanced sensors, and networking technology, making it an indispensable tool for maintaining military superiority.
Known for its air-to-air combat prowess, the F-22 Raptor has over 150 units in service and holds a critical role in air superiority missions. Its stealth capabilities, integrated avionics, and ability to reach supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners provide a notable advantage over potential adversaries. (These are the U.S. military’s fastest planes.)
In terms of long-range strategic bombers, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is capable of delivering precision-guided munitions, and it plays a key role in penetrating heavily defended enemy territory. The B-2 saw its first action in Kosovo in 1999 where it delivered pinpoint strikes. This stealth bomber is also capable of delivering a nuclear payload.
Additionally, vital for logistical support and situational awareness are transport and surveillance aircraft C-130 Hercules and the E-3 Sentry. The C-130 Hercules, with hundreds of units in service, remains the workhorse for mobility and transport in the U.S. military. It also takes on a few different variants across branches. The E-3 Sentry is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, providing critical surveillance and command-and-control capabilities.
Here is every US military plane in active service
48. de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 1 (tied)
- First flight: May 1965
- On order for the military: 0
47. Gulfstream G550
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 1 (tied)
- First flight: July 2002
- On order for the military: 0
46. Piper PA-31 Navajo
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 1 (tied)
- First flight: September 1964
- On order for the military: 0
45. Cessna 208 Caravan
Source: nuttapong / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 2
- First flight: December 1982
- On order for the military: 0
44. Beechcraft 1900 (C-12J)
Source: santirf / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force, Army
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 3 (tied)
- First flight: September 1982
- On order for the military: 0
43. de Havilland Canada Dash 7
- Branch: Army
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 3 (tied)
- First flight: March 1975
- On order for the military: 0
42. Boeing 747 E-4
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 4 (tied)
- First flight: April 1988
- On order for the military: 0
41. Boeing 757 C-32
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 4 (tied)
- First flight: February 1982
- On order for the military: 0
40. Airbus Bombardier Express E-11
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 4 (tied)
- First flight: August 2007
- On order for the military: 5
39. Sikorsky M-28 Skytruck
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 5 (tied)
- First flight: September 1969
- On order for the military: 0
38. Douglas C212 (C-41)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Army
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 5 (tied)
- First flight: December 1936
- On order for the military: 0
37. Airbus CN235
Source: Julian_Mg / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 5 (tied)
- First flight: November 1983
- On order for the military: 0
36. Gulfstream IV (C-20G)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 5 (tied)
- First flight: September 1985
- On order for the military: 0
35. Boeing Leonardo C-27 Spartan
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Army
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 7
- First flight: June 2008
- On order for the military: 0
34. Lockheed Martin EP-3E Ares II
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Navy
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 11
- First flight: November 2002
- On order for the military: 0
33. Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Navy
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 17
- First flight: November 1959
- On order for the military: 0
32. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 18
- First flight: July 1989
- On order for the military: 0
31. Learjet 35 (C-21A)
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 19
- First flight: August 1973
- On order for the military: 0
30. de Havilland Bombardier Dash 8
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force, Army
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 20 (tied)
- First flight: June 1983
- On order for the military: 0
29. Dornier 328 (C-146) Wolfhound
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 20 (tied)
- First flight: December 1991
- On order for the military: 0
28. Boeing RC-135
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 22
- First flight: August 1956
- On order for the military: 0
27. Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 26
- First flight: August 1955
- On order for the military: 0
26. Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Navy
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 30
- First flight: November 1964
- On order for the military: 0
25. Fairchild Republic Merlin IV/Metro (C-26)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force, Army
- Type: Special mission, transport
- Active in Military: 35 (tied)
- First flight: December 1972
- On order for the military: 0
24. Pilatus PC-12 (U-28) Draco
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission, transport
- Active in Military: 35 (tied)
- First flight: May 1991
- On order for the military: 0
23. Cessna Citation
- Branch: Army, Marines
- Variants: Encore, Sovereign, Ultra
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 38
- First flight: February 2002
- On order for the military: 2
22. Boeing DC-10 (KC-10) Extender
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Tanker
- Active in Military: 40 (tied)
- First flight: July 1980
- On order for the military: 0
21. L-3 Communications King Air 350 MC-12W Liberty
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 40 (tied)
- First flight: April 2009
- On order for the military: 0
20. Boeing B-1B Lancer
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 43
- First flight: December 1974
- On order for the military: 0
19. Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy
Source: VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 52
- First flight: June 1968
- On order for the military: 0
18. Boeing 707
- Branch: Air Force, Navy
- Variants: E-3 Sentry, Boeing E-6 Mercury, E-8 Joint STARS
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 60
- First flight: February 1972
- On order for the military: 0
17. Boeing 767 KC-46 Pegasus
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Tanker
- Active in Military: 61
- First flight: September 2015
- On order for the military: 113
16. Boeing B-52H Stratofortress
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 72
- First flight: April 1952
- On order for the military: 0
15. Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye
Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr
- Branch: Navy
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 73
- First flight: October 1960
- On order for the military: 34
14. Boeing AV-8B Harrier II
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Branch: Marines
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 87
- First flight: November 1981
- On order for the military: 0
13. Boeing 737
Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr
- Branch: Navy
- Variants: C-40 Clipper, P-8 Poseidon
- Type: Special mission, transport
- Active in Military: 133
- First flight: April 2000
- On order for the military: 12
12. Boeing F/A-18 Hornet
Source: KGrif / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Marines
- Variants: A, C, D
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 138
- First flight: November 1978
- On order for the military: 0
11. Boeing EA-18G Growler
Source: usairforce / Flickr
- Branch: Navy
- Type: Special mission
- Active in Military: 152
- First flight: August 2006
- On order for the military: 0
10. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
Source: Ryan Fletcher / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 177
- First flight: May 1990
- On order for the military: 0
9. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Transport
- Active in Military: 228
- First flight: July 1993
- On order for the military: 0
8. Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 286
- First flight: October 1975
- On order for the military: 0
7. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force, Marines, Navy
- Variants: A, B, C
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 316
- First flight: December 2006
- On order for the military: 1943
6. Beechcraft C-12 Huron
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy
- Type: Special mission, transport
- Active in Military: 324
- First flight: October 1972
- On order for the military: 0
5. Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Source: barteq24 / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Tanker
- Active in Military: 388
- First flight: June 1957
- On order for the military: 0
4. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle II
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Air Force
- Variants: C, E, EX
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 408
- First flight: February 2021
- On order for the military: 136
3. Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet
Source: U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. /Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Branch: Navy
- Variants: E, F
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 416
- First flight: November 1995
- On order for the military: 76
2. Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
Source: Ryan Fletcher / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Branch: Air Force, Marines, Navy
- Variants: Super Hercules, Compass Call, Commando Solo, Combat King II, Combat Talon II, Commando II
- Type: Special mission, tanker, transport
- Active in Military: 548
- First flight: December 1957
- On order for the military: 64
1. Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Branch: Air Force
- Type: Combat aircraft
- Active in Military: 775
- First flight: January 1974
- On order for the military: 0
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