Fighter jets and combat aircraft are the tip of the spear in terms of technological development in militaries around the world. Jet propulsion was originally invented over 80 years ago, and since then there have been incredible advancements in avionics and related technologies. Combat aircraft now take all shapes and forms as many countries around the world are working to develop the next generation. (These are the 42 most popular fighter jets used in today’s air forces.)
For many decades, military aviation was dominated by aircraft from the United States and Russia. However, more nations than ever before are now building their own aircraft as technology has proliferated and governments have secured contracts with multinational aircraft manufacturers. The question remains as to how effective these various combat aircraft will be on the world stage in the years to come.
To identify the future combat aircraft of the world’s militaries, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of aircraft from Military Factory, an online database of arms, vehicles, and aircraft used by militaries worldwide. We excluded helicopters, drones, and non-combat aircraft from this list. We ordered these aircraft alphabetically and included supplemental information regarding the type of aircraft, country of origin, manufacturer, top speed, and armament.
The MiG-41 is Russia’s next iteration of its family of MiG aircraft, expected to enter service in 2030. It is expected to take over as the direct successor to the MiG-31 Foxhound as a supersonic interceptor. The MiG-41 reportedly will have a top speed of nearly 2,300 mph, which would easily make it one of the fastest aircraft on the planet.
Another future addition to the Russian air force is the Tupolev PAK DA, expected in 2032. This strategic stealth bomber would replace the aging Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers and act as a counterpart to U.S. stealth bombers such as the current B-2 Spirit or the B-21 Raider coming in the next five years. (These are the newest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.)
Here’s a look at the future combat aircraft of the world’s militaries:
Bronco II
- Type: Light attack / close-air support aircraft
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Bronco Combat Systems / Vertex Aerospace
- Top speed: 311 mph
- Armament: Gun pods, cannon pods, rocket pods, laser-guided bombs, conventional bombs, anti-tank guided missiles, air-to-air missiles
J-31 Gyrfalcon (FC-31 / F-60)
- Type: Multirole fourth-generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Shenyang Aircraft Corporation / Aviation Industry Corporation
- Top speed: 1,367 mph
- Armament: Undisclosed. Assumed support for internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, conventional drop bombs
HJT-36 Sitara (Star)
- Type: Light attack aircraft
- Country of origin: India
- Manufacturer: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
- Top speed: 528 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine gun pod, 57mm rocket pods, conventional drop bombs
Yasin
- Type: Light attack aircraft
- Country of origin: Iran
- Manufacturer: Iran Aircraft Industry Company / Iran Aviation Industries Organization
- Top speed: 621 mph
- Armament: Gun pods, rocket pods, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, precision guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
H-20
Source: Kevin Frayer / Getty Images
- Type: Subsonic strategic stealth bomber
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation
- Top speed: 600 mph
- Armament: Undisclosed. Assumed support for dumb boms, precision-guided bombs, air-to-surface missiles, and nuclear weapons
Dassault FCAS
- Type: Sixth-generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: France
- Manufacturer: Dassault / Airbus
- Top speed: 1,243 mph
- Armament: Undisclosed
F-21 (Fighting Falcon)
Source: y / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Type: Multirole 4.5 generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Top speed: 1,317 mph
- Armament: 20mm M61A1 Vulcan gatling-style internal cannon, rocket pods; support for Indian Air Force munitions including air-to-air, air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles
Wasp
Source: CatEyePerspective / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Type: Close-air support attack aircraft
- Country of origin: Canada
- Manufacturer: Icarus Aerospace
- Top speed: 414 mph
- Armament: 20mm/30mm automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, gun pods, cannon pods, rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, precision guided bombs
F/A-259 Striker
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Type: Light attack aircraft
- Country of origin: Czech Republic
- Manufacturer: Aero Vodochody
- Top speed: 587 mph
- Armament: Air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs, rocket pods, cannon pods, gun pods
Checkmate (Su-75)
- Type: Fifth-generation attack aircraft
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Sukhoi OKB / Rostek State Corporation
- Top speed: 808 mph
- Armament: Undisclosed. Assumed support for Russian air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, precision-guided bombs
Tejas AF
- Type: Multirole combat aircraft
- Country of origin: India
- Manufacturer: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
- Top speed: 1,429 mph
- Armament: 23mm GSh-23 internal cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, rocket pods, anti-radiation missiles, anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
KF-21 Boromae (KF-X)
- Type: Multirole fifth-generation aircraft
- Country of origin: South Korea
- Manufacturer: Korean Aerospace Industries
- Top speed: 1,553 mph
- Armament: 20mm gatling-style internal automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided drop bombs, conventional drop bombs
Kaan (TF-X / F-X)
- Type: Fifth-generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: Turkey
- Manufacturer: Turkish Aerospace Industries
- Top speed: 1,491 mph
- Armament: 20mm internal cannon automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
B-21 Raider
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Type: Sixth-generation long-range strategic bomber
- Country of origin: United States
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Top speed: 621 mph
- Armament: Conventional drop bombs, precision-guided bombs, nuclear ordnance
J-35
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Type: Fifth-generation carrierborne fighter
- Country of origin: China
- Manufacturer: Aviation Industry Corporation
- Top speed: 1,367 mph
- Armament: Air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs, anti-ship missiles, anti-radiation missiles
HAL AMCA
Source: 193025175@N03 / Flickr
- Type: Fifth-generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: India
- Manufacturer: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
- Top speed: 1,370 mph
- Armament: 20mm internal automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles
MiG-41 (PAK DP)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Type: High-altitude, long-range interceptor
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Mikoyan OKB
- Top speed: 2,284 mph
- Armament: Long-range, high-speed air-to-air missiles
Tupolev PAK DA
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Type: Fifth-generation strategic stealth bomber
- Country of origin: Russia
- Manufacturer: Tupolev / United Aircraft Corporation
- Top speed: 559 mph
- Armament: Cruise missiles, nuclear ordnance, precision-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
Tempest FCAS
- Type: Sixth-generation fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Manufacturer: BAe Systems
- Top speed: 1,553 mph
- Armament: Air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, precision-guided munitions, direct-energy weapons, hypersonic weapons, swarm weapons
Mitsubishi F-X
- Type: Sixth-generation air superiority fighter aircraft
- Country of origin: Japan
- Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
- Top speed: 1,460 mph
- Armament: 20mm internal automatic cannon, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs, microwave-based weapons
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