American fighters: top 10

The best American fighters, the oldest of which dates back to the 1960s. The most outstanding and most dangerous fighter aircraft ever built in the world.

Which fighter aircraft Chief Marshal Angus Houston, former commander of the Australian Armed Forces, called "the most outstanding fighter ever built"? It was this plane that was at the top of the rating. The best American fighters, the oldest dating back to the 1960s, are from The Washinton Times.

1. F-4 "Phantom" II by McDonnell Douglas Is a two-seat all-weather supersonic interceptor and long-range fighter-bomber with two engines, originally developed for the US Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It entered service with the Navy in 1960. But demonstrating high operational flexibility, it was also adopted by the Marine Corps and the US Air Force, and by the mid-1960s it became their main vehicle. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry on board 8,400 kilograms of combat load on nine external suspensions, including air-to-air missiles and various types of bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was developed without an onboard cannon. Later designs included the M61 Vulcan rotating barrel gun. Since 1959, this aircraft has set 15 world records, including an absolute record for speed and altitude. During the Vietnam War, the F-4 was used very widely. It was the main air superiority fighter in the Air Force and Navy. At the end of the war, he played an important role as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. A distinctive feature of the Phantom is that it became the last American fighter to receive the title of ace in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, one pilot and two operators of weapons systems from the F-4 crews in the Air Force and one pilot and one operator of radar intercept equipment from the crews of the Navy shot down five enemy aircraft and became aces of air combat. The F-4 formed the backbone of US air power in the 1970s and 1980s, but was gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the Air Force, F-14 Tomcat in the Navy and F / A -18 Hornet in the Navy and Marine Corps. F-4 "Phantom" II for a long time remained in the armed forces as a reconnaissance aircraft and a means of suppressing enemy air defenses.

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- supersonic two-seat fighter with variable wing geometry and two engines. The aircraft was developed as part of an experimental fighter program for the US Navy after the F-111B project failed. The F-14 was the first American fighter developed based on the experience of aerial combat against MiGs during the Vietnam War. It first flew in December 1970, and entered service in 1974, when the first batch of F-4s were deployed aboard the American aircraft carrier Enterprise, replacing the F-4 Phantom II from McDonnell Douglas. The F-14 became the main air superiority fighter in the US Navy, the main interceptor in the aircraft carrier groups and the tactical reconnaissance aircraft. In the 1990s, he received a low-altitude navigation and sighting infrared system (LANTIRN) and began to carry out missions to combat ground targets. The Tomcat was decommissioned by the US Navy on September 22, 2006, replaced by Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornets. As of 2014, the F-14 remained in service only with the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where it was delivered in 1976 at a time when the United States had good diplomatic relations with that country. For 30 years, the F-14 Tomcat has ensured American air superiority and played an important role in winning victories and maintaining world peace. The F-14 was decommissioned and officially withdrawn from the US Armed Forces in September 2006.

- attack aircraft with one engine from the second generation of the Harrier family of vertical take-off and landing. This aircraft was created in the late 1970s as the Anglo-American modification of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which became the first in its class. Named after a bird of prey, this aircraft is used primarily as a multipurpose vehicle and light attack aircraft, performing a wide range of missions from close air support to ground forces to combat reconnaissance. The AV-8B is used by the United States Marine Corps, the Spanish Navy, and the Italian Navy. The AV-8B variant, called the Harrier II, was developed for the British Armed Forces, while the other variant, the TAV-8B, is a two-seater trainer. The project that eventually led to the AV-8B was launched in the early 1970s as a collaborative effort between the United States and the United Kingdom to address the shortcomings of the first generation Harriers. Initially, all attention was focused on reworking the powerful Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine - this was to radically improve the characteristics of the aircraft. Due to a lack of budgetary funds, Britain withdrew from the project in 1975. Thereafter, McDonnell Douglas undertook major modifications to the older version of the AV-8A Harrier to create the AV-8B. This aircraft retained the general layout of the predecessor aircraft, but has a new wing, a raised cockpit, a redesigned fuselage, one additional suspension point per wing. Other structural and aerodynamic improvements were made. The aircraft is equipped with an upgraded version of the Pegasus engine, thanks to which it was able to perform vertical take-off and landing. The AV-8B made its maiden flight in November 1981, and entered service with the US Marine Corps in January 1985. In later versions, equipment for night combat and radar appeared, and these new variants of the vehicles became known as AV-8B (NA) and AV-8B Harrier II Plus, respectively. A larger version was created - Harrier III.

Is an American single-seat twin-engine attack aircraft developed in the early 1970s by the Fairchild Republic. It is the only US Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for close air support to ground forces. The A-10 was designed to destroy tanks, armored vehicles and other ground targets with limited air defense capabilities. The main armament of the A-10 is the GAU-8 Avenger, a 30-mm aircraft cannon with a rotating barrel block, the heaviest automatic cannon installed on aircraft. The airframe of the aircraft provides a high degree of survivability, with 540 kilograms of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and onboard systems that allow the aircraft to continue flying after being seriously damaged. The single-seat version of the A-10A is the only version, although one aircraft of this type was converted into a two-seat aircraft, called the A-10B. In 2005, a program was launched to modernize the A-10A with the aim of creating the A-10C model. The aircraft received the name Thunderbolt in honor of the P-47 Thunderbolt, which was especially effective as a means of close air support during the Second World War. The A-10 is better known by its nicknames "Warthog" and "Boar". It also performs the tasks of the forward air guidance post of aviation, directing other vehicles to ground targets. The aircraft used for such tasks were named OA-10. If there are many modifications and in the event of a wing replacement, the service life of the A-10 can be extended until 2028.

The McDonnell Douglas F / A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather carrier-based multipurpose aircraft designed both as a fighter and an attack aircraft (the F / A designation stands for fighter and attack aircraft). The brainchild of McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F / A-18 was developed in the late 1970s from the late YF-17 for use with the US Navy and Marine Corps. The F / A-18 is also in service with the air forces of several other countries. The US Navy Blue Angels Demonstration Squadron has flown these aircraft since 1986. The maximum speed of the F / A-18 is Mach 1.8 (1,915 km / h at an altitude of 12 thousand meters). As a payload, it carries various bombs and missiles on board, and its standard onboard weapon is the 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon. The aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404 turbojet engines, which give it a powerful thrust-to-weight ratio. The F / A-18 has excellent aerodynamic characteristics, which is mainly due to the presence of intricate slugs. The main tasks of the aircraft are escorting fighters, air defense of naval forces, suppression of enemy air defenses, isolation of the combat area from the air, direct air support and aerial reconnaissance. The aircraft's versatility and reliability are valuable advantages for use in carrier-based aircraft, although this aircraft has been criticized for its short range and weak armament compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the F-14 Tomcat as a fighter and strike aircraft, as well as the Grumman A -6 Intruder and LTV A-7 Corsair II as an attack aircraft. Hornet first fought during Operation Eldorado Canyon in 1986 (Libya), after which it was deployed in 1991 in Operation Desert Storm, and in 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The F / A-18 Hornet became the basis for the creation of the Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornet, more powerful and modern.

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a single-seat twin-engine stealth attack aircraft formerly used by the US Air Force. The F-117 is a Lockheed Skunk Works product based on the Have Blue base model and was the first combat aircraft to use stealth technology. This machine made its first flight in 1981, and the beginning of its operation falls on October 1983. This aircraft was officially presented to the world in November 1988. He was widely publicized for the role he played during the 1991 Gulf War. The F-117 is called a "stealth fighter", although it acts exclusively as an attack aircraft. The F-117 participated in the war in Yugoslavia, during which only one car was lost, which was shot down on March 27, 1999 by an anti-aircraft missile. The Air Force removed the F-117 from service on April 22, 2008, mainly in response to the arrival of the F-22 Raptor and the upcoming adoption of the F-35 Lightning II. A total of 64 F-117s were built, including 59 in series and five as prototypes and demonstration models.

7. F-16 Fighting Falcon. The General Dynamics (today Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multi-role fighter originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority fighter, it eventually became a highly successful all-weather multipurpose aircraft. Since 1976, when the construction project was approved, more than 4,500 F-16s have been built. Although the US Air Force no longer purchases it, the production of upgraded versions of the machine continues as part of export deliveries. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft business to the Lockheed Corporation (now, after merging with Martin Marietta in 1995, it is called Lockheed Martin). The Fighting Falcon is a fighter with numerous innovations, including a frameless cockpit for better visibility, a lateral control stick for easier control when maneuvering, a 30-degree pilot's seat to reduce overload, and fly-by-wire flight control for high maneuverability … The F-16 has an M61 Vulcan side cannon and 11 attachment points for attachments and other equipment. The F-16's official name is Fighting Falcon, but pilots commonly refer to it as the Viper because of its apparent resemblance to a venomous snake, as well as the "Viper colonial fighter of the Starcruiser Galaxy." This aircraft is in service with the US Air Force, as part of the US Air Force Reserve Command, and in the National Guard Air Force. It is also used in the Burevestniki air force demonstration and aerobatic team, and as a training aircraft in the Navy, serving as an enemy / aggressor. The F-16 is also in service with the air forces of 25 countries around the world.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole fighter based on the F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was developed in the 1980s as a high-speed, long-range aircraft to isolate the area of operations, capable of operating without escort and electronic support. The F-15E Strike Eagle, in service with the US Air Force, differs from the rest of the American versions in darker camouflage paint and fuel tanks located along the air intakes. Strike Eagle has participated in military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. During these actions, the F-15E struck at important targets at a great distance, was used for combat duty in the air, and also provided close air support to the coalition forces. He also participated in later conflicts. This aircraft is exported to a number of foreign countries.