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During the early Cold War, speed was a design priority. However, after the United States reviewed extensive records from combat in the Vietnam War, it found that speeds of over Mach 1.8 were never used. Traveling at a high Mach number reduces an aircraft’s combat radius by burning through its fuel, while also making it less maneuverable. The F-35 is the most advanced fighter jet around today, but its top design speed was reduced from Mach 1.8 to just Mach 1.6.
Even so, there are a number of fighter jets in service with top speeds of over Mach 2.0. The fastest of these are older jets, built for a different time. The fastest fighter jet or interceptor made was the now-retired MiG-25 Foxbat, which could achieve a top speed of around Mach 3.1 at altitude. Here are some of the fighter jets still in service, with top speeds over Mach 2. It is worth noting that these numbers are for jets flying at high altitude, as speeds are much lower at sea level, where the air is thinner.
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F-16 Fighting Falcon
Approximately Mach 2.05 at altitude
The Lockheed Martin F-16 family is one of the most successful modern fighter jets and is today the most numerous fighter jet in service. It was originally a lightweight single-engine fighter, but over time, upgrades have pushed it to become a medium-weight fighter jet. The fighter jet is popular as it is capable and yet comparatively cost-effective to operate, allowing smaller air forces to afford a fighter jet fleet and for larger air forces to provide mass to their fleets.
Today, the F-16 remains in production as the upgraded F-16 Block 70/72 variant, which is in many ways a new aircraft compared with the original variants. Some air forces like Ukraine, Argentina, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and possibly Peru are only now upgrading to the F-16, while others like Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium are moving onto the next-generation F-35.
With a top speed of Mach 2.05, the F-16 only just makes it onto this list, but still, it earns itself a spot. Russia has now been largely shut out of the lower-end fighter jet market after its MiG-35 (a MiG-29 upgrade) failed to attract a single buyer, and its hyped Su-75 appears to have gone nowhere. The main F-16 competitor is arguably the Saab Gripen in markets like Thailand, Peru, Brazil, Ukraine, and others. The Sino-Pakistani JF-21 occupies a lower market segment.
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F-22 Raptor
Approximately Mach 2.25 at altitude
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was designed as a generational upgrade to the F-15 Eagle, and it set the definition of what it meant to be a fifth-generation fighter jet. One of the massive drawbacks of supersonic flight in the real world is that it collapses range. With a top speed of around Mach 2.25, the Raptor may be a little slower than the Eagle, but it is also the world’s best supercruiser.
The F-22 is believed to be able to supercruise at around Mach 1.76 at altitude. This allows the Raptor to achieve supersonic flight far more efficiently than the F-15. In practice, this allows the F-22 to generally fly faster for longer than the Eagle. The F-22 also benefits aerodynamically from its stealth design and carrying its munitions internally.
With the collapse of the USSR and China not yet the juggernaut it is today, the USAF ended up truncating the production run for the F-22. Of the 750 Raptors the Air Force had initially planned to purchase, only 187 serial production models were built, of which 32 are non-combat Block 20 training variants. The US Air Force is now working to replace the F-22 with the next-generation F-47, which will also fly at around Mach 2.
The World’s Largest Air Forces By Number Of F-35s
A closer look at some of the leading F-35 armadas around the world.
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Sukhoi Su-35
Approximately Mach 2.25 at altitude
While Russia is gradually introducing its new Sukhoi Su-57 Felon (whose top speed is around Mach 2.0), the backbone of the Russian Air Force remains the Flanker series derived from the Su-27. The main variants Russia has in service are the Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35, although there is also the naval Su-33. The Su-35 is an improved air superiority fighter, while the more basic Su-34 is a fighter-bomber. The Su-35 has a max speed of around Mach 2.25 at altitude.
Sometimes it can appear that Russia has more fighter jet types in service than it does compared with the United States. This is partly down to different naming conventions. When the US upgrades a fighter jet, it typically keeps the designation. Examples include the F/A-18 Hornet vs F/A-18 Super Hornet, the F-15C vs F-15E vs F-15EX, and F-16 Block 40 vs F-16 Block 70. These are all substantially new aircraft. The Flanker series can be considered the same family in a similar way that the F-15 family can.
The Su-27 was also developed into the license-built Chinese J-11, which was then upgraded into the J-16 and J-15 variants. These are believed to have a top speed of Mach 2 or above when flying at altitude. Meanwhile, it remains unclear how fast the Chinese J-20 air superiority fighter flies, but it appears to also be above Mach 2.0. The Chinese J-10C and new J-35 are thought to max out at around Mach 1.8.
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Eurofighter Typhoon
Approximately Mach 2.35 at altitude
The Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the few fighter jets with the ability to supercruise. Some consider the Typhoon’s supercruise to be the second best in the world after the F-22 Raptor. It is able to supercruise at Mach 1.5 and was built to overmatch Soviet and Russian fighter jets. The Eurofighter Consortium advertises the Typhoon as having a max speed of Mach 2.0, although some estimates put its top speed at Mach 2.35 at altitude.
The Eurofighter is owned by the United Kingdom (33%), Germany (33%), Italy (21%), and Spain (13%). It is widely considered one of the most capable Western fighter jets outside of the United States and is the counterpart to the rival French Dassault Rafale. While the Rafale is not listed here, it is still another excellent fighter jet and boasts a top speed of around Mach 1.8. The other European fighter jet currently in production is the Saab Gripen, which comes with a top speed at altitude of around Mach 2.0.
The Eurofighter is set to remain in production through the 2020s and into the 2030s until industry can transition to producing the sixth-generation GCAP/Tempest fighter jet currently in development. The Tempest is being developed by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan and is expected to enter service in 2035. If the troubled rival European FCAS sixth-generation fighter jet program remains on track, German and Spanish industry will transition to that jet.
How the Eurofighter Typhoon Stacks Up Against the US F-35
Dogfight agility meets stealth supremacy. The Eurofighter and F-35 redefine air combat in a clash of speed, power, and cutting-edge tech.
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F-15 Eagle
Approximately Mach 2.5 at altitude
Until the F-22 Raptor entered service, the F-15 Eagle family was the world’s most advanced air superiority fighter jet. It was designed to overmatch Soviet fighter jets and provide the USAF with an ‘unfair’ advantage. The US was extremely protective of this aircraft for many years and imposed an effective export ban on all but its closest allies. It exported the aircraft to Japan, Israel, and Australia, while NATO countries purchased their own air superiority fighters.
For a while, the US offered the less-capable F-16 to many export customers as an alternative to the F-15. As time went on, US export policies changed, and technology moved on. It relaxed its export restrictions and sold the Eagle to countries like South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Today, the F-22 Raptor is the US’s premier air dominance fighter and is not available for export.
Some countries (like Indonesia and Egypt) that request to purchase F-35s are offered F-15EX fighter jets instead. The F-15 is set to remain in a fairly low-rate production into the 2030s. It is one of the fastest fighter jets in service today and has a top speed of around Mach 2.5 at altitude.
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Mikoyan MiG-31
Approximately Mach 2.83 at altitude
The Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor and strike aircraft is generally considered the fastest combat jet in service today. However, the aircraft is now of limited usefulness. During the conflict in Ukraine, one of the primary roles was that of a fast delivery truck for the air-launched Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (NATO Killjoy) ballistic missile. This is often incorrectly reported in the media as a hypersonic missile, but almost all ballistic missiles achieve hypersonic speeds at certain phases of their flight.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the MiG-31 remained in service with the air forces of Russia and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan retired the last of its old MiG-31s in 2023. While the MiG-31 is out of production, Russia is upgrading its legacy MiG-31s to the MiG-31BS/BSM/K variants.
In 2020, Russia was estimated by the think-tank Rusi to have 110 upgraded MiG-31 variants in service, and, by late 2025, that number had grown to up to 130. For now, the MiG-31 remains the world’s fastest combat aircraft in service with a top speed of around Mach 2.83 at altitude. Russia has a requirement for a high-speed interceptor due to the massive size of the country.
