This list will focus on the outstanding orders for Western fighter jets and not Russian or Chinese fighter jets, as the figures for those jets are highly uncertain. While most Western aerospace companies publish precise figures for their fighter jets on order, the same is not true of countries like China. Not only is it unclear how many fighter jets the Russian and Chinese militaries plan to purchase for their own use, but exports are also highly uncertain. For example, it wasn’t fully confirmed that Uzbekistan was purchasing Chinese J-10CEs until the first batch of six were already in the country.

Even so, orders for Western fighter jets also carry a large amount of uncertainty. Letters of intent, advanced state negotiations (likely orders), programs of record, and even advance payments for long-lead items are not the same as solid fighter jet orders. How these factors are treated and what is considered an ‘order’ can change the ranking of the aircraft. That said, no matter what, the F-35 is king by number of Western orders. For the purposes of this list, the South Korean KAI KF-21 and Turkish Kaan are excluded.

6

Saab Gripen E/F

Approx. 117 Gripens on order (mid-2026)

Credit: Department of Defense

Unfortunately, Sweden’s Saab does not publish an end-of-year new-aircraft backlog figure, but it can still be tabulated. Production of the old Gripen C/Ds has finished, with the final units delivered to Hungary in June 2026, and the industry is transitioning to the new Gripen E/F. The Swedish Air Force has ordered 60, Brazil has ordered 36, Colombia 17, Ukraine 16, and Thailand four.

Of these, the first Gripen E was formally delivered to the Swedish Air Force in October 2025, although it’s unclear how many have been delivered as of mid-2026. 11 have been delivered to Brazil. The first two-seat Brazilian Gripen Fs are currently in flight testing and not handed over. Assuming five have been delivered to Sweden, then roughly 117 examples are on firm contract.

But orders may soon rise significantly. The 2025 letter of intent with Ukraine is for a total of 100-150 Gripens (of which 16 are ex-Swedish C/Ds). Brazil is currently negotiating for a follow-on purchase of around 20 Gripens. Canada is currently negotiating and is reported by CBS News as being mulling 60-72 Gripens alongside F-35s, while Thailand is expected to order another eight. It appears Peru has selected the F-16 over the Gripen. This gives Saab around 150–200+ promising new orders in the near term.

5

Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72

121-161 Fighting Falcons on order (mid-2026)

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin’s new-build Block 70/72 is running only for export, although it is also helping to sustain the US Air Force’s large fleet. The current backlog is estimated to be around 121 aircraft, with 40+ Block 70/72s delivered. Taiwan is currently the largest customer for the new-build Block 70/72, with 66 jets on order, followed by Morocco with around 25, Bahrain with 16, Bulgaria with 16, Slovakia with 14, Peru with 12 and the option for another 12, and Jordan with 12.

Of these, the first two Taiwanese F-16s have been delivered, along with all Bahraini jets, the first eight Bulgarian jets, and all of Slovakia’s. This suggests around 121 F-16 Block 70/72s remain on firm order. The United States has also approved the potential sale of 40 new Block 70s to Turkey, and Turkey has signed its Letter of Offer and Acceptance and also made the initial payment.

But the Turkish production contract has not been publicly announced, with some negotiations ongoing. Adding these increases the backlog to 161. Lockheed Martin has previously said it is a pipeline of around 300 additional aircraft orders beyond the firm backlog. Potential customers include the Philippines and various others. It should be noted that much of the F-16 program is upgrading legacy fleets of F-16s to the Block 70 standard rather than new builds.

4

Eurofighter Typhoon

151 Eurofighters on order (June 2026)

Credit: Department of Defense

Fortunately, Airbus is another company that provides precise breakdowns for its Eurofighter Typhoon sales. Airbus is one of the leading partners in the Eurofighter program along with BAE Systems and Leonardo and represents German and Spanish interests in the fighter jet. According to its documents (dated June 30th, 2026), it has received orders for a total of 769 Eurofighters, of which 618 have been delivered.

This gives the Eurofighter a current order book of 151 jets. Most of these are to Consortium members, including 24 for Spain, up to 24 for Italy, and 58 Tranche 5/4 jets for Germany. Notably, the type received a firm order for 20 examples from Turkey, with options for another 20. The Royal Air Force has not placed any new orders for the Eurofighter. Instead, it is focusing on purchasing more F-35s, sustaining its remaining Eurofighters, and developing its next-generation GCAP/Tempest.

Besides Turkey, there are ongoing negotiations to export more Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and to replace the 15 Tranche 1 Austrian fighter jets. Poland, Portugal, and Bangladesh are all considering ordering the Eurofighter. It appears Bangladesh is set to order smaller Chinese J-10CEs, but this doesn’t preclude a small Eurofighter purchase. The Consortium sees export opportunities for another 100-150 Eurofighters, mostly to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, with some to Poland.

3

Dassault Rafale

220 Rafales on order (beginning 2026)

Credit: Department of Defense

The French Dassault Rafale frontline fighter jet is one of the easiest fighter jets to rank by the number of orders. In January 2026, Dassault reported it had delivered a total of 26 Rafales in 2025 (11 to French forces and 15 for export) and had received orders for 26 more fighters (ordered by the Indian Navy). It explicitly states that its backlog, as of December 31, 2025, was 220 Rafales. These include 175 for export and 45 more to be delivered to France.

Outstanding export orders include the UAE, Indonesia, the Indian Navy, and Serbia. But the order book for the Rafale may be set to grow significantly. France and India are currently in advanced negotiations for India to purchase up to 114 more Rafales, including a significant local workshare. The target signature for the deal is cited to be in late 2026 or in 2027. Meanwhile, it is considered possible that the Indian Navy will order more. In 2025, Ukraine and France signed a letter of intent for up to 100 Rafales, although no firm contract has yet been signed.

It is considered more likely that an initial contract for 16 Ukrainian jets will be signed in the near future. Beyond Ukraine and India, Iraq remains in negotiations to purchase around 14 Rafales, while there are reports that Indonesia may purchase another 24 Rafales in addition to the 42 examples it has already ordered. The first Indonesian deliveries commenced in early 2026. If the Indian deal is signed, it is possible the order book will rise above 300 examples.

2

Boeing F-15EX Eagle II

Approx. 300 Eagles on order (per Fiscal 2027 budget docs)

Credit: US Air Force

The F-15EX Eagle II (and related variants) is one of two in-production Boeing fighter jets. The other, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is not listed here as it is winding down, with final deliveries expected to the Navy in 2027. This list also excludes the upcoming F-47 for which the USAF plans to purchase 185+ examples. Outstanding Eagle export orders are to Israel, which is exercising its option for 25 F-15IAs, bringing its order book to 50 Eagles.

The final deliveries of 36 Eagles to Qatar have been completed, as have deliveries to Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Boeing stated in 2025 that it was no longer pursuing a potential deal to supply 24-36 F-15EXs to Indonesia. At the same time, there are rumors of Poland and maybe Singapore ordering F-15EXs, while Saudi Arabia has been reported to be considering ordering 48–54 examples. Like the F-16, much of Boeing’s work is upgrading legacy Strike Eagles (Korea, Japan) to the EX standard.

But the biggest customer is the US Air Force. The USAF’s program for the F-15EX was increased to 267 in Fiscal 2026, of which around 18 have been delivered, implying around 250 F-15EXs can be considered on order. Adding in the 50 Israeli F-15IAs, around 300 Eagle IIs can be listed as on order in some capacity.

1

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Approx. 2,409 F-35s on order/program of record

Credit: Lockheed Martin

The Lockheed Martin F-35 orders are difficult to list, mostly due to uncertainties about programs of record. For simplicity, this list will consider all three variants together. According to F-35.com (Lockheed’s official site), the total US program of record for the F-35 is 2,456 aircraft. This includes 1,763 for the US Air Force, 420 for the Marines, and 273 for the Navy.

The total export programs add up to around 1,268 aircraft, with the exact number constantly changing due to new orders and renegotiations. Assuming none of these countries reduce their programs of record (which Canada and the UK may do), then the total program of record is for 3,724 F-35s. Note that not all of these are actually funded, and Lockheed has not received contracted orders for all of them. As of late June 2026, Lockheed reports it has delivered a total of 1,340+ F-35 fighter jets.

Some simple math suggests Lockheed has around 2,384 F-35s on order, counting programs of record as ‘on order.’ But while some of these programs may be reduced, it seems the overall order may grow. Israel has already ordered another 25 examples (bringing the total to 2,409), while Germany and others are expected to increase their orders, and there are negotiations with Saudi Arabia to purchase around 50. Whether the US military increases or decreases its orders is the biggest wild card.