Skip to content

What is the current fastest fighter jet and what are its top speeds?

What is the current fastest fighter jet and what are its top speeds?

What is the current fastest fighter jet and what are its top speeds?

As of now, the fastest operational fighter jet is the MiG-25 Foxbat, a Soviet-designed aircraft. It is capable of reaching speeds of approximately 2,190 mph (about 3,524 km/h) at high altitudes.

However, if you’re considering the fastest jet ever built, that title goes to the North American X-15, a rocket-powered aircraft that achieved speeds of 4,520 mph (approximately 7,274 km/h) during test flights, though it was not a conventional fighter jet and was primarily a research aircraft.

In terms of modern fighters, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II are among the fastest, with the F-22 capable of exceeding 1,500 mph (about 2,414 km/h) in level flight.

Officially the F-15C is the world fastest fighter at MACH 2.5+ more than 1,650 mph. The Mig-25 and Mig-31 are pure interceptors. Fastest jet today in significant numbers would be the MiG-31, which can fly supersonic at both low and high altitude. It can fly at Mach 2.83+ at high altitude.

What is the current fastest fighter jet and what are its top speeds?

The fastest fighter jet ever created was the NASA/US Air Force X-15, which reached a record speed of Mach 6.72, or 4,520 miles per hour. The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft that was designed to push the limits of atmospheric flight. Pilots who flew the X-15 above 50 miles were awarded astronaut wings. 

The fastest fighter jet in service today is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, which can reach speeds of Mach 3.2, or 2,190 miles per hour. The MiG-25 is a Russian-built interceptor that was introduced in 1970 and is still used by some air forces around the world. 

The fastest US fighter jet is the F-15E Strike Eagle, which can reach speeds of Mach 2.4 to 2.5, or about 1,875 miles per hour. 

The US military is investing in research and development programs to create hypersonic fighter jets that can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5. Some programs include the X-43A, an experimental aircraft that reached speeds of Mach 9.6 in 2004, and the SR-72, a rumored follow-up to the SR-71 Blackbird that could reach speeds of Mach 6. 

What are its specifications?

This is mostly unknown. The Russians would claim the title as would the Americans. HOWEVER, speed has been mad irrelevant by stealth, integrated systems and newer missiles. During Vietnam the F-4 initially had no guns, just missiles. These ancestral 1st gen Sidewinders were not up to the task and rules of engagement required US pilots to VISUALLY identify targets. This completely negated the F-4s large advantages and handed the VC all of the initiative.

Fast forward 60 years. Sensors and the 10th gen Sidewinder have completely flipped the script. What makes the F-35 so much better than the F-22 isn’t it’s speed and or maneuverability but rather it’s sensor suite and radar that are generationally better than the F-22’s. By the way, the F-22 sensor and radar systems are generationally better than either the Russian or CCP junk.

The F-35 will stone cold kill you from a country away without you ever knowing that they are hunting you.

  1. The MiG-25 Foxbat:
  2. Top Speed at sea level 1,050km/h
  3. Top Speed at altitude with load: 3,000km/h
  4. Top Speed at altitude without load: 3,390km/h
  5. Engine Thrust with afterburner: 49,400lbs
  6. Range: 1,730km
  7. Takeoff weight: 80,950lbs
  8. Empty weight: 44,090lbs
  9. Service ceiling: 20,700m
  10. Fuel capacity: 32,895lbs

There you have them, the specifications. Feel free to ask me something if you don’t understand some of it.

Joel Michael Singer

What is the fastest fighter jet, and how fast can it fly? Is that still in service?

The fastest combat jet which ever flew and Infact still in service of Russian Air Force is MiG 31 . It has a maximum speed of 3000 km/ hour and that is approximately 2.83 Mach which is higher the the maximum speed of fastest American plane F 15 E which reaches a speed of 2.65 Mach.

The flight ceiling of MiG 31 is very high is about 82, 000 feet and it did reach a maximum height of 102 thousand feet which is a world record and thus is called near space plane.The MiG 31 was infact designed on the MiG 25 with better engines producing more power.

MiG 25 was basically a reconnaissance plane as initially it had no missiles or bombs and thus cannot be called a true fighter. The later versions were able to carry four R 40 or two R 40 and two R 23 air to air missiles to protect itself but MiG 31 was the modified version of this plane which achieved marginally higher speeds than MiG 25 and heights and is still today in active service with Soviet Air Force.

What is the fastest jet fighter in service at present? What are its specifications?

MiG-25/31? With a top burst speed of around M-2.8, this family of fighters has the highest published speed of any fighter plane still in service.

But this is a meaningless number because it can’t be used in normal combat! Why would any attacking plane fly close enough to any base where these planes are stationed to let it use this speed? Remember, the attacker has the advantage of dictating the location of battle. If the attacker chooses to avoid the radius of action of said planes, then they must change their flight profile such to extend their range, if possible, or sit on the ground and wait for some other target to come within range!

Since maximum range is always gained buy sub-sonic flight, then the economy cruise speed determines how fast a plane really is in the real world! Aspect Ratio and engine Bi-Pass Ratio determine how far most planes can go.

These factoids hurt Delta winged planes the most, Canard-Delta winged planes almost as much and conventional wing planes the least! What happens in real life is that most super-sonic jets cruise to and from their AO at economical speeds, find a target airplane, shove the throttle open to accelerate through the Trans-sonic, high drag part of the envelope in order to give their missiles the largest Kinematic advantage they can, shoot, slow down and go home at economical cruising speeds! “Dog Fighting” is for idiots, not skilled enough to use all of the available techniques to avoid such encounters and shoot the idiots in the back while they are not looking!

Thus, it has been since the Dawn of Time, thus it is now!

Conclusion

The MiG 31 is currently the fastest “fighter” although it’s really an interceptor. It operates up to Mach 2.8 and reportedly can push to 3.2, but it damages the engines and air frame to do so. In a turn and burn dogfight it’s dead meat. There are several aircraft claiming Mach 2.2–2.5. This is when they are basically “clean” with minimal missile ordinance and no drop tanks.

F15E is rated at mach 2.5+ … how far north of + is probably classified. That’s the fastest known fighter in the US arsenal at this point.

Despite being “slower” at mach 2.25, the F22 would get to the target quicker, given its ability to supercruise (maintain supersonic flight without dumping ridiculous amounts of fuel into the afterburner). It can sustain speeds of up to mach 1.82 (1200mph) for the duration of its mission if necessary.

Despite being world-class modern aircraft and top of their class in 4th and 5th gen fighter aircraft, respectively, neither of them hold a candle to the 55+ year old YF-12 (concept interceptor/fighter version of the SR-71 blackbird) which could do mach 3.5+

If those geniuses over at Skunk Works could do that when our grandpas were flying, it makes you wonder what they have done in the last couple of decades… there’s a good chance the fastest fighter in the US arsenal is something we’ve never heard of that operates at night out of some desert airfield in Nevada or New Mexico. (And likely without the constraints of a human on board to cry about break-neck acceleration.)

What is the current fastest fighter jet and what are its top speeds?