A closer look at the world's highest performance warbirds.
The contest for fastest fighter jet in the world has both a very clear-cut and simple answer and a nuanced story behind the hierarchy of the warbird pecking order. Although the fastest jet on this list far outpaces the others, even the second speediest, it is a significantly inferior fighter by overall tactical comparison to the number five entry in this ranking.
The conversation around air warfare in the 21st century focuses heavily on stealth technology. However, the extremely prohibitive cost of 5th and 6th-generation fighter jets has seen supposedly obsolete airframes that still boast impressive performance be modernized to fulfill 'mundane' but essential roles. From Cold War relics to 4.5-gen 'missile trucks,' and exquisite stealth fighters, the fastest jets in the world come from a broad range of mission sets.
Notably, while the Raptor, America's first and still the best stealth fighter, is the slowest on this list of pure top speed, it is actually the fastest in a strategic measurement. The design of the Raptor and its Pratt and Whitney F119 thrust vectoring engines prioritized super cruise, which is the ability to fly supersonic without afterburner, at maximum flying speed. That gave the Raptor a massive tactical advantage both in terms of battlefield mobility and weapons employment, which is yet to be equaled by any other jet today.
It can maintain speeds of Mach 1.8 without using afterburners. This allows it to stay at high supersonic speeds for extended periods without guzzling fuel or creating a massive infrared signature. In a long-distance race or a large-scale battlefield, the F-22 would easily overtake older jets because it doesn't have to slow down to conserve fuel.
It is also the only aircraft that can perform high-G combat maneuvers at 65,000 feet. Pilots have described the sensation of flying a Raptor as 'unlimited power,' where the jet wants to keep accelerating until the pilot, or the heat limits of the stealth coating, dictates a stop.
However, because the F-22 is a classified 5th-Gen platform, its true absolute top speed is unknown to the public. The Mach 2.25 limit is widely believed to be a thermal limit, not an engine limit, to reduce wear and tear on stealth coatings. And speculation holds that its top speed is probably closer to Mach 2.5. Because it remains the benchmark for air superiority, the USAF keeps its absolute limits under wraps to maintain a tactical edge.
Made to be a frontline air superiority fighter for the Russian Air Force, the Su-27 Flanker emphasizes maneuverability but is also very fast. According to public information, the Russian-made Su-27 is technically faster than the F-22, with its published top speed exceeding that of the American stealth fighter slightly. However, the Raptor is actually faster at accelerating thanks to a superior thrust-to-weight ratio.
Although the F-22 would likely shoot down a Flanker from beyond visual range or easily outmaneuver it, thanks to thrust vectoring in a dogfight, compared to a Boeing F-15 Eagle, it is a different story. Although the Eagle is faster in a straight line, the Flanker has superior dogfighting aerodynamics. The F-22 can beat it on a vertical climb, but the F-15 would likely lose that contest.
In an area of strategic strength, one of the Su-27's greatest advantages is its massive internal fuel capacity. Unlike the F-15 or MiG-23, which often carry drag-inducing external drop tanks, the Su-27 can reach its maximum range and speed in a clean configuration. Like the Eagle, it also has a large number of external hard points that allow it to carry a very heavy payload for air-to-air 'missile truck' sorties or multirole mission sets.
The Su-57 is essentially the modernized, stealthy evolution of the Flanker. It is faster and replaces the Su-27's standard aerodynamics with three-dimensional thrust vectoring for even more extreme maneuvers. Much like the F-22 Raptor, the Su-57 is not as fast as America's legacy air superiority fighter, the F-15 Eagle, but it does have the stealth advantage that the faster Boeing lacks.
While the F-15EX is a non-stealthy missile truck, the Su-57 carries its weapons internally to maintain its Mach 2+ speed without the aerodynamic drag of external missiles. Also drawing on inspiration from the F-22's strategic advantage of supercruise, it can achieve a similar profile without afterburner around Mach 1.3, unlike its predecessors, the Su-27 and MiG-23.
The Su-57's performance is also in a transition phase between two engine types. The stage one AL-41F1 engine that was initially equipped on the first handful of jets in service now has a high thrust level of around 33,000 pounds each, but has a very high infrared signature that severely compromises its all-aspect stealth. In a major advantage to the Felon's maneuverability, these engines did have 3D thrust vectoring.
The new AL-51F1, stage two engines, recently entered mass production. It is lighter and more powerful at up to 39,600 pounds of thrust per engine. These are intended to allow the Su-57 to exceed Mach 2 more efficiently, but also equip the Felon with better thrust vectoring with better thermal stealth.
Today, the world's most combat-effective fighter jet, with over 100 kills and zero losses, the much vaunted Eagle is also among the fastest fighter jets in the world. Bested only by one airframe, which is debatably irrelevant in the modern era of air warfare, it represents the culmination of conventional fighter technology and design from the 20th century. During testing, the latest and greatest prototype nearly achieved Mach 3 in clean configuration while diving from altitude.
Its greatest weak point in comparison to more modern warbirds is the inability to achieve supercruise. The jet doesn't need an afterburner in order to go supersonic, which not only limits its range but also makes it a greater target on the battlefield to enemy air defenses and fighters. Despite these disadvantages in direct engagement with class-leading fighter jets, the Eagle excels in its new role as part of the Air Force's high-low fighter fleet mix, that of a high-performance missile truck.
It can carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles, specifically AIM-120D AMRAAMs, the highest capacity of any US fighter. It also features the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, a digital electronic warfare suite that allows it to operate in highly contested environments despite lacking stealth. On top of that, unlike older F-15s, the EX uses a digital fly-by-wire system, improving flight control and making the aircraft more responsive during high-speed maneuvers.
The MiG-31 Foxhound is essentially a rocket ship with a radar bolted to the front. It is a specialized tool designed for a very specific, Cold War-era problem: stopping supersonic American bombers and cruise missiles from crossing the vast, empty Siberian frontier. While the F-22 uses composites and the F-15 uses titanium, the MiG-31’s airframe is roughly 50% nickel steel. It is powered by two D-30F6 turbofans, derived from civilian airliner engines and modified to dump massive amounts of fuel into the afterburner to produce nearly 70,000 pounds of thrust.
Because it's made of steel and carries massive amounts of fuel, it is incredibly heavy. This mass gives it high linear momentum, making it very stable at high speeds but turning it into a flying brick if it tries to dogfight. The MiG-31 is an interceptor with limited maneuverability, whereas the F-15EX retains the high thrust-to-weight ratio needed for dogfighting.
The Foxhound is very vulnerable to modern air defenses. It has an enormous radar signature and an even larger thermal signature. In an air campaign against a true near-peer adversary, any modern 4.5-gen fighter or stealth fighter force would quickly dispatch the entire fleet. Owing to its 100,000-pound maximum takeoff weight, it simply cannot dogfight. If a maneuverable fighter like an F-16 or Su-27 gets close, its only option is to run away in a straight line.
While the MiG-31 is faster in a straight-line dash at high altitudes, the F-15EX is a more balanced air-superiority fighter. Similar to how the US Air Force has relegated the F-15 to being a missile truck, the Russian Air Force has done the same with the MiG-31. It is currently the primary carrier for the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, acting as a first-stage booster, carrying the missile to the edge of space at supersonic speeds before releasing it.
Maximizing the qualities of the extremely expensive and sophisticated legacy airframes, Russia uses the MiG-31 to carry the R-37M missile. The missile has a baseline 200-mile range, but combining it with the speed of the Foxhound maximizes the qualities of both assets. By flying at Mach 2.5 at 60,000 feet, the MiG-31 gives that missile a massive head start. The missile doesn't have to waste fuel climbing or accelerating; it starts fast and high, making it nearly impossible for Western-style jets to outrun.
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