What Fighter Jets Does the US Have? Every Type and Numbers

The United States flies seven main fighter types across three services: the F-35, F-22, F-15 and F-16 in the Air Force, the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35C in the Navy, and the F-35B in the Marine Corps. No other country has a fleet as large or as modern. It is also older, and smaller, than the Air Force says it needs.

This guide lists every American fighter in service in 2026, what each one is for, how many there are and what is due to replace them.

What fighter jets does the US have?

The American fighter force is split three ways. The Air Force owns the largest share and flies from land bases. The Navy flies from its 11 aircraft carriers. The Marine Corps flies from amphibious assault ships and short forward airstrips. Two of the types are stealth aircraft of the fifth generation, the F-22 and F-35. The rest are fourth-generation designs from the 1970s that have been rebuilt around new radars and weapons. Our ranking of the top 10 fighter jets shows where they stand against foreign rivals, and what fighter jets Russia has covers the main opposing fleet.

How many fighter jets does the US have?

The Air Force told Congress in May 2026 that it had 1,098 fighters. That is 47 short of the 1,145 combat-coded aircraft the law requires it to keep, according to a Congressional Research Service report published in September. The service’s own target is 1,558 crewed fighters by 2035. In 1991 it had about 3,900.

Age is the deeper problem. The average Air Force fighter is 27.4 years old. Availability fell from 72.9% in 1994 to 53.9% in 2024, and the service is about 1,900 pilots short. The Navy and Marine Corps add roughly 1,000 more tactical jets, most of them Super Hornets.

F-35: the backbone of all three services

The F-35 is the only fighter the United States is buying in large numbers. It comes in three versions: the F-35A for runways, the F-35B that can land vertically, and the F-35C with a bigger wing and stronger landing gear for carriers. The differences are set out in F-35A vs F-35B vs F-35C, and the basics in what the F-35 is.

Lockheed Martin delivered a record 191 aircraft in 2025 and says nearly 1,300 are in service in 12 countries. Purchases for the Air Force have slowed all the same. The fiscal 2027 budget asks for 38 F-35As, fewer than the 48 bought in 2024, as money moves to new programmes and to fixing the delayed Block 4 upgrade. We track the price in how much an F-35 costs.

F-22 Raptor: 185 jets and no replacement yet

The F-22 remains the best air-to-air fighter in American service more than 20 years after it arrived. It combines stealth, supersonic cruise without afterburner and thrust-vectoring engines. Only 187 production aircraft were built before the line closed in 2011, and Washington has never allowed an export, a story told in the fighter the US refuses to sell.

The Air Force has tried to retire its oldest Raptors to save money. Congress has refused: the law bars the fleet from falling below 184 before October 2027. The aircraft are instead getting new sensors and stealthy fuel tanks to keep them credible until the F-47 arrives.

F-15 and F-16: the fourth-generation fleet

The F-16 is still the most numerous American fighter, and it does a large share of the daily work with the active force, the Air National Guard and the Reserve. The F-15E Strike Eagle is the long-range bomb truck. Congress has capped its retirements too, at 51 aircraft through 2028.

The F-15EX Eagle II is the surprise survivor. It is a new-build F-15 with fly-by-wire controls, a modern radar and room for 12 air-to-air missiles, and it is replacing the worn-out F-15C/D in homeland air defense. The Air Force wants 24 a year in 2027 and 2028, rising to 36, and recently placed a Lot 7 order for 22 aircraft. The A-10 is on its way out, although 36 will now fly until 2030.

Navy and Marine Corps fighters

A carrier air wing is built around the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, with the EA-18G Growler jamming enemy radars and a growing number of F-35C squadrons. On 29 September 2026 the Navy chose Boeing to build their successor, the F/A-XX, under a development contract worth more than $20 billion. Our report on the F/A-XX award has the details.

The Marine Corps is consolidating on the F-35. Its plan calls for 420 aircraft, 280 F-35Bs and 140 F-35Cs. The AV-8B Harrier is leaving service and the old F/A-18C/D Hornets are due to follow by 2030.

What comes next: the F-47 and drone wingmen

The Air Force’s next fighter is the Boeing F-47, chosen in March 2025 as the centrepiece of the Next Generation Air Dominance programme. At least 185 are planned, first flight is expected by 2028 and the 2027 budget asks for $5 billion in development money. See what the F-47 is and when it will fly.

It will not fly alone. In June 2026 the Air Force ordered two uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft into production, the General Atomics FQ-42 and the Anduril FQ-44, and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in September that he wants at least 500 in service by 2032. They are not counted as fighters. Our guide to the drone wingman race explains the idea.

Frequently asked questions

How many fighter jets does the US have?

The Air Force reported 1,098 fighters in May 2026. The Navy and Marine Corps operate roughly 1,000 more tactical jets.

What is the best US fighter jet?

The F-22 Raptor is the most capable in air-to-air combat. The F-35 is the more versatile aircraft and the only one still being built in quantity.

Does the US still build the F-15 and F-16?

Yes. Boeing builds the F-15EX for the Air Force. Lockheed Martin builds new F-16s in South Carolina, but only for export customers.

What will replace the F-22?

The Boeing F-47, a sixth-generation fighter expected to make its first flight by 2028.

What fighter jets does the US Navy fly?

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-35C, supported by the EA-18G Growler. Boeing’s F/A-XX is due to replace the Super Hornet in the 2030s.