Fighter jets are among the most extreme forms of machinery that mankind has ever produced. They are capable of flying faster than the sound itself, doing feats of gravity-defying, and delivering terrifying payloads.
Because of this, of all of a nation’s military equipment, fighter jets are usually the most recognizable. But here are 10 cool fighter jets that you probably had never idea existed.
10. Atlas Cheetah
The Atlas Cheetah, a fighter developed by South Africa, is as swift as its name implies and is strikingly similar to the Dassault Mirage, a delta-wing aircraft developed by France. South Africa, which was the target of an arms embargo, had previously flown French Mirage III fighters and sought to modernize them in the face of being unable to purchase more aircraft. The Cheetah updated the aged jet’s airframe with contemporary avionics, armament systems, and re-designs, keeping only around 50% of the Mirage III’s original airframe. With a top speed of about Mach 2.2 at altitude, the Cheetah, which entered service in 1986, is regarded as the classic Mirage III’s ultimate evolution.
9. IAI Kfir
The IAI Kfir is an Israeli fighter plane developed to replace their fleet of outdated French Mirage fighters, in this case, the Dassault Mirage 5. Its development is remarkably similar to that of the Atlas Cheetah. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) switched to an American engine, notably the GE J79—the engine that propelled fighters like the F4 Phantom—after basing development on the Dassault Mirage 5’s subpar engine. 100 Kfirs were initially constructed by IAI before they were put into service in 1977. Israel deactivated the Kfir in the 1990s after numerous generations of development; however, they had previously been leased to the US Navy and sold to other countries like Sri Lanka and Columbia, where they are still in use today.
8. HAL Tejas
The HAL Tejas, an indigenously developed modern fighter jet from India, flies at supersonic speeds and is light, agile, and quick. It has an incredible and distinctive delta-wing design. The HAL Tejas was a product of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, which was created to replace its outdated Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters. The first prototype of the aircraft took to the skies in 2001. One of the smallest multi-role fighter fighters in the world, the Tejas entered service in 2016 and is presently undergoing trials with the Indian Navy for deployment on aircraft carriers.
7. Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut
The Su-47 and its peculiar wings, a proposed next-generation fighter with promised performance and capabilities, were delayed to the point of obsolescence by the fall of the Soviet Union. The Su-47 has tremendous mobility thanks to the wings’ backward installation, which, combined with the aircraft’s cutting-edge sensors and armaments, may give the impression that a manufacturing error occurred. The Su-47 has previously taken to the skies at many air shows, but due to the protracted development delays it encountered, it never became a real force on the battlefield.
6. Saab J-35 Draken
The Saab Draken, whose name translates to “Dragon,” is one of the coolest fighter jets ever made. Add to that its impressive set of capabilities and the Draken is unquestionably a badass machine. The Draken, which went into production in 1957, was Sweden’s first fighter with a Mach 2 capability. This performance capacity, which was still in its early stages, successfully served some Scandinavian countries until 1998, when it was phased down. Although its kite-style delta wing may appear unusual, the Draken’s exceptional performance and mobility for a supersonic fighter jet of the time contributed to its long service life. It is an excellent aircraft through and through.
5. Saab J-37 Viggen
The Viggen, which translates to “Thunderbolt” in English, was the formidable Draken’s successor and had a similarly distinctive delta wing design. The Viggen, like the Draken, was a beast capable of Mach 2, outfitted with cutting-edge weaponry and an unusual but effective airframe. The Viggen was designed with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities in mind, and its massive engine, with a thrust rating of 28,100Ibs, was its main attraction. The last Viggen, which entered service in the early 1970s, left Swedish service in 2007.
4. Lockheed YF-12 Blackbird
One of the most radical jet aircraft designs ever created, the YF-12 is essentially an SR-71 built to carry missiles. The A-12, the forerunner of the SR-71, had reached its last phases of development in 1962, and worries that the plane would be made public during test flights were a serious worry. The White House unveiled an armed YF-12 interceptor prototype in 1964, omitting any mention of its role in the development of the SR-71 and A-12, rather than run the danger of the aircraft being made public due to circumstances outside government control. The YF-12 was possibly the most powerful interceptor ever made, detracting from the program’s real spy-plane goal.
3. Douglas F4D Skyray
The F4D Skyray, a manta-ray-like fighter jet that lived up to its name, was one of the best interceptors of its era but was mostly forgotten as a result of the aviation industry’s rapid development. The F4D Skyray, which was contracted to develop the fighter in 1948, was influenced by German plans from World War II that had been recovered. When the F4D entered service in the middle of the 1950s, it had already shattered previous records for time-to-height and won the Collier Trophy for aviation achievement in 1953. Skyray interceptor squadrons were regarded as some of the greatest America had since they could break the sound barrier in a dive and were in use until 1964.
2. De Havilland Sea Vixen
The strange-looking Sea Vixen is a jet from the early Cold War era that was the culmination of de Havilland’s odd twin-boom fighters. The Sea Vixen, which was derived from the Vampire and Venom, first took to the air in 1957, breaking the sound barrier for the first time in testing, and seeing 119 units enter service with the British Royal Navy. The Sea Vixen was one of the strangest-looking fighters in British history, but as it was built specifically for naval defense, its capabilities weren’t all that unusual. The Sea Vixen, though a capable aircraft that entered service, was never engaged in battle.
1. Horten Ho 229
If we go back to World War II, it might surprise you to learn that fighter jets as a category were in use all during the conflict. They were flown for the first time by Germany, which led to some absurd developments. The Horten Ho 229 was by far the most bizarre German WWII aircraft ever to fly. The Ho 229 was developed as a long-range fighter/bomber and an early attempt at stealth technology after receiving financing from the government in 1943. The Ho 229, despite appearing as though it were taken right out of science fiction, was actually built and put through a number of test flights. The only airworthy Ho 229 crashed during a test flight, however, as a result of the design’s severe unpredictability.
