“Fastest fighter” depends on the rule used: prototype versus production aircraft, maximum dash speed versus sustained speed, and historical versus current service. This ranking uses the same published top-speed field shown on each encyclopedia profile, making every result traceable to its aircraft page.
Method: published English profiles assigned to the Fighter taxonomy, sorted by published Mach number. Design targets and estimates are marked [projected] and are not demonstrated records. Mach varies with local sound speed; published km/h values are shown only for non-projected entries and are not calculated from Mach.
| Rank | Aircraft | Published speed | Mach | Evidence basis | First flight | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound | 3,000 km/h | Mach 2.83 | Published specification | 1975 | Russia/Soviet Union |
| 2 | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat | 3,000 km/h | Mach 2.83 | Published specification | 1964 | Russia/Soviet Union |
| 3 | Mikoyan MiG-1.44 | 2,500 km/h | Mach 2.6 | Published specification | 2000 | Soviet Union / Russia |
| 4 | Boeing F-15EX Eagle II | — | Mach 2.5 | Published specification | 2021 | United States |
| 5 | McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle | — | Mach 2.5 | Published specification | 1972 | United States |
| 6 | Mikoyan MiG-23 Flogger | 2,496 km/h | Mach 2.35 | Published specification | 1967 | Soviet Union |
| 7 | Shenyang J-11 | 2,500 km/h | Mach 2.35 | Published specification | 1998 | China |
| 8 | Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker | 2,500 km/h | Mach 2.35 | Published specification | 1977 | Russia/Soviet Union |
| 9 | Sukhoi Su-37 Flanker-F | 2,500 km/h | Mach 2.35 | Published specification | 1996 | Russia |
| 10 | Grumman F-14 Tomcat | 2,485 km/h | Mach 2.34 | Published specification | 1970 | United States |
| 11 | Dassault Mirage 4000 | 2,445 km/h | Mach 2.3 | Published specification | 1979 | France |
| 12 | IAI Kfir | 2,440 km/h | Mach 2.3 | Published specification | 1973 | Israel |
| 13 | Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum | — | Mach 2.3 | Published specification | 1977 | Russia |
| 14 | English Electric Lightning | — | Mach 2.27 | Published museum specification | 1954 | United Kingdom |
| 15 | Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor | — | Mach 2.25 | Published specification | 1997 | United States |
| 16 | Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark | 2,400 km/h | Mach 2.25 | Published specification | 2009 | China |
| 17 | Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E | — | Mach 2.25 | Published specification | 2008 | Russia |
| 18 | McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II | 2,370 km/h | Mach 2.23 | Published specification | 1958 | United States |
| 19 | Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut | 2,200 km/h | Mach 2.21 | Published specification | 1997 | Russia |
| 20 | Atlas Cheetah | 2,338 km/h | Mach 2.2 | Published specification | 1986 | South Africa |
| 21 | Dassault Mirage 2000 | — | Mach 2.2 | Published specification | 1978 | France |
| 22 | Dassault Mirage III | 2,350 km/h | Mach 2.2 | Published service specification | 1956 | France |
| 23 | Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D | 2,300 km/h | Mach 2.17 | Published specification | 1987 | Russia |
| 24 | Dassault Mirage 5 | 2,350 km/h | Mach 2.1 | Published specification | 1967 | France |
| 25 | Dassault Mirage F1 | — | Mach 2.1 | Published manufacturer specification | 1966 | France |
Want a broader view? Explore the fastest aircraft by category, run a side-by-side comparison, or browse the complete aircraft encyclopedia.