From the beginning of air combat, speed has determined survival—World War I biplanes struggling to top 135 mph to World War II warbirds cruising at 450 mph average, and now to contemporary jets that break the 1,000 mph barrier and even touch Mach 2. Their scorching speed is due to streamlined aerodynamics, powerful afterburning engines, and high-altitude operation, yet designers have to ensure strict tradeoffs between speed and agility, stability, and durability. While measured in terms of Mach numbers—times the speed of sound—supersonic flight has its challenges in the form of sonic booms, blistering heat, and gargantuan aerodynamic forces. Where most fighters will cruise between Mach 1 to 2.5, only a few extraordinary machines have stretched the machine and pilot to their limits.
10. McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II – The Cold War Workhorse
With a Mach 2.23 (1,470 mph) top speed, the Phantom set the standard for multi-role fighters, performing everything from intercept to ground attack to perfection.
9. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor – The Stealth Speedster
America’s fifth-generation air-dominance fighter has a Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph) top speed and can cruise supersonically without the need for afterburners, a feat known as “supercruise.”
8. IAI Kfir – Mirage Heritage with American Muscle
Combining French Mirage aerodynamics and U.S.-built engines, Israel’s Kfir can hit Mach 2.3 and is renowned for its light-speed responsiveness.
7. MiG-29 Fulcrum – Soviet Dogfighting Master
This quick Cold War-era fighter topped out at Mach 2.3 and was built for knife fights in close range, with one of the finest thrust-to-weight ratios of its time.
6. Grumman F-14 Tomcat – Swing-Wing Legend of the Oceans
Made legendary by Top Gun, the Tomcat was capable of Mach 2.34 (1,544 mph) and employed its variable-geometry wings to cope with both carrier landings and supersonic dashes.
5. MiG-23 Flogger – Quick and Versatile Interceptor
Possessing its own swing-wing configuration, the MiG-23 was able to accelerate to Mach 2.35, being a rapid-reaction interceptor as well as a useful strike aircraft.
4. Sukhoi Su-27 Family – Russian Supermaneuverable Fighters
The Su-27 and its advanced variants (Su-30, Su-34, Su-35) are known for maneuverability and brute power, all of which can reach Mach 2.35 in level flight.
3. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle – America’s Air Superiority Titan
Even a top-of-its-class air combat platform years after its introduction, the F-15 hits Mach 2.5 with a heavy missile and fuel payload.
2. Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound – High-Altitude Speed Hunter
Designed to pursue bombers and cruise missiles, the Foxhound zooms to Mach 2.83 as it patrols the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
1. Mikoyan MiG-25 Foxbat – The Quickest Operational Fighter Ever
The greatest speed freak of them all, the MiG-25 was capable of exploding past Mach 3.2 (2,190 mph), initially conceived to intercept high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. Only test planes such as the rocket-assisted X-15, which reached Mach 6.72, have ever been faster.
Commercial airliners cruise at roughly Mach 0.8 (615 mph), but even the retired Concorde at Mach 2.04 (1,559 mph) was beaten by military legends such as the SR-71 Blackbird, which reached Mach 3.32. For fighter pilots, speed is life—enabling them to outrun missiles, hit and run in a flash, and relocate in a fraction of a second—though it exacts eye-watering prices in stress, heat, and fuel, as evidenced by the SR-71’s 600°F skin temperatures and 5,000-gallon-per-hour burn. Today, the hypersonic fighter competition involving the SR-72 Darkstar and MiG-41 is expected to break the Mach 5 barrier, opening a new chapter in air supremacy.