Hello Everyone, you are watching another episode of Military Update.
Are there any vehicles in the world more extreme and badass than a fighter jet?
As one of the most extreme types of machines humans have ever created,
fighter jets are absolutely awe-inspiring, capable of ripping through the air faster than sound
itself, pulling off gravity-defying maneuvers, and delivering terrifying payloads. As such,
the fighter jets that a nation deploys tend to be the most iconic among all their military vehicles.
Even if they don't know the details, many people have at least heard about
the ultra-advanced modern beasts like the F-22 Raptor, or classics such as the F-15 Eagle. Yet,
those are just American jets, but the world is a diverse place and full of incredible aircraft.
So, read on, to find out about 10 awesome fighter jets you probably weren't aware even existed.
10. Atlas Cheetah
South Africa's own fighter, the Atlas Cheetah is as fast as its name suggests,
and bears much resemblance to France's delta-wing fighter,
the Dassault Mirage—that's because it essentially is one.
Born from an arms embargo against South Africa, the nation had been flying French Mirage III
fighters previously and sought to upgrade them in the face of not being able to buy further jets.
Keeping just around 50% of the Mirage III's airframe,
the Cheetah overhauled the aging jet's airframe with modern avionics,
weapons systems, and re-designs. Introduced to service in 1986, the Cheetah is considered the
ultimate evolution of the classic Mirage III, with a top speed of around Mach 2.2 at altitude.
9. IAI Kfir
A very similar story to the Atlas Cheetah, the IAI Kfir is an Israeli fighter jet developed around
upgrading their fleet of aging French Mirage fighters, in this case, the Dessault Mirage 5.
Starting development around the Dassault Mirage 5 lackluster engine,
Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) traded the French engine for an American one,
specifically the GE J79—the engine that powered fighters like the F4 Phantom.
IAI produced 100 Kfirs at first before entering them into service in 1977.
Evolving over several generations, Israel retired the Kfir in the '90s,
but had leased them previously to the US Navy,
and sold them to other nations like Sri Lanka and Columbia—where they still serve today.
8. HAL Tejas
India's home-grown modern fighter jet, the HAL Tejas is a lightweight, nimble,
and fast jet with an awesome and unique delta-wing design, and supersonic speeds.
With its first prototype taking flight in 2001, the HAL Tejas was a product of India's
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, meant to replace their aging Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters.
Entering service in 2016, the Tejas is one of the smallest multi-role fighter jets in the
world and is currently undergoing trials with the Indian Navy for use on aircraft carriers.
7. Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut
A proposed next-generation fighter with promising performance and capabilities, the Su-47 and its
strange wings were delayed to the point of obsolescence by the fall of the Soviet Union.
The wings may seem like a factory error, but their backward mounting gives the Su-47
incredible maneuverability, and with advanced sensors and weapons, it makes it an incredibly
capable machine. While it has flown in the past at several airshows, the Su-47 had no fate as
an actual force on the battlefield thanks to the lengthy delays it faced in development.
6. Saab J-35 Draken
With a name translating to "Dragon," and a design unlike anything else in the sky,
the Saab Draken is already one of the coolest fighter jets in history,
combine that with its capabilities, and the Draken is clearly a badass machine.
Entering production in 1957, the Draken was Sweden's first Mach 2 capable fighter,
a performance capability that was still in its infancy at the time, and found success
serving several Scandinavian nations all the way to 1998 when it was phased out.
An awesome aircraft through and through, while its kite style delta wing may look odd,
it gave the Draken incredible performance and maneuverability
for a supersonic fighter jet of the time, lending to that long service life.
5. Saab J-37 Viggen
The successor to the mighty Draken, the Viggen, meaning "Thunderbolt" in English,
was similarly a unique delta wing design, and also was a properly powerful fighter.
Like the Draken, the Viggen was a Mach 2 capable beast, armed with advanced weapons systems,
and a unique yet capable airframe design. Built with short takeoff and landing (STOL)
capabilities in mind, the Viggen's centerpiece was its immense engine,
capable of delivering 28,100Ibs of thrust. Introduced into service during the early '70s,
the last Viggen was retired from Swedish service in 2007.
4. Lockheed YF-12 Blackbird
The YF-12 is one of the most extreme versions of jet aircraft ever made—essentially,
an SR-71 designed to carry missiles.
The SR-71's predecessor, the A-12, had reached its final developmental stages in 1962,
and fears of the aircraft being revealed to the public during test flights were a major concern.
Rather than risk the aircraft being revealed through conditions out of government control,
the White House revealed an armed YF-12 interceptor prototype in 1964—omitting
any mention of its role in developing the SR-71 and A-12. Distracting from the program's true
spy-plane purpose, the YF-12 was perhaps the most badass interceptor ever created.
3. Douglas F4D Skyray
An aptly named manta-ray-looking fighter jet, the F4D Skyray was one of the best
interceptors of its time but was mostly forgotten thanks to a rapidly evolving aviation industry.
Being contracted to build the fighter in 1948,
the F4D Skyray was inspired by captured WWII German plans and their delta-wing designs.
Entering service in the mid-'50s, the F4D had already broken records prior, including
time-to-height, as well as being a winner of the aviation achievement-based Collier Trophy
in 1953. Able to break the sound barrier in a dive, and remaining in service until 1964,
Skyray interceptor squadrons were considered some of the best America had.
2. de Havilland Sea Vixen
The ultimate evolution of de Havilland's strange twin-boom fighters, the Sea Vixen is a strange,
yet awesome-looking jet from the early Cold War period.
Developed from the Vampire and Venom, the Sea Vixen first took flight in 1957,
becoming the first British fighter to break the sound barrier during testing,
and seeing a total of 119 units enter service with the British Royal Navy.
In terms of looks, the Sea Vixen was one of the weirdest fighters in British history,
but capability-wise, the Sea Vixen wasn't that out of the ordinary,
being a dedicated naval defense fighter. Though a capable plane that entered service,
the Sea Vixen never saw use in actual combat.
1. Horten Ho 229
Taking things back to WWII, it may seem surprising, but fighter jets as a type
were underway throughout the war. With Germany being the first to fly them,
some rather ridiculous developments took place.
By far the craziest German WWII aircraft to actually fly, the Horten Ho 229
looked like nothing else in the sky. Receiving funding from the government in 1943, the Ho 229
took shape as a long-range fighter/bomber, and an early attempt at stealth technology.
Despite looking like it came straight out of science fiction, the Ho 229 was
actually built and flown through several test flights. However, the extremely unconventional
design proved too problematic, and the only airworthy Ho 229 crashed during a test flight.