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Zero losses to enemy fire and one F-15 even survived a mid air collision where it lost an entire wing (port side, I think) at a fairly high altitude then the pilot managed to fly it back to base and land it safely...missing a wing. It didn't crash land or do a gear up/belly landing but touched down on all 3 points (at around 300 mph, if I remember correctly).
@ John Kochen There is a video production "Air Warriors", by the Smithsonian Channel that devotes an entire hour to the F-15--it is worth a watch, and it is on RUclips..
My favourite was the Phantom F4. A huge plane that looked great. Also I was born at start of Korean War and not old enough to pick my favorite until the Vietnam War. Loved those big F4s had models and drawings of them everywhere.
Especially the Navy colourful scemes, with big red lightnings on the back etc. But well, they actually didn't perform always as expected, see Vietnam....
My father started flying F4’s in Vietnam, moved to the F15 in the early 80’s and ended his Career flying A10’s in the Middle East. He would say either the F4 or the A10.
@@randykelso4079 Don't get me wrong, I love the F8. But it definitely hasn't had the same effect on the world of aviation as the Phantom has. As for the kill ratios, the F8 has a tiny sample size compared to the F4, not to mention poor ROE that limited the Phantom's ability early on.
@@randykelso4079 Thank you so much for bringing this up. I think the crusader is a very underated bird, and in my opinion the best jet of the vietnam. It's a shame that it is always in the shadow of the phantom.
One of my Uncles was a 4-star in the USAF; over 8500 hours in the air in everything from the P-51 to the F-16. While he loved the 51, the F-16 was his favorite, and is still one of the most common and dominant fighters in use today. At nearly 50 years old. It pioneered unstable, fly-by wire design, a side-stick control with a reclined seating position to maximize G-load resistance, and is simply the most beautiful fighter ever built. Another tragic omission.
Good..Russia first made the best aircraft for war. With technology no one had sen A guy from the United States took it and flew to the United States to see what it was like no one had see such a technology before ... so the USA is ugly
"Invisible to radar" In 1991, a poorly trained and vodka soaked Serbian AA missile crew blew an F-117 "stealth fighter" out of the sky with an 1950's era SA-3 (Neva) RADAR guided missile, the Serbian military later sent a message to the US embassy saying, "Oops, sorry, our bad, we didn't know it was invisible".
lots of factors at play there. No EW support, leaked flight plans, etc. The F117s had been flying lots of strike missions without incident, it was simply an unlucky night for that F117 pilot. The radar operator essentially knew where to look, when to look, etc and was still barely able to lock the aircraft (he said it himself in an interview).
@One Issue Voter I wouldn't call it incompetence. At the time, adding all that equipment would compromise the stealth since it had to be mounted on the outside of the aircraft. But sure, go ahead and insult the designers of a very successful stealth aircraft that was way ahead of its time.
@@nendongosimeonn6375 The Saab J35 Draken was extremely capable compared to the competition. Did it make history? No, but no country flying Drakens have ever been attacked...
@@Merecir capability is not a fact until proven in combat. Unfortunately many aircraft did not have a chance to be in combat and so will always have a doubt of being the most capable. That’s why some nations try to give the chance for combat and see how capable it is. F35 was sold to Israel even if it wasn’t part of the development group. The US knew it would be put into combat quickly.
No, the Fokker Dr1 couldn't fly faster. It was actually pretty slow compared with other WW1 fighters in straight line speed, although it did have a very good climb rate with the three wings. What it was, was incredibly manoeuvrable, which in those days of incredibly tight, close in, turning dogfights made it absolutely lethal indeed.
From my understanding what you say is correct. Also the Triplane was not the invention of Fokker, Sopwith got there a year ahead of Fokker who later copied the idea. The reason the Sopwith Triplane is not so well known is that I believe it was flown mainly by the navy air services and not RFC.
Drop the F 117: yes it looks cool and sexy and all that, but so does Madonna, and I wouldn't put her in the top 10 of best female pop singers ever, alongside Kate Bush for ex. It was NO fighter, as is said here, but rather an attack airplane that needed the cover of night to avoid being shot down by pilots with 30/30 vision. I'd go for the F 15, also a superb looking plane, great performances etc. And if we absolutely want a British plane in the list, what about the EE Lightning ?
F117 is not a fighter. It should have been the A117. Just not a good documentary about fighter planes. The 117 had zero weapons capable of air to air combat.
I'm a little upset the F-15 is often left off these lists... 100+ air to air kills and no loses, only been downed bay SAMs and mechanical failure. First introduced in 1976 and they're still building new variants.
It's a shitty video whose title is "fighter jets" and includes propeller planes from WWI (the Fokker Dr.I) and strike aircraft with no air-to-air capability (like the F-117). Pay it no mind. We all know that the F-15 is probably the greatest Cold War jet fighter aircraft (even though I have a personal affinity for Soviet aircraft).
I would definitely put it in there, but I am guessing they made this list with "birds that had more stories to tell". Even so the F 15 is probably the best air superiority fighter of all times.
Major issue I have, the F-117 is a bomber NOT a fighter! Next, a pilot who flew the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt said he preferred the Jug. Also, almost all the top US aces flew the P-38 Lightning.
Most of these aircraft are either retired or decommissioned or both. This needs to be completely redone from scratch including aircraft that are currently in service. This video although it's nice is still should be considered clickbait by anyone who has a interest in military aircraft or has either worked around them or flown them.
@@RvnCCl that plane was slow and not very maneuverable. If it was close enough to another plane to be seen by eye, it would have been as good as dead. It was useless in the cas role as well. Really was not worth the price of what it was for. In the end it was just a test bed for stealth technology. Don't know how many were built and deployed, but they were expensive.
My family and I were traveling on vacation in the middle of nowhere in Michigan. I decided to pull off the highway and take some back roads. There was a small airport just off the highway. There was a P-51 there. The pilot was performing his pre flight. I turned our van and camper around immediately! That beautiful Bird was just on the other side of the fence. My boys made fun of me because of how excited I was. I could hardly contain myself when he fired it up! Amazing! I was able to sit in one about 9 years earlier. Two wonderful days.
@@scarecrow1323 I don’t know where it says anything of the 20th century. The title card on the show as well as the narration says “ greatest ever … fighter planes”
@@bradmiller2329 The Tomcat is no joke and I HATED mixing it up with them. I just wish that the 15X was in service and I was able to fly it. But, I was able to 'splash' the 18 every time. Input overload is a big problem with that bird and they can't match me for speed and agility. Plus, my 'legs' are longer.
I think honourable mentions should be given to the P38 Lightning, the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito and the F4U Corsair. And this should be titled fighter aircraft, not fighter jets if prop planes are obviously included.
The Fokker DR-1 Triplane was essentially an improved version of the British Sopwith Triplane that preceded it. There was no thought, "Ah, two wings are good, let's try three and see what happens". No, the German's saw what he Sopwith could do and, appreciating its maneuverablility, had Anthony Fokker design their own version.
100% 👍 The _only_ thing a third wing does is increase drag! Nothing else. All benefits from a box-wing structure (strength and weight) is already realized in a biplane. Adding more wings only make the compromise solution inferior. If you want more wing area, it's better to make the biplane wings larger. (I find it weird that people don't realize there are probably reasons why tri-planes - drag - and flying wings - trim drag - never became popular, as journalists often claim the should have.)
My special area of interest as a military historian, ex-RAAF member and scale model builder are the aircraft of WW2 and Korea. Every one of the aircraft chosen in this, somewhat, strangely selective '10 Greatest' are fighters that I've studied, researched and built, many times, in scale models. There are, of course, several other fighters that I would have included that would have taken this list to the 15 or 20 'Greatest', but I guess 10 was more attractive to a general audience. Every single aircraft was, in its own way, exceptional and one must remember that every aircraft has its pros and cons. For instance, the short range of the Spitfire was one of the factors that made it work as well as it did. Imagine a Spit with huge fuel tanks in the wings, which is usual in a lot of aircraft. The Spitfire with huge fuel tanks would not have been able to keep its highly versatile range of wing armaments and the increased weight of fuel would have severely encroached on its dogfighting capabilities. The other remarkable feature of the Spitfire was that the Supermarine designers never stopped making performance improvements to R. J. Mitchell's brilliant aerodynamic design. Each mark of Spit was better than the last up to Marks 22/24 which were still highly useful fighters well into the domination of pure jets. Good thing I love aircraft so much, for if I wasn't, I probably would not have tolerated the Englishman's irritating narration; imitating an American style of delivery for the full 51 minutes. Still, it was great to hear from aircraft experts and veteran pilots who flew these amazing airframes. Thank you, Spark. Cheers, BH
The "Englishman's irritating narration" had nothing "American" about it. I suspect you have the bogan's chip on your shoulder where Britain is concerned.
@@LordOfLight G'day HOD, of course, I applaud your freedom of speech; even though you are completely wrong in your assessment. When you've got over 40 years of experience in the nuances of broadcasting and voice-overs, you may understand what I was talking about. Wrong again about any anti-British feeling on my part. I happen to be proud of my Lancastrian ancestry; and I'm one who still takes my formal written and verbal oath of loyalty to HM Queen Elizabeth II seriously. As to the petty nastiness of your 'bogan' reference; you can call me anything you like on a public forum; hiding, as you do, behind a phoney 'handle'. One suspects you've been looking into the mirror a little too often. It must be so tiresome to hate, as you do. I never insult strangers without extreme provocation. Indeed, I feel sorry for you if this is how you spend your brief time on this planet. Bill Halliwell
A story I heard about a Harrier was when a pilot got lost, or was running low on fuel, he tried to land on a moving train which had cargo boxes on the back of it. He brought the plane down, but he rolled forward and the plane's front wheel came off of the end of the cargo container. The plane was recovered , and the pilot was reprimanded.
Your story is pretty much accurate. It was a cargo ship and he did attempt to land on a cargo container. There was also an American pilot who successfully pulled off a carrier landing onto a stool, because he had no front wheel. Very skilled pilots can pull off precision vertical landings and effectively stop in mid-air using viffing - vectoring in forward flight. It is a very agile aircraft while hovering but its normal turn and climb rate isn't comparable with modern aircraft, especially not the Russian Migs. Originally it was designed as a CAS aircraft rather than a fighter, and it did that very well.
During the Falkland war RAF Harriers landed on containers on a cargo ship (Atlantic conveyor) improvised as an aircraft carrier. They had trained for that apparently.
@@kenoliver8913 That surprises me because the Atlantic Conveyor, famously, was sunk before it ever arrived at the Falklands. It took a lot of precious supplies with it too, including the helicopters that were originally planned to ferry the ground troops around.
Fun Fact, the P-51 Mustang began it's life as the A-36 Apache. Designed in the late 30's for Britain. Only problem was over 5k feet it wasn't as good as the spitfire. Below 5k feet though, nothing could touch it with a regular cruise speed at 340+ mph. War Thunder (simulator mode/ full real controls) actually gets this right so if you want to test for yourself it's actually pretty eye opening. As well as a cool introduction to the A-36/P-51 heritage 😁
It's a good documentary. But few greatest planes of 20th century are missing. Please make a video on these planes listed below, 1. F-15 C&E 2. F-16 3. F-4 phantom 4. Su 27 5. Mirage III, V and 2000 6. Su 30 7. F-14 Tomcat. Regards Have a great day.
My favourite was,is and always will be,the GRUMMAN F14TOMCAT.Okay,it was larger and also more expensive to fly and maintain than the F18 Hornet ! It was a sad day for myself, when this awesome aircraft was retired from service. LOVE YA, YOU ABSOLUTELY STUNNING AEROPLANE ❣ Roland Singh, Canada 🇨🇦
It comes down to the purpose of the aircraft and the technology available at the time. They all served their purpose until something better came along because of advanced technology. They were all the best for the times and purpose they were built for.
Always difficult to pick a top ten like this. There are so many metrics that you could use, and the ones you choose would determine the aircraft you choose. I think I would have included the de Havilland Mosquito, though, for inclusion. And possibly the EE Lightning.
The Spitfire is also misrepresented as being extremely short-range, yet in photoreconnaissance and meteorological use, it definitely overflew Germany regularly. The Spitfire also had a much longer service history than the Mustang. And of course, the Mustang was effectively a derivative of the Spitfire - the version that was optimised for bomber escort. Which just goes to show the versatility of the Spitfire! Seems odd not to have the Lightning, I agree. The cockpit photos of a U2 from above proved that was able to intercept anything flying at the time (and scared the heck out of the US). Not sure about the Mosquito, as it was primarily a bomber, although I suppose if you can include the B117, then you can hardly leave out the Mosquito, which did at least have a fighter variant, unlike the Nighthawk. Of course, a glaring omission is the Avro CF105 Arrow, cancelled mainly because the US undermined it because they didn't want the competition. Even in the early prototype form (which came off the actual production line, making it a production aircraft), it outperformed everything else in the air at the time in its combination of speed, rate of climb, range and manoeuvrability. With development, it might still be in production now. It certainly had the internal volume and lift capacity for considerable development of avionics and fire-control systems.
@@phillee2814 Yes, the Mosquito was primarily a bomber, but was very effective as a fighter - particularly the Tsetse variant. And you are right, the Avro Arrow was very advanced and should not have been cancelled - but the Americans were very touchy about anyone having any aircraft better than their own (similarly with the TSR2).
F 15 ? F 14 ? The WW 2 Corsair ? The EE Lightning ? Some of the French Mirages ? The limits of a top 10 leads to exclude very logical candidates, and hence always cause irritation and fractions of frictions....
Every time I watch a great video about fighter jets (USAF/USN fighters), "Snort" is always in it. He's one of best Fighter pilots to ever take to the sky. I believe he had the most hours flying the USN F-14 Tomcat at around 4500 hours.
And such a shame we lost him a few months ago to a bizarre crash. He was probably the best naval fighter aviator since Vietnam. I was honored to know him.
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Thankyou, subscribed. I see "premiered" 2021 and featuring Tom Clancy, whom died 2013, so some archived footage. Never met him but a brilliant story teller, academic and obviously author, but also an adviser to the US DoD. He, like so many others, passed way too soon.
Indeed. It's a known fact that enemy aircrafts used to run out like pussies as soon as they detected the powerful tomcat's AWG-9 radar emissions. Not only a fleet defender, but also a deterrent.
@@samgarrod4781 Mostly because of political neglect. It was underfunded and had many upgrade programs cancelled, preventing it from reaching anywhere close to it's full potential.
Where was the F15 ? I agree that all the planes on the list were great and as a Brit I should be saying the Spitfire is the best, but the Mustang, deservedly is #1, but the Eagle should be on the list or at the very least an honorable mention, as far as I know an F15 has never been shot down but has delivered more than its fair share of damage to the enemy.....just saying,,,,
F-15E pilot for 18 of my 32 year career. 123 F-15's lost due to mishaps but not one EVER shot down....unless you count that ONE that took a sidewinder from his wingman....oops.
@@olliedee I loved the Eagle. She was a dream to fly. Long legs, very fast, and agile. No input overload to deal with which is why Eagle pilots regularly "splashed" the F/A-18 in competition. Just wish the 15X was in service and I had the chance to fly her.
As a brit you should be saying the Hurricane,Not that flashy piece of flashy metal that did next to nothing in the second world war,more Hurricanes built,and lost,and more Hurricanes shot down Germans than the fancy Spitfire yes it was a Lamborghini compared to the "crude" Hurricane,but the Hurricane was the "workhorse"
I think this list is lacking a lot of great planes. The Hawker Hurricane, the Mosquito, the f6f Hellcat, f4U Corsair, p-38 Lightening, p-47 Thunderbolt, F-14 Tomcat, F-15, SU-27 Flanker, mig 29 Fulcrum, F-23 (which should have won the competition but...), F-22 Raptor, etc. etc.
It came on the number 11 spot because of too expensive :) But yes, it had such a powerful radar. And generally, if the Israeli's flew with a plane, it was an excellent plane.
@@markcooke5270 FCS the whole point of air superiority fighters is to always be fighting weaker opponents. If it had been designed around a Vulcan cannon and upgraded with modern avionics the F4 would be have been my choice for #1
I totally agree how the hell have the put the MiG-21 in front of the Hornet too? Hornet's have mostly got the better of 21's historically and it was a complete crime not to put the Eagle on this list which is the most successful fighter of all time! Bad show
These machines defended the free world since 1945. Hat's off to the brave men and women who flew them into harm's way. I've got dozens of airplane books and the stories these pilots tell when they end their service and write books are just amazing. These are my 3 favorite aviation books: - Topgun by Dan Pederson - Scream of Eagles by Robert Wilcox - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
Free world you say, where American citizens are forced cancerous injections, where journalism is censored and elections stolen. Is this the free world you fantasise over?
@@vegvisirphotography5632 just wow :) so you talk of fantasy so now provide proof on the following 1) what injections give US citizens cancer? (I’m sure you are a medical Dr. So please provide proof of credentials as well) 2). What election was stolen. (Provide proof other than what MAGA extremists have posted of social media)
I believe the majority if not all of the planes listed are no longer in service or relatively limited service. I think the F18 is the only one still is service.
The title is straight up blasphemous!!! Only ONE jet listed is still in service, the hornet!! (Maybe some countries use Harrier still idk). But 'of the 2000s' and you don't list the Raptor, F35, Eurofighter, ANY of the Sukhois, or even the f14 tomcat, f15 or f16?! This pissed me off 🤣
I was thinking the same thing throughout the whole Video. I am glad you mentioned it cause I was going to write the same thing. It was still a good video though
@@AtheistOrphan Too slow and with a limited range they were outclassed by other RAF aircraft, useless for the RN as they had no carriers to put them on.
@@georgebarnes8163 - Er, I seem to remember Royal Navy Sea Harriers based on the carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible giving a good account of themselves during the Falklands War. ‘I counted them all out and I counted them all back’.
@@AtheistOrphan they certainly did, no doubt about it but that was down to the missiles they had not their performance, the RAF replaced them with superior aircraft namely the Tornado and Typhoon, the RN had no use for them as they had no aircraft carriers to put them on plus the fact that the airframes were at the end of their life, they were great aircraft but had run their course, very sad to see them go.
Before the Americans got hold of a Zero the Aussies RAAF had already figured out that the hit and run tactic on the Zero was really the only way to fight it and they were acccuse of being cowards for their dive down and shoot 'em up rather than dog fight tactic.
W Allen Caddell..yes,the Hurricane shot down more bombers than the Spitfire,it could take a lot more punishment than the Spitfire and was easier to fix,as it was the bombers that were doing the damage to our cities,by taking these out the Hurricane really is the unsung hero of the BoB.
I love that "not entirely a joke" comment by Tom Clancy. Makes sense. Other than North Korea, I know of no other State that uses its military or police forces on its own citizens rather than foreign armed forces
I know about the F-117 Stealth Fighter. I personally saw his remains in the Belgrade Air Force. The Serbian Air Defense shot him down from the hall while they were having dinner.("I say quite by accident. They didn't know he was invisible")😂😛😉😉
Fun Facts: in WW2 The bombers pilots. Peter the mustangs to protect them from the Nazi planes. The mustangs were flown by African Americans pilots. They were the Red Tails.
I agree with those complaining about the absence of the F14 and F15 from this list. They both were/are the best weapons their class. I also believe the F22, now over 20 years old, is simply THE BEST fighter of all time. No opposition wants to tangle with one.
It says fighter planes. Not jets you dunderhead. P51 didn’t need radar on board or Missiles to take down its target. Heck as a side note the US now uses a modified Crop duster as an attack aircraft.
Man, I've been looking for this for years... thanks for the upload, very much appreciated. The best part is romanian pilot ... yeah, it was very cool. I bet it was!
The title of this video is very misleading. All these top 10 lists are very subjective. The Fw190 was a better plane than the Bf109 by almost any measure. The F6F Hellcat was also an air superiority "Ace Maker". Chance Vought Corsair? The F117 is not a fighter by any metric other than what they decided to call it. You could easily do a greatest 25 best list and still not be able to include some amazing machines. Even the Bell P39 Airacobra which was disdained by some US pilots was beloved by Soviet pilots.
One problem here is the criteion for "great". Most influential on events? Most produced? Longest period in frontline service? Biggest shock to its opponents? Most technologically advanced for its time? Best at a specialised role or the most versatile? Then there's the defintion of "fighter". A bomber-destroyer? A fighter-bomber like the Mozzie or F111 (they tried to avoid air combat but could defend themselves if needed)? Labeled a fighter but with no fighter weapons at all (the F117)?
F-117 was named a fighter although it had no air to air weapons, radar or capability to fight off an air target and was basically a bomber. On the other hand secret new stealth bomber - B-21 Raider, is called the bomber and will have the primary mission of dropping bombs and missiles on ground targets, but will most probably have the air to air capable radar and will carry future extremely long range air to air missiles, giving it a potent capability to take out enemy's fighter jets..
It should be the F117 bomber as it has only been used for bombing, not fighting. whilst it can carry Sidewinders, it never has. it doesnt have an air to air radar and has no guns. Very weird.
Well yes, for it's purpose it should've been call the B-117 Nighthawk. But in order to confuse people and attract pilots to apply for the program in the early stages they named it the F-117 (F stands for fighter), a secret stealth fighter aircraft sounds better to pilots who are just a bunch of boys essentially
@@kyluu9731 tell a B2 bomber pilot that. Its the only plane i can recall being designated incorrectly. You dont need a fighter pilot you need a bomber pilot. Cant see a F117 doing 5 G turn, etc
@@ronwyatt1231 why are you mad at me I didn't make any of these decisions. Tell the Airforce that. And what are you rambling about, of course you need both fighter and bomber, this isn't a video game.
In the intro, are shown several images and short scenes with the "F-117" which is definitely misnamed because it is in no way a fighter. It is purely a ground attack aircraft with no other offensive ability than dropping it's payload of bombs. So I hope it isn't included no matter how good it was at it's job. You had to go there didn't you? F-117 NOT A FIGHTER!!! It is purely a bomber/ground attack aircraft and you've lost ALL credibility with me. A Fighter, to BE a fighter, must be able to FIGHT other aircraft. Since you obviously don't understand this fact, I see no reason to watch the rest of the video. So at 2:16 in I will bid you adieu. So long and thanks for wasting my time. Edit: If the F-117 is a fighter, then so is the B-52, which actually has guns to fight other aircraft if absolutely necessary. Tailguns to be sure but the F-117 lacks ANY GUNS!.
I did the same. Quit 8 minutes into the video. First, they include the F-117, even though in the first couple of minutes, they clearly define fighter as an aircraft designed to control airspace. Then, they include a propeller plane from WWI in a video titled "fighter JETS"... ¬¬
While it's a strange inclusion, the video SAYS it's not actually a fighter... and even explains the F-designation which related to its popular name... the 'Stealth Fighter'. Everybody here AND in the production knows it isn't one!
It was not even a good, let alone great, plane - as its short service life showed. It was simply not stealthy enough to offset all its disadvantages (especially spending most of its life in a hangar being maintained), as the Serbian shootdown showed. It was only a stepping stone to better stealth planes.
The YF-17 (later became the F-18) lost to the YF-16 during fighter evaluations for the Air Force. The YF-17 was resurrected for the Navy since the F-16 wasn't right for the Navy's carrier operations. So I don't understand how the F-14, F-15 and F-16 is surpassed by the F-18 on this list. It can't even go Mach 2! It would need more speed as a fleet defender/interceptor. And if you want to talk about helmut technology, the F-35 helmut is more capable.
@@Smexy_af what a dumb comment you just posted. The f35 helmet was never a copy of the mig. You should start finding job in india than posting bullshit myths of the internet.
I was in the Royal Navy many moons ago and occasionally we were tasked with operational war games involving various fighters and fighter bombers doing dummy attack runs on the ship. Flying below radar level as best they could they were difficult to pick out on the Radar but not impossible. Many of the US aircraft including F4s and F14s were very Dirty in flight, that is to say their engines belched out so much visible exhaust that lookouts could easily see the smoke plume 10 miles away even if you could not see the aircraft itself. The Tomcat was especially bad. Was like "Farmer Giles tractor" hurtling toward you.. lol!! In short they were not very stealthy!! The trickiest little bleeders to spot were the Harrier.. and surprisingly perhaps.. The Buccaneer.. The buccaneer was very clean in flight and remained invisible until they were virtually on top of the target.. Us!! I think F14s and F4s were powered by McDonald Douglas engines.. Whether recommendations were ever suggested to the US military regarding the filthy and easily visible engine emissions I don't know. If you look closely in the Top Gun film the problem was still there!!
Most people forget the harrier pilot that stole the plane I think the CIA gave it to him really and he flew it to a building with a bunch of terrorists in it who stole a nuclear bomb and saved his daughter. She literally jumped on the nose off the building. He flew her to safety and they watched the bomb go off. Turns out his wife was kinda having a fling too.
Yes, I heard about that guy, too. I think before he became a Harrier pilot he worked in special ops as a commander of a rescue team. not assassins. However, after a 1987 incident in Guatemala where he lost his entire team to a shape-shifting creature from outer space he quit the rescue ops and went to the Harrier pilot school. During his time at the flight school he met his future wife who was recovering from a long-term trauma after her younger brother Michael tried to kill her on a Halloween night in 1978 back when she was still a teenager and from also working as a prostitute in New York City in the early 80s. She thought all her problems were solved after she helped out a millionaire regain his wealth who was a victim of a some sort of ponzie-scheme bet done by two older billionaires and a young black homeless fella, but to her disappointment he didn't stick around her for too long but he joined the CIA spy core and went over to the USSR on a special mission with a former golf-club playboy. Luckily for both of them, they met each other and married in the early 90s before they took care f those terrorists with the Harrier.
Nothing compared to the Firefox Clint E singlehandedly stole from the Popovs, while causing the death of the best red pilot at the same time, because he remembered in time to "think in Russian"... Da !
Especially pilots from Poland during the Battle of Britain in the summer and autumn of 1940. They are still remembered in England every year. They are now all gone but not forgotten. My family speaks English instead of German because of them and all the others who did the right thing. Cheers
That's all hear how great the Spitfire is and how it saved Britain, ofcourse omitting more Hurricanes were made all but cheaper had the same engine, made in greater numbers shot down more Germans than the Spitfire,similar to Sherman made in huge numbers,lost many and did more work than any allied tank
You are here watching aren't you? Are you British? The spitfire was used tactically and along with better manoeuvrability, being quicker, and carrying better arms on board the spitfire is engrained in the minds of the people because it was a fighter and fought fighters the Hurricane was used.on bombers. It was also easier to put new engines on and although it was longer to put it back in the air it was more adaptable for long term improvements. It also worked well on the world stage well European at least as it was responsible for helping break the seige of Malta and it was pivotal in providing fighter and bombing runs on d day. At times Hurricane f Pilots could keep up with the spitfire but that was.down to pilot skill not the plane
Firepower,manouevrebility and historical significance.the marvel to watch.airpower at it's best.educative and informative.from ww2 era of first generation of fighters down to the forthcoming generation of 6th generation of fighterjets.a moment of silence to pay final respect to the pioneers of airpower.much respect from an airpower enthusiast or an aviation buff.
I was kinda shocked that the hornet/super hornet (which I'm a fan of) made the list over the F16 & F15. I always thought the latter were the US gunslingers prior 2 the F22.
I am mesmerized by fighter jets. My Canada day revolves around the Snowbirds. Period! Oh, and a great big shout out to Mr. Bruce Dickinson!!!! This video really does have it all (except for the omission of the F-15s) of course!
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Any fighter is better than the F117 cuz its a strike jet. Its basic a stealth stuka
Updates kept ijiijjjnkknkknnnknnmmnm m. Mm. M nm. Mmnnnmnmmnmnmnnnmnnmnmnmmnnmnnnmnmnnmm ooooa😢 my family joined but I’d much
@@claushansen4381p
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@@claushansen4381'', 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43 2:43
When you consider that the F-15 was the dominant fighter in the last 30 years of the 20th century, its omission here is nothing short of baffling.
Zero losses to enemy fire and one F-15 even survived a mid air collision where it lost an entire wing (port side, I think) at a fairly high altitude then the pilot managed to fly it back to base and land it safely...missing a wing. It didn't crash land or do a gear up/belly landing but touched down on all 3 points (at around 300 mph, if I remember correctly).
It could certainly take the place of the No.10 - by their own admission not a fighter except in name.
@@michaelforansich8090 yeah. Having the F117 in the list was so dumb.
@ John Kochen
There is a video production "Air Warriors", by the Smithsonian Channel that devotes an entire hour to the F-15--it is worth a watch, and it is on RUclips..
@@waynewright5023 Thank you.
I thought this was "The Greatest Fighter Jets of the 20th Century" Didn't think the Fokker Triplane was a jet.....
Why is Tom "never put boots on the ground" Clancy an expert
I thought I was seeing things when Bruce Dickinson popped up. Had no idea he's a pilot. Super cool.
My favourite was the Phantom F4. A huge plane that looked great. Also I was born at start of Korean War and not old enough to pick my favorite until the Vietnam War. Loved those big F4s had models and drawings of them everywhere.
If you are a fan of the big F4 then you should be good with the remake of the F 15. Big twin engine .
Especially the Navy colourful scemes, with big red lightnings on the back etc. But well, they actually didn't perform always as expected, see Vietnam....
F-4 was/is the most beautiful jetfighter ever. Watched them fight and it was like watching pure wrath.
It was the best fighter bomber aircraft in his time.
Everyone said it was ugly. I fell in love with that plane at first sight. Capable, fast, record breaking, and yes....very beautiful.
My father started flying F4’s in Vietnam, moved to the F15 in the early 80’s and ended his Career flying A10’s in the Middle East. He would say either the F4 or the A10.
I was disappointed the F4 wasn't in there, how long it served.
@@countryboy4542 Especially since they listed the Mig-21. The Phantom is the world's leading distributor of MiG parts lol
@@kamraam1464 F-4 Vietnam kill ratio: 2:1. F-8 Crusader Vietnam kill ratio: 6:1
@@randykelso4079 Don't get me wrong, I love the F8. But it definitely hasn't had the same effect on the world of aviation as the Phantom has. As for the kill ratios, the F8 has a tiny sample size compared to the F4, not to mention poor ROE that limited the Phantom's ability early on.
@@randykelso4079 Thank you so much for bringing this up. I think the crusader is a very underated bird, and in my opinion the best jet of the vietnam. It's a shame that it is always in the shadow of the phantom.
Did anyone else catch what the narrator did there when he said " Mother of all FOKKERS" lol?
One of my Uncles was a 4-star in the USAF; over 8500 hours in the air in everything from the P-51 to the F-16. While he loved the 51, the F-16 was his favorite, and is still one of the most common and dominant fighters in use today. At nearly 50 years old. It pioneered unstable, fly-by wire design, a side-stick control with a reclined seating position to maximize G-load resistance, and is simply the most beautiful fighter ever built. Another tragic omission.
Good..Russia first made the best aircraft for war. With technology no one had sen
A guy from the United States took it and flew to the United States to see what it was like
no one had see such a technology before ... so the USA is ugly
Lmao that means your uncle would have the record for most hours in a fighter lmao. Which is not your uncle lol and he was a 4 star huh? Lol 😆
@@nexpro6118 Charles L. Donnelly Jr. The hours statement was from his Wikipedia Page. Note the name of his wife. Then my last name.
@@danielvandersall6756 F yeah Dan. Shut that nonsense down.
totally agree how they put the mig on here and not the f16 is blasphemy
"Invisible to radar" In 1991, a poorly trained and vodka soaked Serbian AA missile crew blew an F-117 "stealth fighter" out of the sky with an 1950's era SA-3 (Neva) RADAR guided missile, the Serbian military later sent a message to the US embassy saying, "Oops, sorry, our bad, we didn't know it was invisible".
I really hope that last part was satire and they didn't' actually do that
True, they finally retired the F-117.
@@dabossman3924 Yes they did send that message, not satire.
lots of factors at play there. No EW support, leaked flight plans, etc. The F117s had been flying lots of strike missions without incident, it was simply an unlucky night for that F117 pilot. The radar operator essentially knew where to look, when to look, etc and was still barely able to lock the aircraft (he said it himself in an interview).
@One Issue Voter I wouldn't call it incompetence. At the time, adding all that equipment would compromise the stealth since it had to be mounted on the outside of the aircraft. But sure, go ahead and insult the designers of a very successful stealth aircraft that was way ahead of its time.
I get it now, it's not the most capable aircraft we're talking about here. It's the one with the best story
If it's capable why lack the best story then?
@@nendongosimeonn6375 The Saab J35 Draken was extremely capable compared to the competition.
Did it make history? No, but no country flying Drakens have ever been attacked...
right
@@Merecir capability is not a fact until proven in combat. Unfortunately many aircraft did not have a chance to be in combat and so will always have a doubt of being the most capable.
That’s why some nations try to give the chance for combat and see how capable it is. F35 was sold to Israel even if it wasn’t part of the development group. The US knew it would be put into combat quickly.
Unfortunately, i dont think the mustang would have achieved its reputation, without the merlin....
No, the Fokker Dr1 couldn't fly faster. It was actually pretty slow compared with other WW1 fighters in straight line speed, although it did have a very good climb rate with the three wings. What it was, was incredibly manoeuvrable, which in those days of incredibly tight, close in, turning dogfights made it absolutely lethal indeed.
I caught that too. 180 mph that's not correct at all!
@@davidwoods7408 True. Almost nothing during that war got above around 135mph.
From my understanding what you say is correct. Also the Triplane was not the invention of Fokker, Sopwith got there a year ahead of Fokker who later copied the idea. The reason the Sopwith Triplane is not so well known is that I believe it was flown mainly by the navy air services and not RFC.
A CRAP LIST BY CRAP PEOPLE.
@@davidwoods7408 180 Kph not mph.
Drop the F 117: yes it looks cool and sexy and all that, but so does Madonna, and I wouldn't put her in the top 10 of best female pop singers ever, alongside Kate Bush for ex. It was NO fighter, as is said here, but rather an attack airplane that needed the cover of night to avoid being shot down by pilots with 30/30 vision. I'd go for the F 15, also a superb looking plane, great performances etc. And if we absolutely want a British plane in the list, what about the EE Lightning ?
It does carry the F designation… and I believe they dropped it in the list not for it’s lack of fighting records but it’s innovation…
The F - 117 Stealth Fighter Nighthawk and P - 51 Mustang are beautiful pieces of military technological history. 😍
F117 is not a fighter. It should have been the A117. Just not a good documentary about fighter planes. The 117 had zero weapons capable of air to air combat.
F-117 is a bomber. It should be called the B-117
I'm a little upset the F-15 is often left off these lists... 100+ air to air kills and no loses, only been downed bay SAMs and mechanical failure. First introduced in 1976 and they're still building new variants.
It's a shitty video whose title is "fighter jets" and includes propeller planes from WWI (the Fokker Dr.I) and strike aircraft with no air-to-air capability (like the F-117). Pay it no mind.
We all know that the F-15 is probably the greatest Cold War jet fighter aircraft (even though I have a personal affinity for Soviet aircraft).
A CRAP LIST BY CRAP PEOPLE.
I would definitely put it in there, but I am guessing they made this list with "birds that had more stories to tell". Even so the F 15 is probably the best air superiority fighter of all times.
Major issue I have, the F-117 is a bomber NOT a fighter! Next, a pilot who flew the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt said he preferred the Jug. Also, almost all the top US aces flew the P-38 Lightning.
"the F-117 is a bomber NOT a fighter!" Agreed! - I could never figure out why it wasn't given the B117 designation !
Because it fought active enemy radar in the night.
Of the ww2 aaf aces 3 flew the p-38 and 2 flew the p-47.
Most of these aircraft are either retired or decommissioned or both. This needs to be completely redone from scratch including aircraft that are currently in service. This video although it's nice is still should be considered clickbait by anyone who has a interest in military aircraft or has either worked around them or flown them.
Agreed.
As long as you don't plan on putting the F-35 on the list ;-)
And that's why it's free 🤣
1991 The " F " 117 stealth fighter. Is NOT a fighter. No guns no missiles.
Only stealth and bombs.
WHY THE HELL WAS IT GIVEN THE FIGHTER DESIGNATION
@@RvnCCl politics. It's all about getting the money and F for fighter is sexy.
@@rustyreese4006 THEY COULDVE AT LEAST ADDED A SINGLE FUCKIN GUN
@@RvnCCl that plane was slow and not very maneuverable. If it was close enough to another plane to be seen by eye, it would have been as good as dead. It was useless in the cas role as well. Really was not worth the price of what it was for. In the end it was just a test bed for stealth technology. Don't know how many were built and deployed, but they were expensive.
I don't think there will ever be another great fiction military writer/author like TOM CLANCY. Legend.
My family and I were traveling on vacation in the middle of nowhere in Michigan. I decided to pull off the highway and take some back roads. There was a small airport just off the highway. There was a P-51 there. The pilot was performing his pre flight. I turned our van and camper around immediately! That beautiful Bird was just on the other side of the fence. My boys made fun of me because of how excited I was. I could hardly contain myself when he fired it up! Amazing! I was able to sit in one about 9 years earlier. Two wonderful days.
So, the P-51 Mustang is therefore declared the greatest fighter jet(?) of 2000's(?). If I am mistaken, then which aircraft is?
It’s called the greatest ever, not of the 2000s.
of the 20th century. that the 1900's. but I agree that the classification of "best fighter jets" is a misnomer
@@scarecrow1323 I don’t know where it says anything of the
20th century. The title card on the show as well as the narration says “ greatest ever … fighter planes”
@@Evil.Totoro still not a jet
@@alainbellemare2168 it’s called great ever planes.. not jets.
RIP Dale Snodgrass
It hit me too, seeing him here.
I'm a huge F/A-18 fan... Just a beautiful aircraft and quite impressive. But, difficult to understand how the F-15 and F-14 don't make the list.
Tell me about it. I flew the F-15E for 18 years. I have stomped the shit out of F/A-18's many times in competition.
Politics? F-14 generally considered best air superiority fighter of all time, and F-15 is a combat GOD.
@@bradmiller2329 The Tomcat is no joke and I HATED mixing it up with them. I just wish that the 15X was in service and I was able to fly it. But, I was able to 'splash' the 18 every time. Input overload is a big problem with that bird and they can't match me for speed and agility. Plus, my 'legs' are longer.
@@itsjustme8947 Like I said .... F-14/ air superiority,. F-15 / combat god
@@bradmiller2329 the 15C has a much better air-to-air record...
I think honourable mentions should be given to the P38 Lightning, the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito and the F4U Corsair. And this should be titled fighter aircraft, not fighter jets if prop planes are obviously included.
Good catch! lol I was thinking the same thing about that title lol
Yep, and the F 117 shouldn't be on the list at all.
The Fokker DR-1 Triplane was essentially an improved version of the British Sopwith Triplane that preceded it. There was no thought, "Ah, two wings are good, let's try three and see what happens". No, the German's saw what he Sopwith could do and, appreciating its maneuverablility, had Anthony Fokker design their own version.
in what way are fokker DR-1 jets?
i think you will find that since a third wing increases drag, it will actually reduce speed; this is why the f22 doesn't have 3 wings
100% 👍 The _only_ thing a third wing does is increase drag! Nothing else. All benefits from a box-wing structure (strength and weight) is already realized in a biplane. Adding more wings only make the compromise solution inferior. If you want more wing area, it's better to make the biplane wings larger.
(I find it weird that people don't realize there are probably reasons why tri-planes - drag - and flying wings - trim drag - never became popular, as journalists often claim the should have.)
My special area of interest as a military historian, ex-RAAF member and scale model builder are the aircraft of WW2 and Korea. Every one of the aircraft chosen in this, somewhat, strangely selective '10 Greatest' are fighters that I've studied, researched and built, many times, in scale models. There are, of course, several other fighters that I would have included that would have taken this list to the 15 or 20 'Greatest', but I guess 10 was more attractive to a general audience.
Every single aircraft was, in its own way, exceptional and one must remember that every aircraft has its pros and cons.
For instance, the short range of the Spitfire was one of the factors that made it work as well as it did. Imagine a Spit with huge fuel tanks in the wings, which is usual in a lot of aircraft.
The Spitfire with huge fuel tanks would not have been able to keep its highly versatile range of wing armaments and the increased weight of fuel would have severely encroached on its dogfighting capabilities.
The other remarkable feature of the Spitfire was that the Supermarine designers never stopped making performance improvements to R. J. Mitchell's brilliant aerodynamic design. Each mark of Spit was better than the last up to Marks 22/24 which were still highly useful fighters well into the domination of pure jets.
Good thing I love aircraft so much, for if I wasn't, I probably would not have tolerated the Englishman's irritating narration; imitating an American style of delivery for the full 51 minutes. Still, it was great to hear from aircraft experts and veteran pilots who flew these amazing airframes. Thank you, Spark. Cheers, BH
The "Englishman's irritating narration" had nothing "American" about it. I suspect you have the bogan's chip on your shoulder where Britain is concerned.
@@LordOfLight G'day HOD, of course, I applaud your freedom of speech; even though you are completely wrong in your assessment.
When you've got over 40 years of experience in the nuances of broadcasting and voice-overs, you may understand what I was talking about.
Wrong again about any anti-British feeling on my part. I happen to be proud of my Lancastrian ancestry; and I'm one who still takes my formal written and verbal oath of loyalty to HM Queen Elizabeth II seriously.
As to the petty nastiness of your 'bogan' reference; you can call me anything you like on a public forum; hiding, as you do, behind a phoney 'handle'. One suspects you've been looking into the mirror a little too often. It must be so tiresome to hate, as you do.
I never insult strangers without extreme provocation.
Indeed, I feel sorry for you if this is how you spend your brief time on this planet.
Bill Halliwell
The nazi tech is crazy.. made the first jet plane
The A10 Warthog should be mentioned on every "Top 10" list.
That's an attack plane, not a fighter. In fact, the F 117 too is rather an attack plane, and should have been thrown out in favour of the F 15....
I agree 💯 percent.💪💪💪💪💪🔥🐕🦺😎👍🤔🆒☯️
A story I heard about a Harrier was when a pilot got lost, or was running low on fuel, he tried to land on a moving train which had cargo boxes on the back of it. He brought the plane down, but he rolled forward and the plane's front wheel came off of the end of the cargo container. The plane was recovered , and the pilot was reprimanded.
Your story is pretty much accurate. It was a cargo ship and he did attempt to land on a cargo container.
There was also an American pilot who successfully pulled off a carrier landing onto a stool, because he had no front wheel. Very skilled pilots can pull off precision vertical landings and effectively stop in mid-air using viffing - vectoring in forward flight. It is a very agile aircraft while hovering but its normal turn and climb rate isn't comparable with modern aircraft, especially not the Russian Migs.
Originally it was designed as a CAS aircraft rather than a fighter, and it did that very well.
During the Falkland war RAF Harriers landed on containers on a cargo ship (Atlantic conveyor) improvised as an aircraft carrier. They had trained for that apparently.
@@kenoliver8913 That surprises me because the Atlantic Conveyor, famously, was sunk before it ever arrived at the Falklands. It took a lot of precious supplies with it too, including the helicopters that were originally planned to ferry the ground troops around.
Fun Fact, the P-51 Mustang began it's life as the A-36 Apache. Designed in the late 30's for Britain. Only problem was over 5k feet it wasn't as good as the spitfire. Below 5k feet though, nothing could touch it with a regular cruise speed at 340+ mph. War Thunder (simulator mode/ full real controls) actually gets this right so if you want to test for yourself it's actually pretty eye opening. As well as a cool introduction to the A-36/P-51 heritage 😁
No F-15 and F-14? They’re legendary planes (the records speak for themselves) and mare a major impact during the Cold War and modern era.
L
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,
@@splidude they are from the 70s
@Dk they're not 21st century. Both began service in the 70s, which was the 20th century. F14 1974 an F15 Eagle 1976.
It's a good documentary. But few greatest planes of 20th century are missing. Please make a video on these planes listed below,
1. F-15 C&E
2. F-16
3. F-4 phantom
4. Su 27
5. Mirage III, V and 2000
6. Su 30
7. F-14 Tomcat.
Regards
Have a great day.
F-4 Phantom Vietnam kill ratio: 2:1. F-8 Crusader Vietnam kill ratio: 6:1
My favourite was,is and always will be,the GRUMMAN F14TOMCAT.Okay,it was larger and also more expensive to fly
and maintain than the F18 Hornet ! It was a sad day for myself, when this awesome aircraft was retired from service.
LOVE YA, YOU ABSOLUTELY STUNNING AEROPLANE ❣ Roland Singh, Canada 🇨🇦
It comes down to the purpose of the aircraft and the technology available at the time. They all served their purpose until something better came along because of advanced technology. They were all the best for the times and purpose they were built for.
Binu b by mkb by buck bru by
Not always the case. Sometime the best plane isn’t put into production for various reasons.
Always difficult to pick a top ten like this. There are so many metrics that you could use, and the ones you choose would determine the aircraft you choose.
I think I would have included the de Havilland Mosquito, though, for inclusion. And possibly the EE Lightning.
The Spitfire is also misrepresented as being extremely short-range, yet in photoreconnaissance and meteorological use, it definitely overflew Germany regularly. The Spitfire also had a much longer service history than the Mustang. And of course, the Mustang was effectively a derivative of the Spitfire - the version that was optimised for bomber escort. Which just goes to show the versatility of the Spitfire!
Seems odd not to have the Lightning, I agree. The cockpit photos of a U2 from above proved that was able to intercept anything flying at the time (and scared the heck out of the US). Not sure about the Mosquito, as it was primarily a bomber, although I suppose if you can include the B117, then you can hardly leave out the Mosquito, which did at least have a fighter variant, unlike the Nighthawk.
Of course, a glaring omission is the Avro CF105 Arrow, cancelled mainly because the US undermined it because they didn't want the competition. Even in the early prototype form (which came off the actual production line, making it a production aircraft), it outperformed everything else in the air at the time in its combination of speed, rate of climb, range and manoeuvrability. With development, it might still be in production now. It certainly had the internal volume and lift capacity for considerable development of avionics and fire-control systems.
@@phillee2814 Yes, the Mosquito was primarily a bomber, but was very effective as a fighter - particularly the Tsetse variant. And you are right, the Avro Arrow was very advanced and should not have been cancelled - but the Americans were very touchy about anyone having any aircraft better than their own (similarly with the TSR2).
Yep, the Mossie should have a mention along with its faster dedicated fighter variant the DH Hornet
@@steveknight878 You mean any NATO ally or other Nation which would bow to the Dollar having better aircraft
F 15 ? F 14 ? The WW 2 Corsair ? The EE Lightning ? Some of the French Mirages ?
The limits of a top 10 leads to exclude very logical candidates, and hence always cause irritation and fractions of frictions....
Weighted to USA planes.
Dump the F117 and put in a modern Saab or Lightening and dump the Hornet for the F15 And may be getting somwhere
Every time I watch a great video about fighter jets (USAF/USN fighters), "Snort" is always in it. He's one of best Fighter pilots to ever take to the sky. I believe he had the most hours flying the USN F-14 Tomcat at around 4500 hours.
And such a shame we lost him a few months ago to a bizarre crash. He was probably the best naval fighter aviator since Vietnam. I was honored to know him.
@@timepilot2012 Yea really sad situation and a shame losing someone like him
Yeah, snort had almost 5k hours in the F14
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Thankyou, subscribed. I see "premiered" 2021 and featuring Tom Clancy, whom died 2013, so some archived footage. Never met him but a brilliant story teller, academic and obviously author, but also an adviser to the US DoD. He, like so many others, passed way too soon.
The F-14 Should have been here, one of the few jets that caused enemy pilots to fear going up because they knew the Tomcat was on the prowl.
Was it the Tomcat they were afraid of or was it Tom Cruise? lol, just kidding love the F14 as much as the F8.
Was notoriously unreliable though.
Indeed. It's a known fact that enemy aircrafts used to run out like pussies as soon as they detected the powerful tomcat's AWG-9 radar emissions. Not only a fleet defender, but also a deterrent.
I turned it cause i saw it wasnt
@@samgarrod4781 Mostly because of political neglect. It was underfunded and had many upgrade programs cancelled, preventing it from reaching anywhere close to it's full potential.
What about the English electric lightning, Mig 21 !!
Dude mig and lighting are 1970 1980
@@conradkirsten3263 what does that have to do with anything? I’m not being a jerk I’m actually curious about what you are trying to say.
They talked at length about the mig-21 so what is your point? I’m not understanding lol
Junk
Where was the F15 ? I agree that all the planes on the list were great and as a Brit I should be saying the Spitfire is the best, but the Mustang, deservedly is #1, but the Eagle should be on the list or at the very least an honorable mention, as far as I know an F15 has never been shot down but has delivered more than its fair share of damage to the enemy.....just saying,,,,
F-15E pilot for 18 of my 32 year career. 123 F-15's lost due to mishaps but not one EVER shot down....unless you count that ONE that took a sidewinder from his wingman....oops.
@@itsjustme8947 did you love the Eagle or would you rather something else? Thanks for your service
@@olliedee I loved the Eagle. She was a dream to fly. Long legs, very fast, and agile. No input overload to deal with which is why Eagle pilots regularly "splashed" the F/A-18 in competition. Just wish the 15X was in service and I had the chance to fly her.
As a brit you should be saying the Hurricane,Not that flashy piece of flashy metal that did next to nothing in the second world war,more Hurricanes built,and lost,and more Hurricanes shot down Germans than the fancy Spitfire yes it was a Lamborghini compared to the "crude" Hurricane,but the Hurricane was the "workhorse"
I'm sorry we didn't know F117 was invisible, that's why it was hit in Budjanovci!
I think this list is lacking a lot of great planes. The Hawker Hurricane, the Mosquito, the f6f Hellcat, f4U Corsair, p-38 Lightening, p-47 Thunderbolt, F-14 Tomcat, F-15, SU-27 Flanker, mig 29 Fulcrum, F-23 (which should have won the competition but...), F-22 Raptor, etc. etc.
i kept thinking the tomcat is gonna be next lol my disappointment is immeasureable
One of the best channel in regards to weapons.
This’s very old. Tom Clancy passed on 1 of October of 2013.
I totally disagree. The best plane for deadly accuracy
Durability
Speed
Is the F15 Eagle.
Not one has been shot down in combat
It came on the number 11 spot because of too expensive :) But yes, it had such a powerful radar. And generally, if the Israeli's flew with a plane, it was an excellent plane.
@@markcooke5270 FCS the whole point of air superiority fighters is to always be fighting weaker opponents. If it had been designed around a Vulcan cannon and upgraded with modern avionics the F4 would be have been my choice for #1
If it never fought Moscow, it's irrelevant
I totally agree how the hell have the put the MiG-21 in front of the Hornet too? Hornet's have mostly got the better of 21's historically and it was a complete crime not to put the Eagle on this list which is the most successful fighter of all time! Bad show
Has never been exposed as much has the other ones
F15 says hello
The British Mosquito fighter, & the first multi-role aircraft. Also made of wood.🧐😁
These machines defended the free world since 1945. Hat's off to the brave men and women who flew them into harm's way.
I've got dozens of airplane books and the stories these pilots tell when they end their service and write books are just amazing.
These are my 3 favorite aviation books:
- Topgun by Dan Pederson
- Scream of Eagles by Robert Wilcox
- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
War does breed innovation. Totally agree with you.
Free world you say, where American citizens are forced cancerous injections, where journalism is censored and elections stolen.
Is this the free world you fantasise over?
@@vegvisirphotography5632 just wow :) so you talk of fantasy so now provide proof on the following 1) what injections give US citizens cancer? (I’m sure you are a medical Dr. So please provide proof of credentials as well) 2). What election was stolen. (Provide proof other than what MAGA extremists have posted of social media)
I love your work spark
Good documentary. I was surprised not to see the F-15 though.
F-15E pilot for 18 of my 32 years. Sad to see my bird disrespected like this. We tore F/A-18's up in competition on a REGULAR basis.
Didn't think it was a good documentary at all. The first plane shown is not a fighter plane at all.
I believe the majority if not all of the planes listed are no longer in service or relatively limited service. I think the F18 is the only one still is service.
Wow so much fun to watch and listen to those oldmen .. i love to hear from old people .. thanks for the efforts guys.. such a fun wow
Ok I’m on 1:06 and I can tell you all right now the spitfire is the best fighter ever.
Range knocked it to #2.
The title is straight up blasphemous!!! Only ONE jet listed is still in service, the hornet!! (Maybe some countries use Harrier still idk). But 'of the 2000s' and you don't list the Raptor, F35, Eurofighter, ANY of the Sukhois, or even the f14 tomcat, f15 or f16?! This pissed me off 🤣
I was thinking the same thing throughout the whole Video. I am glad you mentioned it cause I was going to write the same thing. It was still a good video though
AV8-B N/A one of my favorite planes. It's so iconic. Love to fly it in DCS World.
Agree. The Hawker Harrier was yet another great British aeroplane. Such a shame the RAF and Royal Navy stopped using them.
@@AtheistOrphan Too slow and with a limited range they were outclassed by other RAF aircraft, useless for the RN as they had no carriers to put them on.
@@georgebarnes8163 - Er, I seem to remember Royal Navy Sea Harriers based on the carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible giving a good account of themselves during the Falklands War. ‘I counted them all out and I counted them all back’.
@@AtheistOrphan they certainly did, no doubt about it but that was down to the missiles they had not their performance, the RAF replaced them with superior aircraft namely the Tornado and Typhoon, the RN had no use for them as they had no aircraft carriers to put them on plus the fact that the airframes were at the end of their life, they were great aircraft but had run their course, very sad to see them go.
Before the Americans got hold of a Zero the Aussies RAAF had already figured out that the hit and run tactic on the Zero was really the only way to fight it and they were acccuse of being cowards for their dive down and shoot 'em up rather than dog fight tactic.
P=51D is awesome. I fly mine regularly in VR.
wait vr,what game is it called?
And where can I find it?
@@J0sh_a1en X-plane
Didn't the Hurricane have a lot to do with the Battle of Britain?
W Allen Caddell..yes,the Hurricane shot down more bombers than the Spitfire,it could take a lot more punishment than the Spitfire and was easier to fix,as it was the bombers that were doing the damage to our cities,by taking these out the Hurricane really is the unsung hero of the BoB.
Hey if Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) said so, you gotta believe him,, lol. Cause that dude is nuts!
Knew he is a pilot but was surprised to see him in this documentary.
The Greatest Fighter JETS of The 20th Century - "here is Fokker dr1"
Good job Spark...
I swear all pilots go to the same school to learn how to sound like the typical pilot on a radio lol.
Legend has it that Snoopy is still out there, somewhere, in his trusty Sopwith Camel on constant alert for his old nemesis, The Red Baron !
I love that "not entirely a joke" comment by Tom Clancy. Makes sense. Other than North Korea, I know of no other State that uses its military or police forces on its own citizens rather than foreign armed forces
I know about the F-117 Stealth Fighter. I personally saw his remains in the Belgrade Air Force. The Serbian Air Defense shot him down from the hall while they were having dinner.("I say quite by accident. They didn't know he was invisible")😂😛😉😉
Examples -
- China in tianamen square
- USA while suppressing black protests
Fun Facts: in WW2 The bombers pilots. Peter the mustangs to protect them from the Nazi planes. The mustangs were flown by African Americans pilots. They were the Red Tails.
F-15 is the greatest fighter of all time, and is the epitome of what a fighter jet should look like.
I agree with those complaining about the absence of the F14 and F15 from this list. They both were/are the best weapons their class. I also believe the F22, now over 20 years old, is simply THE BEST fighter of all time. No opposition wants to tangle with one.
Well the Me-109, Spitfire and Mustang aren't Jets, but I see why editors are out of work these days.
It says fighter planes. Not jets you dunderhead.
P51 didn’t need radar on board or Missiles to take down its target.
Heck as a side note the US now uses a modified Crop duster as an attack aircraft.
Wish I can see the 109, spitfire and mustang fly together. That would be an awesome site.😍
SAAB Greipen, Lightening, F15 and English Electric Lightening variants are rather good too.
The RAF Lightning was an amazing aircraft, so glad the F35 became the Lightning 2
Man, I've been looking for this for years... thanks for the upload, very much appreciated. The best part is romanian pilot ... yeah, it was very cool. I bet it was!
where is F-15 Eagle?
the fact that Bud Anderson is still alive and just turned 100 yesterday is almost the most amazing thing ever
The title of this video is very misleading. All these top 10 lists are very subjective. The Fw190 was a better plane than the Bf109 by almost any measure. The F6F Hellcat was also an air superiority "Ace Maker". Chance Vought Corsair? The F117 is not a fighter by any metric other than what they decided to call it. You could easily do a greatest 25 best list and still not be able to include some amazing machines. Even the Bell P39 Airacobra which was disdained by some US pilots was beloved by Soviet pilots.
One problem here is the criteion for "great". Most influential on events? Most produced? Longest period in frontline service? Biggest shock to its opponents? Most technologically advanced for its time? Best at a specialised role or the most versatile? Then there's the defintion of "fighter". A bomber-destroyer? A fighter-bomber like the Mozzie or F111 (they tried to avoid air combat but could defend themselves if needed)? Labeled a fighter but with no fighter weapons at all (the F117)?
02:47 Thank you, Sir, for the belly laugh :)
F-117 was named a fighter although it had no air to air weapons, radar or capability to fight off an air target and was basically a bomber. On the other hand secret new stealth bomber - B-21 Raider, is called the bomber and will have the primary mission of dropping bombs and missiles on ground targets, but will most probably have the air to air capable radar and will carry future extremely long range air to air missiles, giving it a potent capability to take out enemy's fighter jets..
interesting but wrong title.
Maybe "Greatest fighters of the 20th century" ??
It should be the F117 bomber as it has only been used for bombing, not fighting. whilst it can carry Sidewinders, it never has. it doesnt have an air to air radar and has no guns. Very weird.
Darth Vaader would have liked it though
Well yes, for it's purpose it should've been call the B-117 Nighthawk. But in order to confuse people and attract pilots to apply for the program in the early stages they named it the F-117 (F stands for fighter), a secret stealth fighter aircraft sounds better to pilots who are just a bunch of boys essentially
@@kyluu9731 tell a B2 bomber pilot that. Its the only plane i can recall being designated incorrectly. You dont need a fighter pilot you need a bomber pilot. Cant see a F117 doing 5 G turn, etc
@@ronwyatt1231 why are you mad at me I didn't make any of these decisions. Tell the Airforce that. And what are you rambling about, of course you need both fighter and bomber, this isn't a video game.
@@kyluu9731 im not mad at anyone. But i dont believe for one second that they called it a fighter so fighter pilots would want to fly it.
calls f117 a fighter: my bullshit detectors are off the charts
In the intro, are shown several images and short scenes with the "F-117" which is definitely misnamed because it is in no way a fighter. It is purely a ground attack aircraft with no other offensive ability than dropping it's payload of bombs. So I hope it isn't included no matter how good it was at it's job.
You had to go there didn't you? F-117 NOT A FIGHTER!!! It is purely a bomber/ground attack aircraft and you've lost ALL credibility with me. A Fighter, to BE a fighter, must be able to FIGHT other aircraft. Since you obviously don't understand this fact, I see no reason to watch the rest of the video. So at 2:16 in I will bid you adieu. So long and thanks for wasting my time.
Edit: If the F-117 is a fighter, then so is the B-52, which actually has guns to fight other aircraft if absolutely necessary. Tailguns to be sure but the F-117 lacks ANY GUNS!.
You are absolutely 100% right about the F-117. It's nothing more than a stealth bomber.
I did the same. Quit 8 minutes into the video. First, they include the F-117, even though in the first couple of minutes, they clearly define fighter as an aircraft designed to control airspace.
Then, they include a propeller plane from WWI in a video titled "fighter JETS"... ¬¬
Just to be correct it is most definitely not a ground attack aircraft. Try and be better.
While it's a strange inclusion, the video SAYS it's not actually a fighter... and even explains the F-designation which related to its popular name... the 'Stealth Fighter'. Everybody here AND in the production knows it isn't one!
It was not even a good, let alone great, plane - as its short service life showed. It was simply not stealthy enough to offset all its disadvantages (especially spending most of its life in a hangar being maintained), as the Serbian shootdown showed. It was only a stepping stone to better stealth planes.
I love your show..Great job.
America fresh new sound....
Spicy Reggae.......
The YF-17 (later became the F-18) lost to the YF-16 during fighter evaluations for the Air Force. The YF-17 was resurrected for the Navy since the F-16 wasn't right for the Navy's carrier operations. So I don't understand how the F-14, F-15 and F-16 is surpassed by the F-18 on this list. It can't even go Mach 2! It would need more speed as a fleet defender/interceptor. And if you want to talk about helmut technology, the F-35 helmut is more capable.
True, as for the helmet mounted sights, it wasn't the first US plane to get it and it was originally reverse engineered from a MIG 29.
@@Smexy_af what a dumb comment you just posted. The f35 helmet was never a copy of the mig. You should start finding job in india than posting bullshit myths of the internet.
I was in the Royal Navy many moons ago and occasionally we were tasked with operational war games involving various fighters and fighter bombers doing dummy attack runs on the ship. Flying below radar level as best they could they were difficult to pick out on the Radar but not impossible. Many of the US aircraft including F4s and F14s were very Dirty in flight, that is to say their engines belched out so much visible exhaust that lookouts could easily see the smoke plume 10 miles away even if you could not see the aircraft itself. The Tomcat was especially bad. Was like "Farmer Giles tractor" hurtling toward you.. lol!! In short they were not very stealthy!! The trickiest little bleeders to spot were the Harrier.. and surprisingly perhaps.. The Buccaneer.. The buccaneer was very clean in flight and remained invisible until they were virtually on top of the target.. Us!! I think F14s and F4s were powered by McDonald Douglas engines.. Whether recommendations were ever suggested to the US military regarding the filthy and easily visible engine emissions I don't know. If you look closely in the Top Gun film the problem was still there!!
Most people forget the harrier pilot that stole the plane I think the CIA gave it to him really and he flew it to a building with a bunch of terrorists in it who stole a nuclear bomb and saved his daughter. She literally jumped on the nose off the building. He flew her to safety and they watched the bomb go off. Turns out his wife was kinda having a fling too.
Sounds a bit like True Lies
Yes, I heard about that guy, too. I think before he became a Harrier pilot he worked in special ops as a commander of a rescue team. not assassins. However, after a 1987 incident in Guatemala where he lost his entire team to a shape-shifting creature from outer space he quit the rescue ops and went to the Harrier pilot school. During his time at the flight school he met his future wife who was recovering from a long-term trauma after her younger brother Michael tried to kill her on a Halloween night in 1978 back when she was still a teenager and from also working as a prostitute in New York City in the early 80s. She thought all her problems were solved after she helped out a millionaire regain his wealth who was a victim of a some sort of ponzie-scheme bet done by two older billionaires and a young black homeless fella, but to her disappointment he didn't stick around her for too long but he joined the CIA spy core and went over to the USSR on a special mission with a former golf-club playboy. Luckily for both of them, they met each other and married in the early 90s before they took care f those terrorists with the Harrier.
Nothing compared to the Firefox Clint E singlehandedly stole from the Popovs, while causing the death of the best red pilot at the same time, because he remembered in time to "think in Russian"... Da !
Hey that was a much more realistic Harrier story than those spun by the Marines and the contractors....
This story should start out "Now, this ain't no bull...".
That was cool ! New technologies can change the world ..
The Fokker Triplane actually has 4 wings. A little one is located between the main undercarriage 😬
3,5 wings 😄
And it's not a jet fighter 😂😂😂😂
@@vdotme … damn! I missed that 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
@@metalmadsen … 3.15? 😬
I'm sure this comment section will be civil lol.
Who is Darth Varder? Jonathan Glancey lost all plausibilty after that.....
Yep he's a bit of a prick.
Unimaginable for sure.
The Spit without the Hurricane could not of done ! Remember that also the many Foreign pilots too helped > AMEN. Be Blessed.
Especially pilots from Poland during the Battle of Britain in the summer and autumn of 1940. They are still remembered in England every year. They are now all gone but not forgotten. My family speaks English instead of German because of them and all the others who did the right thing. Cheers
มันไม่ได้มีแค่สร้างอาวุตนะคับลองคิดดูอีกด่านหนึ่งสิคับแบบโรงงานผลิตสินค้าดูสิคับ
ผมได้ตกลงเซ็นสัณญาแล้วนะคับแค่ประเทศนี้ประเทศเดียวนะคับ
ผมไม่ต้องไปแจ้งหน่วยงานไหนก็ได้มันมาจากสมองของผมนะคับ
ผมไม่ได้ไปพึ่งอะไรของประเทศไทยใช้ไหมคับมันคือสิตของผมนะคับ
AHHH it's the smartest pilots behind the controls that gets in the first shots that servives to fight another day LOL Thanks again REGARDS
That's all hear how great the Spitfire is and how it saved Britain, ofcourse omitting more Hurricanes were made all but cheaper had the same engine, made in greater numbers shot down more Germans than the Spitfire,similar to Sherman made in huge numbers,lost many and did more work than any allied tank
Ppu
You are here watching aren't you? Are you British? The spitfire was used tactically and along with better manoeuvrability, being quicker, and carrying better arms on board the spitfire is engrained in the minds of the people because it was a fighter and fought fighters the Hurricane was used.on bombers. It was also easier to put new engines on and although it was longer to put it back in the air it was more adaptable for long term improvements.
It also worked well on the world stage well European at least as it was responsible for helping break the seige of Malta and it was pivotal in providing fighter and bombing runs on d day. At times Hurricane f
Pilots could keep up with the spitfire but that was.down to pilot skill not the plane
At 2:51....did that guy really say DARF VARDER in Star Wars......
Firepower,manouevrebility and historical significance.the marvel to watch.airpower at it's best.educative and informative.from ww2 era of first generation of fighters down to the forthcoming generation of 6th generation of fighterjets.a moment of silence to pay final respect to the pioneers of airpower.much respect from an airpower enthusiast or an aviation buff.
Good to see Bruce Dickinson in here
I was kinda shocked that the hornet/super hornet (which I'm a fan of) made the list over the F16 & F15. I always thought the latter were the US gunslingers prior 2 the F22.
Wouldn’t call the F22 a gunslinger.
Cheers Mate.
Of the 2000s? Misleading title!!! I'm not done watching yet, but none of the jets listed so far were built after 2000 lol.
Why are there prop planes in the top fighter jets? And also some planes that aren’t fighters. You might want to change the title
Keeps showing planes that aren’t fighters… lol. Zero offensive weapons.
I am mesmerized by fighter jets. My Canada day revolves around the Snowbirds. Period! Oh, and a great big shout out to Mr. Bruce Dickinson!!!! This video really does have it all (except for the omission of the F-15s) of course!
The Fokkor dr1 the red baron had flown in actually gave him 20 kills. He had acquired the other 60 in other planes.
the Fokker Eindecker being one of those planes. A single wing fighter plane, hence the name.
@@ronstreet6706 It was like the f35 of those times, revolutionary equipment but not kind of overhyped in its dogfighting performance