Evolution Of American Fighter Aircraft (1942-2022)

From World War II through the Cold War and up until the present day, this is the story of how America's greatest fighter jets became more lethal, faster, more badass.

[@ljessecusterl]

The Tomcat was not initially envisioned as a multirole aircraft. Its initial design precept was strictly as a Fleet Defense Interceptor, bolting out to a spot far from the fleet as quickly as possible and using the AWG-9 and AIM-54 Phoenix missiles to engage at extreme range to stop bombers and attack aircraft from engaging carrier groups. It was only used in a ground attack role during and after Desert Storm/Shield when there wasn't really any threat to the fleet. And we didn't get the ST-21 follow-on (which would've had a multirole AST-21 variant) because Boeing snowed the DOD into thinking the Super Hornet was just an upgrade from the legacy F/A-18s instead of an entirely new aircraft that just looked a lot like the legacy Hornet.

[@slate4687]

The f14 was intended to be a fleet defender( interceptor) and air superiority fighter at the same time...when it was proposed i mean

[@slate4687]

The Tomcat wasnt used for air to ground in Desert Storm...only after Desert storm...2nd mistake and counting...

[@tomcatter2027]

@@slate4687 exaclty and its ground capability was added from the begining but not used because it was so important for the Fleet to keep it as a fleet defender (fighter interceptor)at the time. there is a difference between requirements and capabilities that most people miss when they coment here

[@Dyson_Cyberdynesystems]

I guess someone didn't watch all the documentaries on it. The Tomcat was designed and air to ground capable from day one. All the systems were already designed into the A model including CCIP and CCRP. The Navy though didn't want to risk its Fleet defender in the role that they had plenty of other platforms for. Desert storm however highlighted a need for long range self-escort precision strikes which Snodgrass worked with Lockheed Martin to make that happen with the LANTIRN TPOD using the budget the Navy was going to use to integrate the AMRAAM in the Tomcat.

[@kellywilson8440]

The legacy f-18's served from 1983 until 2021 in the US , They replaced the f-14 , f-4 , a-7 aircraft over time . I was in the first f-18 hornet squadron on the east coast VFA-131 Wildcats NAS Cecil Field fla. The Blue Angels took delivery of the first f-18's in 1986 VFA-106 same base .

[@aquajay]

One mistake here, the Hornet didnt replace the cat, the superhornet did, anyways good explanation, the hornet replaced the A 6 😄

[@Forbidden_Word]

I can't believe how old our newest planes are.

[@richardbadish6990]

The airframes are old. But they all have been retrofitted and upgraded quite a few times. The technology and high wear items and electronics, radar gets updated as technology advances. Which honestly is not cheap either. Each one taking millions to upgrade. But each jet new cost over 100million per jet. The f35 is 177million last I checked. F22 super hornet is around 140million dollars. So yeah. They use them as long as possible. Its actually quite interesting tho. When you look into aviation or personal aircraft that civilians fly or private pilots. A lot of cessna airplanes are close to 50-60yrs old. So it seems aircraft are used for a much longer time. These aircraft are not cheap either. A good one on good shape is approx 30,000 or so. Depending on how well it was maintained. The engines have most likely seen an overhaul or two and maybe multiple engines. But the aluminum airframes last a long time. It's quite interesting tbh!

[@daniyal517]

Notice how they say “first introduced.” Most of the fighters are still produced and the older ones are sometimes retired.

[@krystalstarrett6760]

As a USAF areo repair veteran, I thank you for nice videos, now I am retired and still have JP 4 and mil 5606 (hydraulic fluid) running in my blood.

[@rich_34]

You should go to hospital if you have hydraulic fluid inside you

[@krystalstarrett6760]

@@rich_34 Thanks for reply, I was just kidding. Lots of good memories. 👍

[@MRxMADHATTER]

The profile picture that is shown for the F-106 is actually an F-102 Delta Dagger.

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

Yup, and the F-15 one is not Eagle but Strike Eagle

[@TheGoat1939]

@@MoskusMoskiferus1611 F-15E is strike eagle, the other variants are just eagles

[@lydiangold]

Many mistakes in the video. One mistake that I think no one pointed out is that the F-4 Phantom is still in active service in Turkey and Greece (maybe in South Korea and Iran as well).

[@Sungod660]

Also wrong years

[@1JackTorS]

At 07:53, I think you meant 1620 MPH as top speed for the F-16, not 2620 MPH. Although the conversion for 2454 KPH is approximately 1524 MPH, that also seems a little high for this plane.

[@lior4334]

The f-16 could reach above mach 2.. it makes sense

[@moonbaby6134]

Ooh. That’s about Mach 3.4. F16 ain’t doing that. Even downhill.

[@OscarZheng50]

nah its about accurate, the f16 is supposed to do just over mach 2

[@alienone6854]

only if you want to keep the airframe in one piece

[@rexgrange9354]

I stopped watching when that F-16 top speed scrolled out. Nope.

[@ezraortinez5463]

Let's not forget about the F-38 Superfalcon

[@MrRobbiedee]

Yes very hight top speed of 4567 miles per hour...

[@hawkmoon419]

Good video but you made a glaring mistake in your graphics: what you presented as the F-106 Delta Dart was an image of the earlier F-102 Delta Dagger. Note the 102's pointed tail and fairings alongside the exhaust.

[@cristianvrincianu9376]

Wrong.. The Lockheed Martin F-35 lighting II has 3 variants, variant B has VTOL capabilities.

[@drgonzo305]

I like how the F16 can fly faster in MPH than it can in that wacky KPH measurement system, America!

[@kylejoiner1731]

Apparently the chart says it can fly faster than an SR71. :)

[@6j6666]

The background music sounds like a cat meowing in the next room

[@BernieGolgo13]

F-111 is not pronounced F triple 111. It is pronounced F-One-Eleven. Also even though the F111 had the F for fighter designation, it was a close to the ground hugging bomber or electronic warfare role in the EF-111. Not a traditional fighter.

[@lewiskemp5893]

Just like the F117 Stealth Fighter Lol. It's a bomber

[@denysarcuri1213]

And I thought the F117 was a fighter, and the B2 was the bomber equivalent of the 117@@lewiskemp5893

[@lewiskemp5893]

And the A10 is a dogfighter jet fighter

[@matthewpiljek7122]

This is because the AI reading the text prompts has issues with numbers. They typed 150 at one point instead of "One hundred and fifty"

[@stevenwoeste7428]

There are some mistakes in the narration and in the text displayed for the jet fighter planes. Please review your video for accuracy.

[@shannonshepard5047]

I think you have the air speed for the F16 wrong. It is not faster than the F15.

[@Sheer_Tazieh]

F15 still had the highest speed and highest range. I suggest watching documentary “how panic created the best fighter jet” about F15. Incredible and not so many people know about this but it’s amazing .

[@johncoffelt6645]

The German jet fighters of WWII were never a threat to take over the air war, too few, too late and not enough quality pilots left to fly them effectively, yes they were a rude awaking to the Allied pilots, but never a real threat.

[@johneleprettre1367]

You forgot about one fighter jet though the f8 crusader, because it had 4 20 mm cannons and it could also carry missiles as well

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

Wait a second??? 420mm cannon???

[@wecluse]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 Yamato called, they want their cannons back

[@johneleprettre1367]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 the f8 crusader had 4 20 mm cannons on the front of it, and it could climb 15,000 ft every 5 minutes

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

@@johneleprettre1367 In your comment, you wrote 420mm, not 4 20mm 🤣🤣🤣

[@johneleprettre1367]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 I couldn't type out and I didn't catch my error it was the auto typing on my phone that did that

[@white-dragon4424]

F-111 is pronounced "F One Eleven", not "F Triple One".

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

👍👍👍

[@stephenmcdonald7713]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 In Australia it was called the PIG>

[@MrDino1953]

You can pronounce it any way you like. It’s a number, not a word.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@MrDino1953 It's the official name of the plane. It's like pronouncing "F-16" as "F One Six". Everyone in the governments, armed forces, military historians and aircraft industries around the world call it the "F One Eleven".

[@namenotavailable11]

Not to mention it wasn't really a fighter at all having no guns. More of a multirole bomber.

[@jebediahgentry7029]

This is the single most mistake plagued video about fighter planes I've ever seen

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

Your channel has the single most amount of mistakes of any channel that does military stuff. I stopped counting at some point. You’d think if this is what you do… you’d get better. I don’t mind a mistake here and there but they’re always riddled with them.

[@michaeldavid6284]

Agreed. I'll be ignoring all future posts from this channel.

[@ArmorCast]

Still better than the Infographics Show!

[@dodoubleg2356]

AGREED...READ MY COMMENT, HA.

[@dodoubleg2356]

@@ArmorCast ha...Sad to say I'm also a NOT-SO-ACCURATE-INFO-GRAPHICS subscriber 😂.

[@michaelwong4303]

Can you please point out the mistakes?

[@Mach-6]

Excelent Video.

[@pike100]

Excellent has two L's

[@Mach-6]

@@pike100 This is how you write an excellent video....???? 😁

[@bariman223]

It's a shame they didn't change the music to match the era of each page. Details like that add to the fun.

[@theodoros9428]

Good work ...🎉

[@wolfgangscorset2855]

Nr. 9 is not the Delta Dart, it's the Delta Dagger.

[@jebediahgentry7029]

The picture on the graphic might be but the rest of the pictures were in fact the F106

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

The F-106 is so underrated

[@Darren4352]

I didn't even bother to watch. The thumbnail showing the F-16 as a Mach 3.5 aircraft told me all I needed to know about this channel.

[@chrisp4170]

Since when was an Airacomet one of America's "greatest fighter jets"???

[@geographyinaction7814]

The F-111 is not a fighter, the Starfighter was an Interceptor, no F8 or F-5?

[@nathansolorio7181]

They should change the F designation in the name to an A.

[@alessiodecarolis]

The F111 was capable of a lot of things, but it wasn't a fighter, despite McNamara 's idiotic fixation, and the Navy (wisely) refused the B version, choosing to develop the F14.

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

I think it is a tactical bomber

[@ljessecusterl]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 Yeah, it was ground attack and electronic warfare (in the guise of the EF-111 Raven aka The Sparkvark). One of the Ravens even managed to get a maneuvering kill on an Iraqi Mirage F-1 during Desert Storm, though credit went to an F-15 pilot flying CAP high above. The Air Force's explanation was that even though the Raven was outflying the Mirage on the deck, the F-15 at 15,000 feet got radar lock on the F-1 and that spooked the pilot into flying into the terrain.

[@tim_davidson6344]

I concur; the F-111 became a very capable strike aircraft. I believe that the USAF would use them in operational (versus tactical) level strike missions. The FB-111 variant served as a SAC strategic bomber.

[@donaldbadowski6048]

So many mistakes I don't know where to begin. Wrong picture for the F106.

[@grahamjackson6589]

Run out of F8 crusader and you run out of fighters

[@MrRobbiedee]

1000 miles per hour in a vertical climb, you have to be kidding me...

[@newbieplayz2018]

nice

[@MayheM_72]

I can't help but notice you missed the F-102 Delta Dagger, the predecessor of the F-106 Delta Dart. The Delta Dagger flew for a long time with the Air National Guard.

[@supergillou6596]

You ex president Bush junior flight on F102 on the Air Nationnal Guard.

[@lewiskemp5893]

They put a photo of it on the F106

[@noahsawesomevids422]

Awesome I luv American power …

[@jureleitor]

My thoughts are with the forgotten Republic F-105 Thunderchief

[@karlguesman5189]

#9 Is a F-102 frame, NOT an F-106

[@User54tr]

Wow never heard of any F-16 that could fly Mach 3😂 And what happened to the legacy hornet that is always forgotten and the f-8 crusader one more thing the F-35 has short takeoff capabilities not full vertical takeoff

[@dorianromhanyi9028]

Good video😎

[@jebediahgentry7029]

No. No it is not. Incredible amount of mistakes

[@edgararturo4560]

Is that Kratos on the F-15 Eagle? 😂

[@underworldgameshd69]

Oh the poor Super Sabre, you have done so much but no one seems to notice, because of the more iconic jets of the Vietnam war.

[@chrisharris4975]

Times and speeds all wrong. Cool watch regardless. If the the F-16 went 2620 miles per hour it would be a mach 3.5 fighter. Faster than the SR71.

[@GreggFellows]

never knew the F 16 could do mach 3..........

[@tomcatter2027]

F111 great fighter??? it was a attack/bomber plane

[@sydyidanton5873]

All in all not a bad presentation. Just a small nit-picky point though regarding the F-111: it is an F One Eleven not an F Triple One If you are not that interested in aviation however, and simply a narrator making a recording according to a script it is an easy mistake to make. Whomever put this presentation together did a great job

[@magicmaker319]

Time 4:21 this is the picture of F-102 Delta Dagger that is similar to F-106 Delta Dart.

[@hardracer6492]

The Royal Australian Air Force took the F-111C out of service in 2010, so idk which source you got that from...

[@fra93ilgrande]

Ah yes, Fighter jets, the peak of men made machines badassery 😈👊🏻🔝😎 My personal most favorite ever, although is not American, it’s the mighty Eurofighter Typhoon 😎☝🏻

[@OhREALLYMAN]

Mine is the f22-raptor just so beautiful, the Eurofighter typhoon is badass too.

[@fra93ilgrande]

@@OhREALLYMAN YES! 😎🫡🔝 love the F22 too

[@OhREALLYMAN]

@@fra93ilgrande nice 👍🫡

[@MJ-YT-USR]

Noticeable drop and speed and range from the F16 onward. Shorter slower covert sorties now it seems.

[@meowmur302]

Or because they’re in active service their top speed just isn’t being released

[@mikeandjendoumitt5948]

Some countries including Greece still use the F-4

[@-mobilegaming]

The thumbnail said the f16 has higher max speed than f15....😂

[@massuoddaechini4585]

I love Tom Cat F14

[@pike100]

Good for you. Thanks for sharing. I'm betting that you are also a huge fan of the A-10 Warthog and the Iowa-class battleships, right?

[@993isgawd]

Um...shouldn't the F-117 Nighthawk be on this list someplace? Granted that it wasn't designed as an interceptor or dogfighter, but it DID introduce the design concept and performance parameter of stealth into future generations of fighters.

[@johnp8131]

Don't know about evolution but there seems to be a lot missing here due to the lack of earlier Naval aircraft. Some may say, there's a couple of examples here that could be considered a retrograde step?

[@rishithomas5510]

Can you make an video about the Evolution of the lndian Air Force planes

[@pike100]

No

[@tonioriginal3215]

And the uh, f3h demon, the predecessor to the Phantom?

[@WildEdits08]

There are so many mistakes for example many of the pictures were incorrectly placed on each jets description

[@schiaucugabriel6202]

You forgot the F5 and the F8?

[@tomcat514]

That's a Philippine Air Force P-80 with a mirrored paint scheme. lol

[@shanefrance2158]

who else got annoyed with the F triple one title error. Pronounced F1-11 of course. Lost interest after that tbh

[@kyawaye905]

F105 is where my friend

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

Actually in Vietnam war, F105 was used as a bomber more than as fighter

[@brauliochavez783]

The F-16 does not go 2620 mph 🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻

[@richardfox2297]

They left out the F-101

[@blackbird4062]

Totally missed the legacy hornet

[@Master_Team1]

F-18-Planes??!!-✈✈🚁🚁

[@anggoputin5466]

How about F5 Tiger?

[@adellcato9172]

De the history of us tanks n helicopters

[@markredgrave6282]

Where was the F-101 Voodoo?

[@ericwilliams8504]

F111 is not a fighter jet... It's for ground attack regardless of the f designation

[@b1646717]

The F 111 never had a fighter variant

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

I think it is tactical bomber

[@b1646717]

@@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365 we used to watch them practice bombing runs at Melrose bombing range in Eastern NM.

[@SUNNYSTARSCOUT365]

@@b1646717 I watched them when they had bombed in Vietnam

[@ArmorCast]

@@b1646717 it was designed as a fighter initially for the TFX program, hence the F designation. It got relegated to the tactical bomber role because neither the Air Force nor the Navy liked it for the fighter/interceptor role. Still won a dogfight against a Mirage F1 though!

[@b1646717]

@@ArmorCast 😊

[@reinerwempi8271]

Where the F-117 Nighthawk n F-5 Tiger?

[@karlguesman5189]

Flawed!! The F-16 is NOT faster than the F-15!!

[@GREENGENE18]

Yeah, as mentioned elsewhere, the posted F-16 max speed is very incorrect. It is NOT 2,620 mph [Mach 3.5], ffs! It's max speed is about 1353 mph [mach 2.1]...

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

The number stated in kph is correct, devide it by 1.609 and you get your beloved mph.

[@GREENGENE18]

I ain't dividing **it @@einundsiebenziger5488 !!! I know it's specs...

[@coreyugacherry]

Forgot the f9f

[@sangsakabangsa7798]

Where is star scream decepticon?

[@gtc1961]

I'd still take an updated Tomcat over any of the others mentioned here.

[@VikingTeddy]

Germany did not build the first fighter aircraft :). I think you meant to say the first fighter *jet*. Which would also be wrong, it was the British who built the first fighter jet. The Germans were however the first to deploy one in to combat. The F-111 is not really a Fighter. It's a multirole jet used for bombing, ground attack, recon and electronic warfare. One of my all time favorites, I was sad to see it retired.

[@TheFlamingoMen]

Germany in fact built the first Jet fighter aircraft, the Heinkel He 280, that flew for the first time around a year after the first Jet powered aircraft, the He-178 had it's maiden flight in 1939. However the He 280 wouldn't become the first jet fighter in actual service, this credit goes to the Messerschmitt Me262

[@VikingTeddy]

@@TheFlamingoMen Ah, I completely forgot about Heinkel, you're right.

[@obiemichaels9675]

The f111 isn't a fighter aircraft so as soon as I saw that I turned off

[@warfarenotwarfair5655]

The information is not accurate about the F-16 and F-111. The F-111 was not a good fighter but rather the USAF turned it into a great attack and electronic jamming aircraft while the Navy ditched it for the F-14. The F-16 was not introduced because the USAF needed a "light fighter" rather the USAF wanted a throw away aircraft for their Hi/Low strategy where the F-15 was more specialized in air to air and the F-16 was more specialized in air to ground but also cheaper to produce and maintain. The fact that General Dynamics was able to make the F-16 so agile was a plus not a necessity. The F-18 lost the light fighter competition to the F-16 but due to ignorant and an old mentality the Navy picked up due to its need to consolidate airframes and it had two engines something the USAF knew was nonsensical by the 1970s as prior decades jet engines had much higher failure rates. This is why the Navy finally listen to the USAF about the F-35 as it produced tons of data on single engine aircraft like the F-16 and European Aircraft.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

F22 omitted its stealth

[@TonyEllen990]

I love fighter jets but I just have to say....God!!!! Her voice is soooo sexy!!!! Great video!😁❤✈

[@adellcato9172]

I wanna see the helicopter

[@takkubell]

yeah I don't think F-16 top speed is 2620 mph

[@larrywelchko6136]

Sorry to disagree with this video but the Rapter’s top speed is NOT 1500 mph. It’s much higher then that

[@mileristic2084]

First modern aircraft's F-111 too today A-10 , F-14 , F-15 , F-16 , F-18 , F-22 , F-35 ... stelt ?!? ... B-1 , B-2 , F-117 ... next stelt generation it's coming ... pilot MileR 001 ...

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

aircraft* (plural same as singular) / today* / stealth* / next generation is* coming

[@pike100]

Your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all terrible. What are you trying to say?

[@k.h.1587]

F101, f102, f5, legacy f/a18?

[@ronriesinger7755]

F-111; pronounced one-eleven.

[@WmDuck-gj9mx]

No way f16 is that fast. Erroe

[@MaxKrumholz]

F35C Replace F18

[@smothie80]

HOW ABOUT F-117 ??

[@pike100]

It's a bomber, not a fighter.

[@dodoubleg2356]

HEY EVERYONE!! @7:50, DID YOU KNOW THE F-16 COULD FLY ALMOST MACH 4 OR 2,620MPH?!? I SURE DIDN'T!! This just keeps gettin' BETTER & BETTER!! 👎👎

[@kevinsamuel6437]

F5 tiger ii?

[@CevatKelle11]

F-102 and F-5?

[@AcePilot_]

Where was the F-117? It should have been before F-22

[@pike100]

Not a fighter

[@hannibalbra1216]

Where is the f5 and f5 tigre 2

[@SuperiorAmericanGuy]

It’s not the plane it’s the pilot.

[@tlxatom7004]

Don't think. Just do.

[@tlxatom7004]

Also do some of that pilot shit mav

[@jimdean294]

I still say take the f16c body style and a few tweaks give it the f35 stealth coatings and technology and slap on the f22 engines while overall keeping the sleek design of the f16 and say good by to any enemy

[@michaelhband]

👍👍👍❤❤❤✈✈✈

[@Lt_Vester]

So the F-105 never existed to you?

[@kevinlambo3211]

Why no mention of one of the most iconic fighter planes? P-51 Mustang??

[@Master_Team1]

F-18-Planes??!!-✈✈🚁🚁

[@Fauxbra]

Because it's not jet powered?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

It's not in the title but it's obviously about jets only.

[@lewiskemp5893]

These were jets

[@yomama629]

The title is wrong, this is about fighter jets. Fighter generations as we understand them today start with the first turbofan fighters, propeller aircraft are not included