What is the fastest fighter jet?

Question

I heard it was the F-16 but I saw a video of one of them getting taken down by a stinger missile.

So really, what is the fastest figher jet and how fast does it go?

Answer 1

MiG-25R Foxbat-B, Mach 3.2 123,524 feet

http://www.airforce-technology.com/proje...

Now, the MiG-25 is actually an interceptor... so "technically" it's not a fighter. It's designed to intercept, shoot down, then get out of dodge.

The fastest "pure" fighter is the F-15 with a max speed of Mach 2.5

The SR-71 is faster, but it's not a fighter, it's a reconnaisance plane.

The new Eurofighters and F-22 Fighter aren't as fast (as far as maximum speed) however they do have super-cruise (meaning they can fly faster that Mach 1 while NOT in afterburner).

Answer 2

Hello,

(ANS) The Typhoon (the latest euro-fighter) as far as I am aware is currently the fastest combat multi role jet fighter.

**Maximum speed = Mac 2

**Typhoon can fly well beyond the sound barrier.

Ivan

Answer 3

Rymes is right, the MiG 25 was designed to chase the SR-71; at 3.5 it's the fastest for pure speed.

Answer 4

the new euro-fighter typhoon is currently the fastest to my knowlegde. It was built to take on the MIG's.

Answer 5

"Speed is Life" and these fighters took that to extremes:

MiG25A/31 Foxbat/Foxhound:  2.83 Mach

(The MiG 25 was designed to shoot down the XB70 Valkyrie, not the SR71, which was known to the Mikoyan bureau as "YF12" at the time.)

Followed closely by the F15 2.5 Mach (which was designed to shoot down the MiG 25)

F22/Typhoon 2.2Mach+

SU27/F14 2.0Mach+

Keep in mind that speeds of this magnitude are good for two things:  getting to a fight or getting out.  You can't maneuver, and more importantly are burning fuel at a prodigious rate.  

The majority of air-air kills in the "jet age" were against aircraft that were disengaging due to fuel...

EDIT:...and were high subsonic/transsonic

Answer 6

The MiG 25 (Foxbat) was only ever recorded at Mach 3.2 once in 1973, when a reconnaissance version was missile locked over Israel and the pilot decided to bug out to Egypt on full power. The plane survived, but both engines were write-offs.

The maximum permitted speed was Mach 2.83, the same as its successor, the MiG 31 (Foxhound)

Answer 7

The fastes jets are used by the RAF, Red Arrows or Harriers probably, but I don't know how fast they go :)

Answer 8

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1589

Answer 9

It is the MiG-25R Foxbat B.

Fastest Fighter Jet.

3rd fastest out of rocket and jet powered aircraft.

6th fastest out of all aircraft.

It's highest speed is Mach 3.2 (2,115 mph), maximum altitude 123 524ft.

Yeah, but that's not the fastest plane! The fastest plane is the X-43, clocking up at Mach 9.8 and 110,000 feet! It's unmanned though.

A list of the 3 fastest jet/rocket aircraft:

1. X-15, Mach 6.72, 354,200 feet

2. SR-71 Blackbird, (YF-12) Mach 3.2+ 85,000+ feet

3. MiG-25R Foxbat-B, Mach 3.2 123,524 feet

Answer 10

F9T,

Jim is right, it is the Foxbat, the Mig-25, made to defend the Soviet Union from the B-70.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 11

It is definitely not the F-16, although it goes pretty fast 1,500 mph. It's the MiG-25 that goes 2,385 mph. The problem with the MiG-25 is that it's a gas guzzler and less reliable, unlike the lightweight F-16 that has only one powerful engine. The F-16 is also way more maneuverable than the MiG-25 and is a multirole fighter while the MiG-25 is only an interceptor or spy plane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighti...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gur...

Answer 12

This one may surprise you all, but at low level and in clean configuration, the Tornado F3 was the worlds fastest fighter and, as far as I know still is. Although the aircraft is once again an interceptor like the mig 25, it is nonetheless still classed as a fighter. As previously stated, its capability at low level is with the aircraft clean, i.e. no drop tanks, missiles or pylons. In this condition, this aeroplane is stated by many writers as being capable of an astounding 921 miles per hour, ( funnily enough I have never seen this speed measured in the usual knots). This is something that a crew would only attempt in the direst of emergencies, when attempting to escape a more manoeuvrable 'true' fighter.

Answer 13

don't know about clean speed, but the record for the fastest from takeoff to 50,000 ft still held by English Electric lightning I think?

Answer 14

SR-71 Blackbird, but thats not a fighter but a spy plane and its not longer in service anyway.

The fastest still in service is the MIG-31 Foxhound, which is meant to be over 200kph faster than the Foxbat it was meant to replace. They are both very similar aircraft, easiest way to tell the difference is the the Foxhound is a two seater while the Foxbat is only a one seater.

The English Electric Lightning is meant to be the fastest climbing aircraft in operation (although it no longer serves with the RAF).

Funny that these aircraft have been around since the early days of the cold war!