The 4th generation fighter aircrafts are still the backbone of many countries’ air forces, while Russia and the US are still the two world’s number one powers in terms of production of fighter aircraft.
Fighter aircraft are one of the key components of almost all armed forces in the world. These weapons can help states maintain deterrence against adversaries and secure their airspace.
The ranking of the top 5 most-produced 4th generation fighters today, both come from the two countries with the world’s leading military aviation industry, the US and Russia. Let’s take a look at the 5 most widely used 4th generation fighters in the world today.
1. F-16
Topping the list of the most used 4th generation fighters today is the General Dynamics F-16 fighting falcon single-seat, single-engine American fighter and one of the most popular fighters in the world. There are currently about 2,267 F-16s in service and are the backbone of the air forces of many countries around the world.
There are more than 25 countries equipped with F-16s, the US Air Force is first with 789 F-16s, Israel is behind the US with a total of about 175 aircraft. The F-16 is also the backbone of the Egyptian (168), Greek (114), Korean (118), and Turkish (158) air forces.
2. Su-27 Flanker series
Second, the Sukhoi Su-27 and variants; This is a twin-engine heavyweight fighter aircraft built by the Soviet Union to compete with the American F-15. The Su-27 has a range of 3,530 km, can carry more missiles, advanced avionics and has excellent maneuverability.
Improved versions from Su-27 include Su-30MKI (India), Su-30MKK (China), Su-30SM (Russia), Su-30MK2 (Vietnam); Su-35, Su-33 (fighter), Su-34 (fighter – bomb) and J-11, J-15, J-16. The Su-27 series has a total of 1,300 units the service and became the 2nd largest fighter aircraft in the world in service.
Russia is armed with a total of 342 Su-27s and many improved versions, the Su-30MKI is an improved version of the Su-27, which has become the backbone of the Indian Air Force with 272 aircraft. China also has 315 Su-27s. Other countries also own Su-27 such as Algeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Ukraine.
3. F-15
Coming in third is the US twin-engine, all-weather F-15 heavy fighter, designed by McDonnell Douglas. The F-15 first flew in July 1972 and entered service with the US Air Force in 1976. The F-15 is one of the most modern and successful fighters who achieved more than 100 victories in aerial combat without a single loss.
Currently, there are about 956 F-15 fighters in service. Among them, the US Air Force is equipped with 429 aircraft. Other countries using the F-15 series include Israel (66), Japan (155), Saudi Arabia (207), South Korea (59) and Singapore (40).
4. F/A-18
In fourth place is another US made aircraft F/A-18 fighter jet, an all-weather, supersonic, carrier-based multirole fighter, also designed by McDonnell Douglas. The F/A-18 is the US Navy’s most important aprt of aircraft carrier. The F/A-18 fighter jet also served in the air forces of a number of other countries.
The US Navy has 532 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and the US Marines have about 100 F/A-18C/D Hornets. Countries that use the F/A-18 include the Australian Air Force (78), the Finnish Air Force (62), the Spanish Air Force (85), the Kuwait Air Force (40), and the Swiss Air Force. Si (30 units).
5. MiG-29 Fulcrum
In fifth place is the Soviet fighter MiG-29, developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau. This is a twin-engine, medium-sized, single-seat fighter. The MiG-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1982. About 817 MiG-29s are in service around the world and are currently in service in more than 30 countries. Russia currently has 255 MiG-29s, India also has about 67 MiG-29s services in the Indian air force while 44 MiG-29K service for the Indian navy. Particularly the MiG-29K model is currently in service with the Indian and Russian navies.
In addition, the MiG-29 is also exported to Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Eritrea, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Korea, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Syria. , Sudan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Yemen.