The backbone of the Vietnam People’s Air Force today are heavy fighters Su-30MK2. This is also the most produced fighter in the top 5 of the world’s 4th generation fighters.
Fighter aircraft are one of the important components of most armed forces in the world. These weapons, which help a country maintain deterrence against an adversary; ensure the security of your airspace.
According to 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 5 types of 4th generation fighters, the most widely used in the world today.
5. MiG-29
Ranked 5th in the list is the Soviet MiG-29 series fighter , 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 is equipped with 255 MiG-29s, India also has about 65. Particularly the MiG-29K model of the country’s navy, 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.
4. F/A-18
Ranked fourth in the top 5 list is the US F/A-18 family of fighters, a multirole carrier-based, supersonic, all-weather, all-weather fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas (now merged with Boeing). The F/A-18 is the US Navy’s most important carrier based fighter. The F/A-18 also served in the air forces of several other countries.
The main models of the F/A-18 family are the “Bumblebee” (type A/B/C/D) and the “Super Hornet” (E/F). Currently, there are about 884 “Bumblebee” or “Super Hornet” fighters in service around the world. The US Navy has 532 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and the Marines have about 100 F/A-18C/D Hornets.
Countries using the F/A-18 include the Australian Air Force (78 aircraft), the Finnish Air Force (62 aircraft), the Spanish Air Force (85 aircraft), the Kuwait Air Force (40 aircraft). and the Swiss Air Force (30 aircraft).
3. F-15
Third in the top five list is the US twin-engine, all-weather F-15 heavy fighter, also designed by McDonnell Douglas (now merged with Boeing). 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 successful, modern fighter aircraft; achieved more than 100 victories in aerial combat without a single loss; most of the victories belong to the Israeli Air Force.
The main models of the F-15 family are the air superiority versions F-15A/B/C/D Eagle and the ground attack version F-15E Strike Eagle (Only the improved F-15EX version. latest F-15, not included here).
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).
2. Su-27 Family
Second, on our list is the Sukhoi Su-27 and variants; this is a heavy, twin-engine fighter; It was 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 (fightership), Su-34 (ground attack) and J-11, J-15, J-16, etc. Su-27 series has a total of 1,300 units in service, becoming The world’s second largest active fighter aircraft.
The Su-30MKI, an improved version of the Su-27, became the backbone of the Indian Air Force; The Indian Air Force is equipped with a total of 272 aircraft. Russia is equipped with a total of 342 Su-27s and many improved versions. China has 315 Su-27 series. Other countries that own Su-27 such as Algeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ukraine.
1. F-16
Topping the list of the most used 4th generation fighters today is the US single-seat, single-engine F-16 fighter and is the most equipped fighter in the world today. now on. During the India-Pakistan air battle in 2019, it was the Pakistan Air Force F-16 that shot down the Indian MiG-21.
The F-16 is one of the most popular fighter aircraft in the world, with relatively low operating and maintenance costs. There are currently about 2,267 F-16s in service with the air forces of many countries, and it is the backbone of many air forces. The US Air Force still has 789 F-16s.
In addition, more than 25 countries are also equipped with F-16. Israel ranks behind the United States, the second largest user of F-16 fighter aircraft, equipped with a total of about 175 aircraft. The F-16 is also the main force of the air forces of Egypt (168), Greece (114), South Korea (118), and Turkey (158).