5 Of The Best-Looking Fighter Jets In Military History

During World War II, fighter jets made their historic debut, with notable aircraft from this era including the pioneering Messerschmitt ME-262 and the groundbreaking Lockheed F-80.

It's undeniable that modern fighter jets are designed to excel in speed and combat capabilities, yet their sleek designs also make them visually impressive machines. In our evaluation of military aviation history, we have identified five exceptional fighter jets that stand out for their stunning appearance. Our selection, which is solely based on aesthetic appeal, also highlights their groundbreaking technological advancements.

The US Navy has utilized F-14 Tomcat fighter planes in combat missions since the 1980s. These planes have been deployed across the globe. Grumman started developing the F-14 in the early 1970s as a replacement for the General Dynamics F111-B, which was deemed too heavy for aircraft carriers. The F-14 made its first flight at the end of 1970; the Navy began receiving its first models a year and a half later. The plane saw combat for the first time in 1981 and remained a part of the US Navy's active fleet for almost 25 years, until its retirement in 2006. The Tomcat's design resembles that of the fighter planes flown by the Rebel Alliance in the "Star Wars" movies, and its iconic status was further amplified through a two-film franchise based on a character from the series, which premiered about a decade after the release of the original "A New Hope" film.

The F-14 Tomcat made a strong appearance in the 1986 blockbuster film "Top Gun" and had a smaller role in the 2022 sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick." For the production of the original film, Paramount paid approximately $8,000 per hour to keep the fighter jets in the air. By the time the sequel was being filmed, all American-based F-14s were out of service. However, Iranian F-14s were still actively employed, and unfortunately, the filmmakers were unable to gain access to them. One jet without an engine was used in a hangar scene, and computer-generated images of F-14s were used for flight scenes.

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The North American P-51 Mustang: A Timeless Beauty of World War II Aviation

A P-51 Mustang built in 1946 was acquired by the actor in 2001. He flew this plane in "Top Gun: Maverick." Paramount also released a featurette on the plane, in which some of his co-stars and the film's production team share their stories about it.

Monica Barbaro, who played Phoenix, commented that "even the Top Gun pilots are impressed by his P-51, which is saying a lot." Charles Parnell, who played Warlock, described it as "a really cool-looking airplane." Technical Consultant Steve Hinton noted that the P-51 Mustang's controls and instruments were all mechanical and analog, in contrast to the electronic systems used in modern planes. "There's still a lot of that pioneering spirit of aviation when you're flying a P-51," he observed.

The first flight of the Mustang occurred in 1940, followed by its entry into service with Britain's Royal Air Force just under two years later. Most of the approximately 1,500 P-51s produced were equipped with two .50-caliber machine guns on the nose and four .30-caliber guns on the wings, although some were modified with .20-caliber armaments instead of the .30s, while the United States Air Force flew the A-36A dive bomber variant. Of the aircraft produced for the war effort, only around 150, roughly one percent, remain to this day.

The MiG-29 is undoubtedly one of Russia's most impressive aircraft.

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was in full force when the Soviets started developing the MiG-29 in the late 1960s. The Soviets needed a new fighter jet to replace their MiG 21, which had been in use since the early 1960s. The name "MiG" is short for the last names of its creators, Mikoyan and Gurevich, connected by an i, the Russian word for "and". A the MiG-29's first prototype took to the skies in 1977, and its production model arrived five years later. The MiG-29's design resembles a combination of the Space Shuttle and a land speed record car, featuring large, afterburner-equipped engines and huge vertical tail sections that provide stability and make it look quite intimidating.

In Tucson, Arizona, there is one on loan from the US Air Force, and another is located outdoors at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Ohio.

Northrop F5

The filmmakers behind "Top Gun" decided to use modified Northrop F-5 fighters to represent the enemy's MiG 28s, as they allowed for a convincing illusion. We've chosen the F-5 for this list mainly because of its connection to the United States, but it's also more widely available for viewing due to its global distribution, making it possible to catch one at an airshow nearby.

The F-5 Ejection style Power 1960s stunt performer Evel Knievel might have used for daredevil jumps bears an uncanny resemblance. However, the first F-5 took to the skies in the summer of 1963. Its lean design and impressive thrust-to-weight ratio of 7:1, courtesy of the General Electric J85-13 engines, enable the F-5 to move with swift sophistication. It bears an uncanny resemblance to a spaceship, capable of achieving speeds of Mach 1.4 and soaring to an altitude of 50,000 feet - roughly nine and a half miles - placing it at the edge of the stratosphere. Despite its incredible capabilities, the F-5 was in service for nearly three decades, serving throughout the Cold War from 1964 to 1989.

The Curtis P-40 Fighter Aircraft Earned a Few Fowl-Playing Nicknames

The Curtis P-40 played a key role in response to the assault on Pearl Harbor and saw combat in World War II across Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Known as various models including the Warhawk, Tomahawk, and Kittyhawk, a sub-group of pilots, organized by Claire Chennault, painted some of them with shark-tooth nose art. These pilots, known colloquially as the "Flying Tigers," flying P-40s, took out over 350 Japanese warplanes in a period of just six months. Even without the distinctive shark's-mouth grin, the plane had a formidable appearance but with the large white teeth just behind the propeller, it seemed even more menacing, and with the cartoonish adornment, it looked angrier still when sitting on the tarmac.

In the film '1941,' John Belushi's character, Wild Bill Kelso, crashed a car on a rural road. Military planes from Britain were also featured in the 2008 historical drama 'Valkyrie,' which starred Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a German officer involved in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

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