The Fastest Military Jets in History

F-35 Lightning II

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 2, 2015) The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) is conducting its second developmental test (DT-II) at sea. While aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), the highly diverse cadre of PAX ITF technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff and test pilots are testing F-35C carrier suitability and integration in the at-sea environment. As of September 1, the F-35 Lightning II surpassed 40,000 combined flight hours between F-35 military fleet aircraft and System Development and Demonstration (SDD) test aircraft.

Hailed as America’s next gen wave of stealth multirole jet fighters, the F-35 Lightning II borrows its name from an older generation of fighter aircraft that served in WWII. The first wave of F-35s to hit the fleet went straight to the U.S. Marine Corps, where they came ready for extreme short take-offs and landings. This is one of the first aircraft to implement 720 degrees of vision to its pilots. This functionality is enabled through a system of sensors feeding straight to the pilot’s helmet. With a top speed of Mach 1.6, this single pilot jet fighter promises to bring high maneuverability matched with stunning versatility in mission parameters. The F-35 is fifth-generation and speed isn’t its purpose, yet it’s still a contender for fastest fighter jet.

• • Top Speed: 1,200 mph
  • Max Flight Distance: 1,381 miles on internal fuel