What's your favourite fighter jet of all time?

[Rapine]

As the title states, I'd like to know everyone's idea of the best fighter-class jet ever made.

I've always had a tremendous fascination with fighter jets (prop planes - less so - IDK).  To me, they're the absolute apex of technology.

A vehicle can be travelling faster than the speed of sound, detect not one, but many targets doing the same average velocity, and proceed to blow them out of the sky before there's even visual contact.  O_o

That's just beyond awesome!

I think that USA's F-18 super hornet is likely one of the best all-around jets going right now, but I always had a thing for the F-14 tomcats (and no, it wasn't freakin' Top Gun).

IMO, the best fighter jet ever devised, was the Avro Arrow.  Arguably the very best jet ever made.  It was so ahead of it's time; being just as advanced, if not more, than today's F-18.
It was capable of mach 2 - IN THE FIFTIES!
Rumour - just rumour - is that the engineers from it were hired by Grumman (made the tomcat).

Of course, there are other countries that have great planes as well.  Notable are the Euro-fighter, England's Hawker Harrier, and the U.S.S.R's Mig-29.

What's your idea of the coolest?

[Darth Abaddon]

A-10 Warthog

[scifidude79]

Ooh, tough question as there are so many cool ones.  For fighters, I've always been partial to the F-16 Falcon myself.  I love the lines, particularly the thinner fuselage due to the single engine.  Though, as far as twin engine fighters, I think the F-15 Eagle is pretty sweet too.  For attack planes, the A-10 Warthog is definitely a beast.  I've actually been in a combat area with those flying air support.  It's a great plane to have your back.  Plus, you can shoot off about half a wing and it can still fly and land.  For multi-role planes, I think the F/A-18 Hornet is definitely sweet.  Of course, another absolutely sweet plane is the UK's AV-8 Harrier Jump Jet.  Those get props for being straight up cool.

The sad thing is, they're trying to replace nearly all of my favorites with the F-35. 

[Rapine]

Oh, I know.   The A-10.  That cannon!  They are loud planes...lol

The F-4 phantoms were extremely loud too.  I saw them at an airshow once.

[scifidude79]

Yeah, the A-10's cannon is definitely loud.  It sounds like a big fart. (funny, they never get that right in the movies )

[Darth Abaddon]

The plane was built around that 30mm cannon. They can only fire in bursts because the recoil slows the plane so much, that if you just let loose, it would drop the plane out of the sky.

[Rapine]

The plane was built around that 30mm cannon. They can only fire in bursts because the recoil slows the plane so much, that if you just let loose, it would drop the plane out of the sky.

Whoa!

I knew it was one serious gun, but didn't know that!

Cool.

+1

[Sparky_D]

Toss up for me between the A10 and the F14.

On one hand, any plane designed around a gun is impressive, but on the other hand, "The Final Countdown" and "Top Gun"....

[Darth Abaddon]

Whoa!

I knew it was one serious gun, but didn't know that!

Cool.

+1

It's also made to be able to fly home half destroyed. You can actually fly them with one wing or engine.

[scifidude79]

+1 for the A-10 info, Darth Abaddon.

And a point for Lord Rapine as well, for opening a great discussion.

[Darth Abaddon]

+1 for the A-10 info, Darth Abaddon.

And a point for Lord Rapine as well, for opening a great discussion.

I wanted to be an A-10 pilot.. Poor vision though. At least, too poor to be an aviator.

[scifidude79]

Yeah, you need perfect vision to be an aviator. I'm sorry you couldn't live that dream.

[Darth Abaddon]

Yeah, you need perfect vision to be an aviator. I'm sorry you couldn't live that dream.

Just wasn't in the cards is all. No biggie.

[Hansrad]

From a fighter jet standpoint the F-14 Tomcat tops my list. Also not due to Top Gun. I think why fell in love with it was the swing wings and the payload. Also, the G I Joe Skystriker and the Veritech fighters from Macross/Robotech are based on the F-14. The F-15 Eagle is probably my second favorite, followed by the MIG-29. But my true favorite aircraft that is most definitely not a fighter plane is the SR-71.

[Jev Moldara]

Prop-driven: (Yeah, it's not a jet, but the old dogs of war cannot be ignored)

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt



Boasting eight .50 caliber machine guns, the P-47 was primarily an escort dogfighter, assigned to protect the much larger bombers. It also excelled at ground attacks, able to carry up to 2500 pounds of bombs, half the payload of a B-17. There is a reason why the A-10 took the Thunderbolt name, and it wasn't because it sounded cool.

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Modern:

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II



Named after the P-47, the A-10 is a turbofan-driven craft that can loiter over a battlefield for hours and take the kind of punishment that would turn any other craft into a shredded mess and then land safely. It can also deliver copious amounts of punishment using its missile, bomb, and rocket hardpoints, carrying enough ordnance to turn an entire city block into an inferno of fire and carnage. Then there's the gun. The GAU-8 Avenger, a gun so amazing they designed the A-10 around it. Let me reiterate. They did NOT build the A-10 and then say "Let's put this gun on there." Some guy designed the GAU-8 Avenger cannon, sat back with what was likely 150 proof whisky laced with nails, said "This damned thing has gotta fly," and then designed the meanest machine he could around it. It delivers 4200 rounds per minute (that's SEVENTY ROUNDS PER SECOND) of pure 30mm depleted uranium 'Kriff You,' turning its target from a hardened structure to crumbling Swiss cheese and anyone inside into chunky salsa.