Aircraft database
Fighter Jets by Country
Every nation that designs, builds or operates frontline combat aircraft — with what they fly, how many, and where each programme stands.
Updated October 2026 · 19 countries · Free to cite with attribution
Which countries build their own fighter jets?
Only nine countries currently design and manufacture frontline fighter aircraft independently: the United States, Russia, China, France, Sweden, India, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. A further group — the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain — build fighters through the Eurofighter consortium rather than alone. Everyone else operates aircraft designed elsewhere.
Independent builders
9
Design and manufacture alone
Consortium builders
4
Eurofighter Typhoon partners
Fifth-generation fleets
4
US, Russia, China, and F-35 operators
Sixth-gen programmes
3
NGAD, Tempest, FCAS
Every country compared
Ranked by the capability of the most advanced aircraft each nation fields.
Country
Most advanced aircraft
Builds own?
Active fleet
Fleet figures are approximate and include all combat aircraft types, not only fifth-generation airframes.
Browse by region
North America
Russia
Rest of world
Common questions
Which country has the most fighter jets?
The United States has the most fighter jets of any country, with roughly 2,800 combat aircraft, which is more than the next two nations combined. China has the second-largest fleet at around 1,900 combat aircraft, followed by Russia at around 1,100. These fleet figures are approximate and include all combat aircraft types, not only fifth-generation airframes.
How many countries build their own fighter jets?
Nine countries design and manufacture their own fighter jets independently: the United States, Russia, China, France, Sweden, India, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Four more, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, build the Eurofighter Typhoon through a consortium rather than alone. Every other air force flies fighter jets designed elsewhere.
Which countries have fifth-generation fighter jets?
The United States, China and Russia are the only countries that build their own fifth-generation fighter jets. A further seventeen nations operate the American F-35, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, Italy, Australia and South Korea, giving them fifth-generation capability without designing the aircraft themselves.
What is a sixth-generation fighter jet?
A sixth-generation fighter jet is a combat aircraft designed around crewed-uncrewed teaming, adaptive-cycle engines and AI-assisted decision making. Three sixth-generation fighter programmes are currently active: the US F-47, the Tempest being developed by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan, and the Franco-German FCAS.
Can civilians fly a frontline fighter jet?
No, civilians cannot fly any frontline fighter jet in service with a national air force. Civilian fighter jet experiences use demilitarised ex-military aircraft on civil registers, mainly jet trainers and first-generation fighters such as the L-39 Albatros, Hawker Hunter and MiG-15 Fagot, flown with a qualified pilot from an accredited airfield.