10 Of The Most Advanced Russian Fighter Jets Of All Time

Aviation shaped the 20th century. Through both World Wars and the Cold War, superpowers like the United States and the former USSR, Russia, pulled out all the stops and spent countless resources to build and operate the most sophisticated machines on the planet. 

With nothing less than world hegemony at stake, the history of the jet age took off with the roar of jet engines and the crack of a sonic boom. Ever since, fighter jets have been beloved and feared by those who design, fly, and rely on them for security. 

American fighter planes have taken center stage on the silver screen and in conflict zones around the planet. From the since-retired F-14 Tomcat we saw in "Top Gun" to the F-35 Lightning II whizzing around screens in the Marvel Universe, there has been no shortage of glory for American fighters. And for its part, Russia designed and deployed its own advanced fighter jets to counter what it perceived as an American threat. 

In honor of the rivalry that has pushed aviation technology to the limit for decades, let's examine 10 of the most advanced Russian fighter jets of all time. 

The Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) corporation has been building war birds for the Russian government since its initial prototype, the MiG-1, first flew in 1940. Throughout the Second World War, piston-engined MiGs drove off the German invasion. By the time the war ended, the world was on the cusp of the jet age, and MiG dove in headfirst.

The first experiment with this advanced new technology was the MiG-9. Little more than a jet engine strapped to a piston airframe, it first flew in 1946, serving as a stepping stone into the first truly advanced Russian fighter jet: the MiG-15.

The MiG-15 entered service in 1949, with the updated MiG-15bis following in 1950. Within a few years, MiG-15s were strategically positioned in Soviet satellite states as a powerful deterrent against Western incursion. However, it was over the skies of Korea in the intense combat hotspot known as MiG Alley that the MiG-15 truly earned its stripes in air battle against NATO pilots.

Powered by a Klimov VK-1, a replication of the Rolls-Royce "Nene" jet engine, the MiG-15 was a marvel of speed and altitude. It could achieve 6,000 pounds of thrust, reaching speeds of up to 670 mph, with a 500-mile range and a top altitude of 51,000 feet. Armed with a pair of 23 millimeter cannons and a single 37 millimeter cannon, it could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs, but its primary role was to compete with its American counterpart, the North American F-86 Sabre.

First-generation fighters like the MiG-15 were advanced for their time, but compared to today's fighters, they look as rudimentary as a World War I-era biplane. MiG upped its game by delivering a MiG-17 in 1952, but the second generation MiG-21 would take Russia's air power to the next level.

American fighter ace Chuck Yeager first achieved supersonic flight in his specially designed Bell X-1 rocket plane in 1947. The MiG-21 was Russia's first operational jet fighter capable of flying that fast in combat. It first flew in 1955, more than doubling the power of the MiG-15 with a Tumansky R-11F2-300 engine that made 13,000 pounds of thrust.

With a maximum speed of 1,300 mph and armed with a pair of K-5 radar-guided or K-13 heat-seeking missiles, the MiG-21 could patrol up to 1,110 miles with an auxiliary fuel tank and achieve an altitude of 62,000 feet.

Like the MiG-15, the MiG-21 earned its combat stripes in a conflict over the skies of an Asian peninsula.  The Soviet government began sending the MiG-21 to Vietnam in November 1965, where its chief adversary would be the excellent F-4 Phantom II fighter jet of the United States military. Though technologically inferior to the Phantom, the MiG-21 proved to be an agile and challenging opponent, significantly impacting the Vietnam War.

The MiG-21 had a surprisingly long career. Croatia was the last nation to use them operationally, announcing the cessation of its MiG-21 air patrols in November 2024.

MiG built progressively more advanced aircraft, but it wasn't the only aviation firm in the business. Soviet Aircraft designer Pavel Sukhoi toiled under Russian aviation pioneer Andrey Tupolov, producing several designs for fighters and bombers while working on Tupolov's projects. He got his chance to run his own show after Stalin died in 1953.

During the 1960s, the Soviets were searching for updated aircraft designs, and Sukhoi presented the Su-17 as a replacement for the aging Su-7. The Su-7's primary problem was that any bomb load worth the name made it too unwieldy to take off from short front-line runways.

One sure sign of the advancing state of aeronautics was the introduction of the variable wing design employed by the Su-17. Known to many as the setup on the F-14 Tomcat, pilots could set the wings to optimal angles depending on speed. Around the same time, the Mig-23 appeared with this technology.

Introduced in 1970, the Su-17 was a hybrid fighter bomber that could carry up to 8,800 pounds of munitions and offered precision-guiding capabilities. Known by the NATO codename Fitter, it participated in the Soviet Union's Afghanistan campaign during the 1980s and saw action as recently as the Syrian Civil War.

The Soviet Union wanted an aircraft that would trump everything else in speed. Building an ultra-fast jet that could climb to high altitudes in minutes would allow the Soviets to counter America's supersonic bomber strategy which counted on high-flying, high-performance bombers to escape air defenses. Entering service in 1970, the twin-engined Foxbat lived up to its expectations. With up to 22,500 pounds of thrust from each engine (in afterburner), it was capable of Mach 2.83 — nearly three times the speed of sound.

The new jet panicked the West. Spy images revealed a fighter aircraft with huge wings and enormous engines, but specifics remained shrouded in mystery. A public demonstration of MiG-25 prototypes at an airshow in 1967 provided clues to its performance. It set speed and climb rate records, taking just over four minutes to gain 98,000 feet on its way to a record-breaking 123,520 feet. Its enormous front-facing radar could detect aircraft up to 75 miles away.

When a defecting Soviet pilot landed a Foxbat at an American airbase in Japan, it was like a winning lottery ticket for the Pentagon. The United States inspected every piece of the machine, discovering that while it was a fast and capable high-altitude rocket, its weaknesses included poor low-altitude performance and enormous weight. The United States used the information to inform the development of the F-15 Eagle.

The Soviet Union demanded the return of its aircraft. Upon completion of its inspection, The United States obliged, shipping the Foxbat back to the USSR in pieces.

Sukhoi's vision for the Su-27 Flanker was clear from the start of the project in 1969. This was no hybrid fighter bomber: Its primary mission was to be an all-weather interceptor capable of dominating the skies and taking down anything that dared to challenge it, with a special eye toward the fourth-generation F-14s and F-15s of the American military.

The USSR had ambitious goals for the Su-27. It wanted a jet with an awe-inspiring range, competent dogfighting capability at any altitude, and a Mach 2.0 speed. While it might not have been as fast as the MiG-25 in terms of raw speed, the Su-27's capabilities represented a shift to the new-age fighters that would dominate the skies for the remainder of the century.

The Flanker entered service in 1986. It used a pair of Lyulka Al-31 F Series 2 engines with 27.460 pounds of thrust each. It could achieve Mach 2, carrying R-73 and R-27 air-to-air missiles and hit a service ceiling of 59,000 feet. It could carry cluster munitions, heat- and infrared-guided air-to-ground bombs, dumb munitions, and a 30 millimeter cannon.

The upshot was a fighter more than a match for its U.S. counterparts. The Su-27 continues to serve Russia and other nations around the world today.

The MiG-29 began development in the 1960s as a replacement for the MiG-21. Developed in tandem with the Su-27, its main aim was to defend against the same fourth-gen American fighters as the Sukhoi.

Despite debuting in 1983, seven years after the F-15 and four years after the F-16, the newer aircraft was technically deficient compared to its American competition. Low-tech materials and a lack of sophisticated systems like fly-by-wire put it a half-step behind America's latest and greatest. However, it remained a serious threat to American pilots.

The Soviet aviation industry had long struggled to perfect look-down-shoot-down radar, as objects on the ground would clutter a pilot's target picture, making it difficult to lock a target between his plane and the earth.

The MiG-29 overcame this deficiency with a Phazotron NIIR No19 Doppler radar that could not only differentiate targets from ground clutter but also detect and track targets at distances as great as 60 miles. 

Targets within visual range could be in great danger from a Soviet pilot. A helmet-mounted system now aimed the MiG-29's weapons. A pilot no longer needed to maneuver his aircraft into the perfect kill shot position. He could simply turn his head toward it to achieve a lock.

Pilots could choose between bombs, missiles, rockets, or a 30 millimeter cannon to deploy against the enemy. All this at a top speed of Mach 2.3 thanks to more than 36,000 pounds of total thrust from a pair of RD-33 turbofan engines.

Russia reached into the MiG-25's bag of tricks when it began developing the MiG-31 in 1975. While the MiG-25 accomplished its goal of being fast, it was to the detriment of other capabilities. Seeking to upgrade and update the idea, MiG used the Foxbat's airframe to develop the Foxhound.

The resulting MiG-31 entered service in 1982. It carried two crew members as opposed to the MiG-25's single pilot. It also received redesigned wings to improve low-altitude performance. In its quest to enhance dogfighting and circle fight capability, a new Phasotron electronically scanned radar dubbed the Zaslon-A can track 10 enemies and engage four at once.

Despite these improvements, it still paid homage to its Foxbat grandfather. The MiG-31 achieved Mach 2.8 speeds, making it one of the fastest operational fighter jets in the world.

Russia built more than 500 MiG-31s, delivering 37 to its air force and a further 30 to Kazhakstan's air force, holding the rest back for future upgrades. It also contracted to supply MiGs to Syria during the Syrian Civil War.

The MiG-31 remains dangerous enough that it is one of Ukraine's primary targets in its war against Russia. As Russia controls enormous amounts of airspace, the MiG-31 can strike Ukrainian targets from deep within its home territory. However, it has suffered at least some losses on the ground due to American Army tactical missile systems operated by the Ukrainian military.

Upon its unveiling in 2007, the Su-35 marked the evolution of Russia's fourth-generation air power. Sukhoi's use of increasingly sophisticated materials in its construction contributes its technological advantage.

Hardpoints for 12 weapons make the Super Flanker formidable against airborne and land-based targets, and advanced avionics and radar systems keep it in the fight against NATO's most prominent aircraft. Its pair of Saturn UFA AL 41F-1S turbofan engines each make nearly 32,000 pounds of thrust over a maximum range of 981 miles, propelling it to a service ceiling of 18,000 feet.

The Super Flanker is a significant player in modern combat operations. The Russian United Aircraft Corporation (RUAC) delivered Su-35s to the Russian Air Force as recently as autumn 2024. Priced at $45 million apiece, the Super Flanker has a bargain basement price tag compared to the $122 million F-35, but Russia can ill afford losses.

At least two Russian Su-35s have been shot down in Ukraine, where it serves as an air superiority fighter escorting the Su-34 strike aircraft, among others. News reports indicate that Patriot missiles donated to Ukraine by the United States and Germany may have been responsible for downing the jets. 

An update to the ethos of the MiG-29, the MiG-35 was purported by Russia to be a fifth-generation fighter jet. Meant to challenge America's F-35, the Fulcrum F employs thrust-vectoring technology that allows aircraft to pivot in mid-air.

In addition to thrust vectoring, the MiG-35 hosts a suite of advanced avionics and radar systems, including the first Russian aircraft with active electronically scanned radar. With a pair of RD-33MKB engines, it can achieve nearly 1,500 mph and climb to 57,000 feet.

Russia introduced the Fulcrum F to the world at Aero India 2007 in hopes of enticing India into investing in its own fleet. Unfortunately for Russia, the entire program has turned into something of a debacle. While impressive on paper, the MiG-35 performed poorly against international competitors like the Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 Falcon, Dassault Rafale, and JAS 39 Gripen.

No foreign governments contracted for the aircraft, and in part due to its limited impact on the war in Ukraine, the Russian government produced only six airframes. The MiG-35 seems to be dying an early death, leading some to speculate the program has more value as propaganda posturing than an actual combat aircraft.

Developing a brand-new aircraft takes decades, and Russia recognized the need to begin working on the Felon in 1979, which made its debut test flight in January 2010.

Introduced in 2020, Russia claims the troubled development of the Felon ultimately created a fifth-generation fighter that could go toe-to-toe with the speeds of the F-22 Raptor. Pundits have some doubts.

Part of what makes the Su-57 a true fifth-generation fighter is its radar-avoiding stealth technology. Advanced composite materials make it difficult to detect with sensors. The fighter also utilizes thrust vectoring for increased maneuverability.

With an operational ceiling of 67,000 feet, a top speed of Mach 2.0, and an impressive array of weaponry fitted to its eight hardpoints, the Su-57 is a formidable asset in Russia's arsenal. However, Russia is cautious in its deployment of this state-of-the-art aircraft, as losing one over a contested territory would provide a significant intelligence advantage to its enemies. This caution was evident in 2022 when a Su-57 attacked Ukraine with missiles without venturing into the range of Ukraine's anti-aircraft defense weapons.

The cost of the aircraft might signal something about its build quality and capabilities. At $34 to $55 million each, it's difficult to believe it is a match for the $350 million F-22. Still, Russia intends to have 76 in its arsenal by 2028.