Top 10: stealth combat aircraft
The best way to avoid being shot down is to never be seen.
For combat aircraft, this means avoiding detection by radar (as well as other sensors). Thanks to careful shaping and use of materials, stealthy aircraft are hard to detect on radar, giving them a vital edge. Stealth aircraft ideally also minimise the chance of detection by infra-red sensors by controlling their ‘heat signature’, and the careful management of their own tell-tale emissions of electromagnetic energy through radios and sensors.
Though difficult to maintain, expensive and causing other compromises, stealth can offer a decisive edge. Here are ten of the world’s best stealth combat aircraft:
10: Sukhoi Su-57 ‘Felon’
The Russian Federation’s stealthy tactical fighter is the Sukhoi Su-57, known as the ‘Felon’ to NATO. To some observers, the somewhat fantastical claims made by the manufacturer and Russian state media are contradicted by the small fleet size, its likely stealth capabilities and seemingly scant evidence of actual combat usage.
Built on the experience gained with Sukhoi’s successful Su-27 Flanker series of large multirole combat aircraft, the Felon adds capacious internal bays, and like the Flanker carries a large amount of fuel, likely giving it a superior range to the F-22 Raptor. Weapons not carried internally can ruin radar stealth, though a large internal bay means a larger aircraft for a given design brief.
From a combination of advanced aerodynamics, thrust vectoring and a high-power-to-weight ratio the Su-57 is particularly manoeuvrable. Whether the Su-57 offers a large enough jump in capability over the older Su-35 (itself intended to plug the gap between legacy Flankers and Felons) to justify what is assumed to be a much higher cost remains to be seen. The Su-57 has yet to see a large-scale introduction and may even face cancellation due to a lack of funds.
US levels of low radar stealth are not compatible with the Russian doctrine of ‘rough and readiness’. Instead, the design has a greater emphasis on high performance, super-manoeuvrability and an alleged stealth capability (using wing-glove antennae said to operate in the L-band). Working in conjunction with a stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), Sukhoi’s S-70 Okhotnik-B, may provide a solution to some of its perceived shortcomings.
9: Boeing X-32
The Joint Strike Fighter programme led to today’s F-35 Lightning II, but not before it defeated a commercial rival. Two technology demonstrators went head-to-head to compete for this hugely lucrative deal to provide a new fighter for the deal: the bizarrely ugly Boeing X-32 and the rather more conservative X-35, from Lockheed Martin.
As well as being stealthy, the X-32B and X-35 had to demonstrate vertical take-off and landing. The Boeing X-32B used two vectored thrust nozzles to steer its thrust down to achieve vertical take-off and landing (like the Harrier, which had four nozzles), but struggled to achieve vertical take-offs due to its relatively poor thrust-to-weight ratio.
As the requirements for the new aircraft kept changing the X-32 struggled to adapt; particularly challenging for the X-32 was the US Navy demanding a new ability to bring back a higher weight of weapons after a mission (known as bring-back). Whereas the rival (tailed) F-35 design could be altered to meet the new requirement, the X-32 could not accommodate the required new control surfaces into its delta without a massive weight gain.
With the changing requirements, problems with new advanced plastics and whole aircraft being overweight, the X-32 was a troubled project. A tailed F-32 was offered, but having such a different final aircraft was not appealing to customers already intimidated by managing a raft of new ideas. The hapless X-32B could even not perform a vertical take-off without parts being removed to reduce weight.
8: Chengdu J-20
When the rather formidable-looking J-20 entered service in 2017, China became the second nation to field crewed indigenous stealth fighters. The J-20 was controversial, with many observers doubting its stealth credentials - however it's likely far less visible to radar than conventional aircraft.
The J-20 is unusual for a stealth aircraft; unlike, the US F-22, the J-20 has a canard-delta (a canard design has the ‘tail’ ahead of the wing) rather than the (essentially) tailed-delta of both the Raptor and the Su-57. Additionally, unlike the Eurofighter Typhoon, the canard is not closely coupled to the wing.
Though some would agree the configuration is less stealthy than that of the F-22, the main benefit to be gained from this arrangement is the carriage of significantly more fuel, which is combined with the scope for use of a longer weapons bay. The overall outcome could be a remarkable multi-role aircraft, with a particular strike role, carrying area-denial weapons.
Long-range is vitally important for a combat aircraft operating in the vast expanse of the Indo-Pacific region. As well as anti-aircraft weapons it is likely to also carry anti-ship missiles. The capacious fuel load the design has could confer either additional range, or long combat persistence, and this suggests that if armed it would have a long-range air-to-air role as an anti-AWACS or anti-refuelling tanker system.
7: Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
The F-117 ushered in the stealth revolution and put the new meaning of the word ‘stealth’ into the vocabulary of millions. Despite not strictly being a ‘fighter’ it is known to many as the ‘Stealth Fighter’, its other nicknames include ‘the Black Jet’, ‘Wobblin’ Goblin’ and the ‘Cockroach’.
The F-117 was a faceted design made of flat planes that reflected radar energy away from where the hostile radar wanted it to go. To tightly control the geometry of every external part of the aircraft, there could be no irregular shapes, like external bombs or a circular nose cone, and the result was a sinister and slightly alien appearance.
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was developed in utter secrecy, as its appearance would reveal its game-changing concept to the expert eye. It was only revealed, with the flashing of a heavily edited black and white photograph, at a press conference in 1988. It was in Desert Storm, the Allied campaign against Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991, that the F-117 became world-famous for its precision attacks in Baghdad, seemingly immune from Iraqi defences and able to deliver bombs with great precision.
The shooting down of an F-117 over Yugoslavia in 1999 would dent its invulnerable reputation. Though officially retired in 2008, the F-117 remains in service to train US fighter pilots and ground defence forces how to counter stealth aircraft.
6: Boeing Bird of Prey
No aircraft has ever looked as futuristic as the highly secret, sleek and deeply weird Bird of Prey. Even its name is odd, coming from its similarity to the fictional Klingon spaceship. It was cloaked in such secrecy, that despite flying in 1996 (out of Area 51), it was not publicly revealed until 2002.
Its configuration was extremely odd, with an extremely swept gull wing mounted at the rear of the aircraft, no tail surfaces, an elongated froglike fuselage and the engine intake hidden away from prying radars above and behind the cockpit canopy.
After taxi trials, the first test pilot refused to fly the Bird of Prey, believing it to be unsafe. The second test pilot took over, taking it for its first flight on September 11, 1996. As well as radar stealth, rumours abounded of visual stealth techniques being tested on the 300mph aircraft using illuminated aircraft skin to mask the aircraft.
The Bird of Prey offered a fascinating insight into a very different solution to the creation of low-observable (LO) aircraft. The absence of tail surfaces is necessary for the highest degree of radar stealth, in the absence of a tail the gull wing ensures directional stability and control.
5: Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23
Despite being one of the stealthiest (perhaps the stealthiest) - and one of the fastest fighters ever created, the two YF-23s are now just relics, that only exist as museum pieces. The YF-23’s sleek manta-like shape, V-tail and distinctive wing are quite unlike later stealth aircraft, and show another direction stealth fighter design could have taken.
In an attempt to replace the United States Air Force’s F-15 Eagle, two designs were chosen to prove their worth: the YF-22 from the Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics companies and the YF-23 from Northrop and McDonnell Douglas. With Northrop as a world leader in low observable aircraft design (as demonstrated on the B-2 bomber), and McDonnell Douglas creators of what was then the world’s best fighter aircraft, the F-15, it appeared to be a ‘dream team’.
The YF-23 first flew on 27 August 1990 and soon showed itself to be a remarkably brilliant design. It ably demonstrated the ability to ‘supercruise’ (fly efficiently at supersonic speed without use of afterburner) at extreme speeds and is said to have proved extremely hard to track on radar. The YF-23 had the potential to be formidable.
USAF asked for a stealthy fighter, and Northrop and McDonnell Douglas delivered on this request. But the YF-23 may have emphasised stealth a little too much, which likely comprised the fighter’s agility and manoeuvrability when compared to the F-22 Raptor.
4: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Lockheed Martin’s experience with the F-117 and F-22 put it in a strong position to win the Joint Strike Fighter programme to create a new tactical fighter to serve with the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. They would certainly need all the expertise possible, as the F-35 was one of the most technologically advanced projects ever conceived of.
Not only stealthy, but the F-35 also had to be available in a version able to operate from aircraft carriers (the big-winged F-35C) and one able to take off and land vertically (the F-35B). There had never been an operational STOVL (short-take-off and vertical landing) aircraft capable of truly supersonic flight before (some existed as experimental prototypes but had not entered service, some had very marginal supersonic abilities).
5: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
So not only was the F-35B to be the first supersonic STOVL aircraft to enter service, it was also to be stealthy and capable of carrier operations. This combination of qualities was dauntingly ambitious and yet was achieved. Initial wishes of making the aircraft low-cost, reliable and easy to maintain did not however become a reality.
With over 1000 F-35s built, it represents a massive percentage of all stealth aircraft globally (the nearest current rival in terms of numbers is the J-20 with less than 230). Expensive, controversial and much sought after, the F-35 Lightning is the Model T of stealth aircraft, taking them from a tiny secret niche of US aircraft to serve with operators across the world.
3: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
Whereas earlier aircraft like the B-2 and F-117 were slow and not very agile, the F-22 was the first operational aircraft combine these more sporting qualities with stealth. This alone was no easy thing to do, and the F-22 pushed the leading edge so hard it has been the unchallenged greatest fighter since it entered service in 2005.
The aircraft combined unparalleled levels of situational awareness and sensor fusion with blistering performance. The aircraft uses vectored thrust to achieve seemingly impossible manoeuvres and can cruise at extremely high speeds without recourse to afterburner, an ability known as ‘supercruise’.
The aircraft is widely regarded as the best fighter aircraft, certainly in the air-to-air domain, dominating simulated air combat exercises with extraordinarily wonky results in its favour. The F-22 was first used in combat, in the ground attack role, in 2014 in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL forces. Its first air-to-air ‘kill’ was in 2023 against an uncrewed Chinese reconnaissance ballon.
The F-22’s design configuration has been extremely influential, with most modern non-Russian fighters, sharing much in basic form. The Turkish TAI TF Kaan, Chinese J-20, US F-35, Korean KF-21 and other aircraft all share several design features pioneered by the F-22.
2: Northrop B-2 Spirit
The Northrop company had been exploring all-wing aircraft since before the Northrop N-1M flew in 1940. The benefits were clear: every part of the aircraft contributed to lift and the design could be kept very simple. A flying wing is likely to offer greater efficiency and therefore range than an equivalent conventional design.
In Germany, there was also great interest in the flying wing design, and at the end of the war, the Horten company flew a prototype jet flying-wing fighter-bomber called the Ho 229. The Northrop company offered large flying bombers to the United States Air Force after the war, but these were rejected. The effort was not wasted, however, as they would eventually get a flying-wing bomber selected. The tailless Flying Wing design, with its absence of a vertical tail (a conspicuous part of an aircraft to prying radars) proved excellent for stealth aircraft.
Every effort was made to make the B-2 stealthy, including the use of extremely exotic materials and manufacturing techniques. This effort was not cheap, and each B-2 costs around $2 billion. With the end of the Cold War, and spiralling costs, a small total of only 21 aircraft were created.
With an intercontinental range and the ability to carry over 18,000 kg of weapons, combined and a high degree of survivability against modern air defences, the B-2 remains an important part of US air power. Along with B-52s, B-2s are America’s only long-range bomber types able to drop nuclear weapons. In June 2025 seven B-2s attacked suspected nuclear facilities in Iran, alongside 120 other American planes.
1: Northrop B-21 Raider
When the Northrop B-21 Raider took its first flight in November 2023 it was the first new US bomber to fly in 34 years. That it looked so similar to the bomber that flew 34 years before it, the Northrop B-2, is a testament to the basic soundness of the ‘flying wing’ design.
The main differences between the B-21 and B-2 are down to the B-2 being reinforced for low-altitude missions. Low-altitude flying is the traditional way to minimise exposure to enemy radars; it was thought that if the B-2’s new stealth ideas failed, it could fall back on low-level flying. Strengthening the B-2 for such flight added a massive amount of weight, changed the shape and reduced the stealthiness. The B-21 is liberated from the needs of low-level flight.
