# List of United States fighter aircraft

This is a list of fighter aircraft used by the United States.
This includes those of the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, 1924–1962 Air Force, pre-1962 Navy, and undesignated military aircraft.

## Army

This list includes aircraft operated by the United States Army, Army Signal Corps, and American Expeditionary Forces. :
| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| VE-8 | | Lewis & Vought Corporation | Four ordered by the U.S. Army on October 11, 1918; two were canceled | Unknown | Unknown | 2 |
| VE-9 | | Lewis & Vought Corporation | 2 converted from VE-7 for U.S. Army; 22 built for the U.S. Army, 17 built for the U.S. Navy. | Unknown | Unknown | 24 (US Army) 17 (USN) |
| Heinrich Pursuit | Fighter | Victor Aircraft Corporation | The only known aircraft designed by Albert S. Heinrich. | 1917 | Never | 4 |
| PG-1 | Pursuit and ground attack aircraft | Aeromarine | Developed for and by the army; likely the firm's last place | 1922 | Never | 3 |
| XP-4 | Prototype fighter | Boeing | | 1927 | Never | 1 |
| XP-9 | Experimental fighter | Boeing | First monoplane fighter produced by Boeing. | 1930 | Never | 1 |

## Air Force

This list includes aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and its predecessors: the United States Army Air Service (USAAS); the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC); and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). :
| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| VE-7 "Bluebird" | Fighter/trainer | Lewis & Vought Corporation | First United States Navy fighter aircraft. Used as a racer and trainer. In 1922, a VE-7 became the first airplane to take off from an American aircraft carrier. | 1917 | Unknown | 128 |
| E-1 | Military trainer/early fighter | Standard Aircraft Corporation | | 1917 | Never | 168 |
| M-8 | Monoplane fighter | Loening Aeronautical Engineering | | 1918 | Never | 55 |
| Orenco B | Fighter | Orenco | | 1918 | Unknown | Unknown |
| MB-1 | Fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft | | 1918 | Never | 1 |
| MB-2 | Fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft | | 1918 | Never | 2 |
| LUSAC-11/21 | Fighter | Engineering Division/Packard | Broke the world altitude record in 1920 and 1921 | 1918 | Unknown | 30 |
| TP-1 | Biplane fighter | Engineering Division | | Unknown | Never | 2 |
| MB-3 | Fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft & Boeing | | 1919 | 1919 | 265 |
| VCP/PW-1 | USAAS pursuit prototype | Engineering Division | | 1920 | Never | 2 |
| PW-2 | Monoplane fighter | Loening Aeronautical Engineering | | 1920 | Never | 7 |
| P-6 Hawk | Fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | Unknown | 1927 | 70 |
| P-11 | | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Three ordered with the Curtiss H-1640 Chieftain engine, two were completed with the V-1570 and redesignated P-6D | Unknown | Unknown | 3? |
| XP-17 Hawk | Experimental | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Testbed for experimental Wright V-1470 engine. | Unknown | Never | Unknown |
| XP-21 | Experimental | | | | | |
| XP-23 Hawk (Model 63) | | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Unfinished P-6E with light alloy monocoque fuselage, improved tail, and a turbocharged G1V-1570C with a geared propeller and the turbocharger removed. Later redesignated YP-23. | Never | Never | 0 |
| PA-1 | Fighter | Loening Aeronautical Engineering | | 1922 | Never | 1 |
| XPS-1 | Fighter interceptor | Dayton-Wright Airplane Company | | 1923 | Never | 3 |
| P-4 (PW-9) | Pursuit fighter (PW-9) | Boeing | Conflicting designation with PW-8 (XP-4). | 1923 | 1923 | 158 |
| P-1 (PW-8) | Fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1923 | 1923 | 202 |
| P-2 Hawk | | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Engine refit of the P-1 | Unknown | Unknown | 5 |
| XP-3/XP-3A | | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Radial-engined version, converted from a P-1A Curtiss, R-1454 engine, later converted to XP-3A. XP-3A XP-3 re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-1. | Unknown | Unknown | 1? |
| XP-4 Hawk | | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | P-1A modified with a Packard 1A-1530. | Unknown | Unknown | 1? |
| P-5 Superhawk | | | Modified P-1A | | | 5 (1 Prototype) |
| XP-10 | Biplane fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Rejected due to performance issues and problems with the cooling systems. Retired 1928 | Unknown | Unknown | 1 |
| XP-13 Viper | Prototype biplane fighter | Thomas-Morse | | | 1929 | |
| XP-7 | Experimental fighter | Boeing | | 1928 | Never | 1 |
| XP-8 | Experimental fighter | Boeing | | 1928 | Never | 1 |
| P-12/F4B | Biplane fighter | Boeing | | 1928 | 1930 | 586 |
| XP-15 / XF5B-1 | Prototype monoplane fighter | Boeing | Essentially a monoplane version of the Boeing P-12, differing in having the lower wing omitted and in having all-metal construction as well as altered ailerons. The XP-15 had a split-axle undercarriage and a tail wheel. | 1930 | Never | 2 |
| P-16 | Two-seat fighter | Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corporation | | 1930 | 1932 | 26 |
| YP-20 | Biplane fighter | Curtiss | | Never | Never | 1 |
| YP-24 | Two-seat fighter | Detroit Lockheed | First fighter to bear Lockheed's name. | 1931 | Never | 1 |
| Y1P-25 | | Consolidated Aircraft | Further development of Lockheed YP-24 with all-metal wing and Curtiss V-1570-27 Conqueror engine. | Unknown | Never | 1 |
| P-26 Peashooter | Fighter | Boeing | First American produced all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. | 1932 | Unknown | 151 |
| XP-31 Swift | Experimental monoplane fighter | Curtiss | Despite its innovations, the XP-31 did not offer any advantages compared to its rival the Boeing P-26 Peashooter. | 1932 | Never | 1 |
| P-29 | Fighter | | Attempt to produce a more advanced version of the P-26. Although slight gains were made in performance, the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Navy did not order the aircraft. | 1934 | Never | 4 |
| P-30 (PB-2) | Fighter | Consolidated Aircraft | | 1934 | Never | 60 |
| P-35 | Fighter | Seversky | | 1935 | 1937 | 196 |
| AP-1 | | Seversky | P-35 with a Pratt & Whitney R1830 engine. | | | 1 |
| AP-2 | | Seversky | From SEV-1-XP | | | |
| AP-9 | | Seversky | Fighter trials aircraft developed in parallel to the AP-7 | | | |
| P-36 Hawk | | Curtiss-Wright | | 1935 | 1938 | 215 + 900 export variants. |
| XPB-3/XFM-2 | Heavy fighter/bomber destroyer | Lockheed Corporation | Cancelled in 1936 | Never | Never | 0 |
| V-141 / V-143 | Fighter | Vought | | 1936 | Never | 1 |
| YFM-1 Airacuda | Interceptor | Bell Aircraft | First military aircraft produced by Bell. | 1937 | 1940 | 13 |
| YP-37 | | Curtiss-Wright | | 1937 | Never | 14 |
| P-39 Airacobra | Fighter | Bell | The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, enabling individual Soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict. | 1938 | 1941 | 9,558 |
| P-40 Warhawk | Fighter | Curtiss-Wright | The P-40 design was a further development of the P-36 Hawk. | 1938 | 1939 | 13,738 |
| P-38 Lightning | Fighter Fighter-bomber Aerial reconnaissance | Lockheed Corporation | Incorporated a twin-boom design. | 1939 | 1941 | 10,037 |
| XP-41 | Fighter | Seversky Aircraft | | 1939 | Never | 1 |
| P-66 Vanguard | Fighter | Vultee Aircraft | | 1939 | 1941 | 146 |
| P-64 | Fighter | North American Aviation | Series of fighters. | 1939/1940 | Never | 13 |
| P-51 Mustang | Fighter | North American Aviation | Used largely in WWII. | 1940 | 1942 | 15,000+ |
| P-43 Lancer | Fighter | Republic Aviation | A proposed development was the P-44 Rocket. | 1940 | 1941 | 272 |
| P-44 Rocket | Fighter | Republic Aviation | Proposed P-43 version with Pratt & Whitney R-2180-1 engine | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-46 | Fighter | Curtiss-Wright | | 1941 | Never | 2 |
| P-47 Thunderbolt | Fighter-bomber | Republic Aviation | Largest single-engine fighter airplane built and flown by any nation during World War II. Features a massive water-cooled engine. | 1941 | 1942 | 15,636 |
| XP-48 | Fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | Cancelled in 1940 | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-50 | Heavy fighter/Interceptor | Grumman | Developed from the XF5F-1. Entered into a United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) contest for a twin-engine heavy interceptor aircraft. The USAAC placed an order for a prototype on 25 November 1939, designating it XP-50, but it lost the competition to the Lockheed XP-49. | 1941 | Never | 1 |
| XP-60 | Fighter | Curtiss-Wright | Developed as a successor to the P-40. All production models were ultimately canceled. | 1941 | Never | 5 |
| XA-26A | Night fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | A-26 serial no. 41-19505 serving as a prototype night fighter with a crew of two – pilot plus radar-operator/gunner | 1942 | Never | 1 |
| XP-49 | Fighter | Lockheed Corporation | Developed from the P-38 Lightning in response to U.S. Army Air Corps proposal 39-775 | 1942 | Never | 1 |
| XP-53 | Fighter | | Curtiss Model 88; derivative of XP-46; cancelled in favor of XP-60 in November 1941. Two built, one converted to the XP-60, the other used as a static test airframe. | Unknown | Unknown | 1 |
| P-70 Havoc | Night fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | In October 1940, the USAAC felt a need for long-range fighters more than attack bombers. As a result, 60 A-20s were converted to P-70 night fighters | Unknown | 1942 | 60 |
| P-59 Airacomet | Fighter | Bell Aircraft | First jet produced in the United States. | 1942 | Unknown | 66 |
| P-61 Black Widow | Night fighter | Northrop | First American specifically designed as a night interceptor. | 1942 | 1944 | 706 |
| XP-62 | Interceptor | Curtiss-Wright | | 1943 | Never | 1 |
| XP-54 | Fighter | Vultee Aircraft | For U.S. Army Air Corps request R40C. | 1943 | Never | 2 |
| XP-55 Ascender | Fighter | Curtiss-Wright | Used an unconventional pusher configuration. For U.S. Army Air Corps request R40C. | 1943 | Never | 3 |
| XP-57 | Fighter | Tucker Aviation Corporation | | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-71 | Heavy fighter Escort fighter Bomber-destroyer/interceptor | Curtiss-Wright | Cancelled in 1943 | Never | Never | 0 |
| P-75 Eagle | Heavy fighter | Fisher Body Division of General Motors | | 1943 | Never | 14 |
| P-73/D-2 | Fighter-bomber | Hughes Aircraft | | 1943 | Never | 1 |
| XF8B | Fighter | Boeing | | 1944 | Never | 3 |
| XP-67 Bat/Moonbat | Interceptor | McDonnell Aircraft | | 1944 | Never | 1 |
| XP-77 | Experimental fighter | Bell Aircraft | Did not meet its projected performance. | 1944 | Never | 2 |
| P-80 (F-80) Shooting Star | Jet fighter | Lockheed Corporation | America's first successful turbojet-powered fighter. | 1944 | 1945 | 1,715 |
| XP-79 | Interceptor | Northrop Corporation | USAAF project number MX-365. A rocket/jet-powered flying wing | 1945 | Never | 1 |
| XP-81 | Escort fighter | Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation | Designed to combine the use of a turbojet and a turboprop. | 1945 | Never | 2 |
| F-82/P-82 Twin Mustang | Long-range escort fighter Night fighter All-weather interceptor | North American Aviation | Last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. | 1945 | 1946 | 272/273 |
| XP-83 | Escort fighter | Bell | It was quickly outclassed due to the nature of post-WWII aviation developing rapidly. | 1945 | Never | 2 |
| F-84 Thunderjet | Fighter-bomber | Republic Aviation | Initially sent to escort B-29s on long-range missions over North Korea, it excelled as a close air support and daytime interdiction strike aircraft. First USAF jet fighter able to carry a tactical atomic weapon. | 1946 | 1947 | 7,524 |
| F-86 Sabre | Fighter aircraft | North American Aviation | Used extensively during the Korean War. Built for a 1944 request for a single-seat high-altitude fighter. Derived from the FJ Fury. | 1947 | 1949 | 9,860 |
| XF-85 Goblin | Parasite fighter | McDonnell Aircraft | Part of a conceptualized idea for Airborne aircraft carriers. | 1948 | Never | 2 |
| XF-87 (XP-87) Blackhawk | Interceptor | Curtiss-Wright | Designed as a replacement for the World War II–era P-61 Black Widow, the XF-87 lost the competition to the Northrop F-89. Its company's last aircraft project. | 1948 | Never | 2 |
| XF-88 Voodoo | Escort fighter | McDonnell Aircraft | Developed into the supersonic F-101 Voodoo. | 1948 | Never | 2 |
| F-89 Scorpion | Interceptor | Northrop Corporation | First fighter equipped with guided missile ability. | 1948 | 1950 | 1,052 (Including 2 Prototypes) |
| XF-92 | Experimental point-defense interceptor | Convair | Led Convair to use the delta-wing on a number of designs, including the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart, B-58 Hustler, the US Navy's F2Y Sea Dart as well as the VTOL FY Pogo. | 1948 | Never | 1 |
| F-86D/K/L or YF-95 Sabre Dog | All-weather fighter-interceptor | North American Aviation | | 1949 | 1951 | 2,847 |
| XF-90 | Fighter | Lockheed | Built in response to a United States Air Force requirement for a long-range penetration fighter and bomber escort. | 1949 | Never | 2 |
| F-94/YF-97 Starfire | All-weather interceptor | Lockheed Corporation | First jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War. | 1949 | 1950 | 855 |
| F-98 | Air-to-air missile | Hughes Aircraft | A brief designation for the AIM-4 Falcon. | 1949 | 1956 | |
| F-99 Bomarc | Surface-to-air missile | Boeing Pilotless Aircraft Division | A brief designation for the CIM-10 BOMARC. First operational long-range SAM and the first operational pulse doppler aviation radar, it was the only SAM deployed by the United States Air Force. | | 1959 | |
| YF-93 | Fighter | North American Aviation | | 1950 | Never | 2 |
| F-84F/XF-96 Thunderstreak | Fighter-bomber | Republic Aviation | Intended to be a relatively simple upgrade to the F-84 Thunderjet to make it more competitive with the F-86 Sabre. | 1950 | 1954 | 3,428 |
| F-100 Super Sabre | Fighter Fighter-bomber | North American Aviation | Capable of supersonic speed in level flight. | 1953 | 1954 | 2,294 |
| F-102 Delta Dagger | Interceptor | Convair | World's first supersonic all-weather jet interceptor and the USAF's first operational delta-wing aircraft. | 1953 | 1956 | 1,000 |
| F-101 Voodoo | Fighter aircraft Fighter-bomber | McDonnell Aircraft | First designed at the end of WWII as a penetration fighter, it was adapted for close air support in 1954. | 1954 | 1957 | 807 |
| F-104 Starfighter | Air superiority fighter Fighter-bomber | Lockheed | | 1954 | 1958 | 2,578 |
| XF-104 Starfighter | Interceptor prototype | Lockheed Corporation | | 1954 | Never | 2 |
| F-105 Thunderchief | Fighter-bomber | Republic Aviation | Mach 2-capable | 1955 | 1958 | 833 |
| XF-84H Thunderscreech | Experimental fighter | Republic Aviation | Its name, Thunderscreech, is a reference to its extremely loud supersonic propeller. | 1955 | Never | 2 |
| F-106 Delta Dart | All-weather fighter interceptor | Convair | Developed from the F-102 Delta Dagger. Originally designated F-102B. | 1956 | 1959 | 342 (2 prototypes, 277 F-106As, 63 F-106Bs) |
| XF-103 | Interceptor | Republic Aviation | Canceled at mock-up stage. Request Issued by the USAF in 1949 for an advanced supersonic interceptor to equip the Air Defense Command. | Never | Never | 0 |
| F-107 | Fighter-bomber | North American Aviation | North American Aviation's entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s, based on the F-100 Super Sabre. Originally designated F-100B | 1956 | Never | 3 |
| XF-108 Rapier | Interceptor | North American Aviation | | Never | Never | 0 (1 Mock-up) |
| F-110 Spectre/F-4 Phantom II | Interceptor Fighter-bomber | McDonnell Aircraft Corporation McDonnell Douglas | Used extensively during Vietnam. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan. It set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. | 1958 | 1963 (USAF) | 5,195 |
| NF-104A | Aerospace trainer | Lockheed Aircraft Corporation | | 1963 | 1963 | 3 |
| CL-1200 Lancer / X-27 | Interceptor | Lockheed Corporation | Cancelled at mock-up stage | Never | Never | 0 |
| YF-12 | Interceptor | Lockheed Corporation | Mach 3+ Capable. Developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a potential replacement for the F-106 Delta Dart. Related to the SR-71 and A-12. | 1963 | Never | 3 |
| F-12C | Strategic reconnaissance | Lockheed Corporation | Unofficial cover designation for the SR-71 | 1964 | 1966 | 32 |
| F-111 Aardvark | Attack aircraft Strategic bomber Reconnaissance Electronic warfare | General Dynamics | | 1964 | 1967 | 536 (total) 76 (FB-111) |
| EF-111A Raven | Electronic warfare | General Dynamics/ Grumman | | 1977 | 1983 | 42 |
| F-117 Nighthawk | Stealth attack aircraft | Lockheed Corporation | Previously a black project. | 1981 | 1983 | 64 |
| XF-109 / D-188A | VTOL fighter | Bell Aircraft Corporation | Cancelled 1961 | Never | Never | 0 (1 Mock-up) |
| | Fighter concept | Fairchild Aircraft/Hiller Aircraft | Fairchild/Hiller's entry for the F-X program that later resulted in McDonnell Douglas's F-15 Eagle | | | |
| NA-335 | Fighter concept | North American Aviation | North American's entry for the F-X program that later resulted in McDonnell Douglas's F-15 Eagle | | | |
| F-15 Eagle | Air superiority | McDonnell Douglas Boeing Defense, Space & Security | Built to counter the newly-appearing MiG-25. Often known as one of the most successful fighter projects. | 1972 | 1976 | 1,198 |
| F-16 Fighting Falcon | Multirole fighter, air superiority fighter | General Dynamics (1974–1993) Lockheed Corporation(1993–1995) Lockheed Martin (1995–present) | Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. | 1974 | 1978 | 4,604 (As of June 2018) |
| YF-17 Cobra | Prototype fighter aircraft | Northrop | The YF-17 was the culmination of several Northrop designs, beginning with the N-102 Fang; continuing through the F-5 family. | 1974 | Never | 2 |
| F-15E Strike Eagle | Multirole strike fighter | McDonnell Douglas(1985–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security(1997–present) | Evolution of the F-15 Eagle | 1986 | 1988 1989 (IOC) | 525 |
| F-15EX Eagle II | Multirole strike fighter | Boeing Defense, Space & Security | Upgrade of the F-15 Eagle/F-15E | | 2021 | |
| NF-15B STOL/MTD | Technology demonstrator and research aircraft | McDonnell Douglas | Modified F-15 built for STOL. | 1988 | 1991 | 1 |
| F-16XL | Experimental fighter | General Dynamics | Entered the United States Air Force's (USAF) Enhanced Tactical Fighter(ETF) competition in 1981 and lost to the F-15E Strike Eagle. The two prototypes were shelved until turned over to NASA for additional aeronautical research in 1988. Both aircraft were fully retired in 2009 and stored at Edwards Air Force Base. | 1982 | Never | 2 |
| YF-22 | Stealth fighter/technology demonstrator | Lockheed / Boeing / General Dynamics | Competed against the YF-23 in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program. Further developed into the F-22. | 1990 | Never | 2 |
| YF-23 | Stealth fighter/ technology demonstrator | Northrop/McDonnell Douglas | Competed against the YF-22 in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program. Unofficially nicknamed Black Widow II. | 1990 | Never | 2 |
| X-62 (NF-16D) VISTA | Experimental | General Dynamics (later Lockheed Martin) Calspan | VISTA stands for Variable stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft. | 1992 | Never | 1 |
| F-22 Raptor | Air superiority fighter | Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Boeing Defense, Space & Security | The aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also incorporates ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. | 1997 | 2005 | 187 + 8 test Aircraft |
| FB-22 | Stealth bomber | Lockheed Martin | Proposal cancelled, developed from the F-22. | Never | Never | 0 |
| F-35A Lightning II | Multirole fighter | Lockheed Martin | From the Lockheed Martin X-35, which in 2001 beat the Boeing X-32 to win the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. | 2006 | 2016 (USAF) | 1,000+ (in total) |

## Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard

This list includes aircraft operated by the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard. :
| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| VE-7 "Bluebird" | Fighter/trainer | Lewis & Vought Corporation | First United States Navy fighter aircraft. Used as a racer and trainer. In 1922, a VE-7 became the first airplane to take off from an American aircraft carrier. | 1917 | Unknown | 128 |
| VE-9 | | Lewis & Vought Corporation | 2 converted from VE-7 for U.S. Army; 22 built for the U.S. Army, 17 built for the U.S. Navy. | Unknown | Unknown | 24 (US Army) 17 (USN) |
| HA | Fighter/mail plane | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1918 | Unknown | 6 |
| 18T Kirkham | Two-seated fighter triplane | Curtiss Engineering Corporation | Intended to protect bombing aircraft over France. | 1918 | 1919 | Unknown |
| M-8 | Monoplane fighter | Loening Aeronautical Engineering | | 1918 | Never | 55 |
| MB-3 | Fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft & Boeing | | 1919 | 1919 | 265 |
| TS | Naval fighter | Naval Aircraft Factory & Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | Unknown | 1922 | 46 |
| XF10C | Carrier fighter-bomber | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | O2C-2 re-engined with a R-1510 engine, temporarily designated XS3C-1 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| F6C Hawk | Carrier-borne/land-based fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | Unknown | 1925 | 75 |
| Model 83 | | Boeing | One prototype with spreader-bar landing gear and 425 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-8 engine, later designated XF4B-1 for Navy evaluation. | | | 1 |
| Model 89 | | Boeing | One prototype with split-axle undercarriage and provision for a 500 lb bomb on ventral rack, later designated XF4B-1 for Navy evaluation. | | | 1 |
| FU | Fighter | Vought | | ??? | 1927 | 20 |
| FB | Carrier fighter | Boeing | Conflicting designation with PW-8 (XP-4). | 1923 | 1923 | 158 |
| F3B | Carrier-based fighter-bomber | Boeing | Production version, the F3B-1, was designated Model 77. | 1928 | 1928 | 74 |
| XF6B / XBFB | Carrier-based fighter-bomber | Boeing | Boeing's last Biplane design for the United States Navy. | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| F2B | Carrier fighter (FB series) | Boeing | Grounded after just 4.5 hours of flight testing. | 1926 | 1928 | 33 |
| NF-1 | Fighter prototype | Seversky | Single-seat fighter prototype for U.S. Navy evaluation | | | 1 |
| F7C Seahawk | Fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1927 | Never | 17 |
| XFG & XF2G | Fighter | Eberhart Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1927 | Never | 1 |
| F8C Falcon/Helldiver | Carrier fighter-bomber | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Part of the Curtiss Falcon family. Four F8C-1 built in 1928 | 1928 | Unknown | 153 |
| P-12/F4B | Biplane Fighter | Boeing | | 1928 | 1930 | 586 |
| XF2U | Fighter | Vought | | 1929 | Never | 1 |
| XF5B | Prototype monoplane fighter | Boeing | Essentially a monoplane version of the Boeing P-12, differing in having the lower wing omitted and in having all-metal construction as well as altered ailerons. The XP-15 had a split-axle undercarriage and a tail wheel. | 1930 | Never | 2 |
| XFJ | Naval fighter | Berliner-Joyce | | 1931 | Never | ? |
| XFD | Fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | A victim of changing requirements, no production was undertaken. | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| XF2J | Two-seat carrier-based fighter | Berliner-Joyce | | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| XFT | Fighter | Northrop Corporation | | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| XF7B | Fighter | | Attempt to produce a more advanced version of the P-26. Although slight gains were made in performance, the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Navy did not order the aircraft. | 1934 | Never | 4 |
| XFL | Fighter | Loening Aeronautical Engineering | Won a 1933 competition, but Loening was busy building other aircraft, so the contract was canceled. | Never | Never | 0 |
| BF2C Goshawk | Carrier-based Fighter and fighter-bomber | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success and was part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and for export as the Model 68 Hawk III. | ??? | 1933 | 166 |
| F9C Sparrowhawk | Parasite fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | A specialized aircraft part of the conceptualized plan for Airborne Aircraft Carriers. Carried by the United States Navy airships USS Akron and Macon. | 1931 | 1931 | 7+ |
| FF | Naval fighter | Grumman | First carrier aircraft with retractable landing gear. The FF-1 was Grumman's first complete aircraft design for the US Navy. Considered highly successful and setting a standard for Grumman Aircraft. | 1931 | 1933 | 85 |
| F11C Goshawk | Carrier-based fighter and fighter-bomber | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Naval biplane fighter aircraft that saw limited success | 1932 | 1932 | 30 |
| XF12C-1 | Prototype parasol-wing fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Powered by a 625 hp (466 kW) R-1510-92 radial, later converted into biplane as the XS4C-1. | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| F2F | Naval fighter | Grumman | Designed for both carrier- and land-based operation, it served as a standard for the United States Navy between 1936 and 1940. | 1933 | 1935 | 55 |
| XF3U | Fighter | Vought | | 1933 | Never | 1 |
| XF3J | Carrier fighter. | Berliner-Joyce | | 1934 | Never | 1 |
| XF13C | Fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1934 | Never | 3 |
| SBC Helldiver | Dive bomber | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | | 1935 | 1938 | 257 |
| F3F | Naval fighter | Grumman | Last biplane to be delivered to any American military air arm | 1935 | 1936 | 147 |
| F2A Buffalo | Fighter | Brewster Aeronautical Corporation | Won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the U.S. Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft. Although superior to the Grumman F3F biplane it replaced, and early F4Fs, the Buffalo was largely obsolete when the United States entered the war, being unstable and overweight, especially when compared to the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. | 1937 | 1939 | 509 |
| F4F Wildcat | Carrier-based fighter aircraft | Grumman | First used by the British in the North Atlantic, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy & Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of the Second World War. The Brewster Buffalo was withdrawn in favor of the Wildcat and replaced as aircraft became available. | 1937 | 1940 | 7,885 |
| F4U Corsair | Carrier-based fighter-bomber | Chance Vought | Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed by the Grumman F6F Hellcat. | 1940 | 1942 | 12,571 |
| XF5F Skyrocket | Naval fighter | Grumman | | 1940 | Never | 1 |
| XFL Airabonita | Carrier-based interceptor aircraft | Bell | Developed from the P-39 Airacobra | 1940 | Never | 1 |
| F6F Hellcat | Naval fighter | Grumman | Designed to replace the F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero; it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War. It prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings. | 1942 | 1943 | 12,275 |
| YF2L-1 Airacomet | Fighter/Jet trainer | Bell Aircraft | First jet produced in the United States. | 1942 | Unknown | 66 |
| F7F Tigercat | Heavy fighter | Grumman | Saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War. The aircraft was only used in combat once, when Marine Corps night fighter squadron VMF(N)-513 flying F7F-3Ns saw action in the early stages of the Korean War, shooting down two Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes. | 1943 | 1944 | 364 |
| XF5U | Fighter | Vought | Cancelled in 1947 | 1943 | Never | 2 |
| XF8B | Fighter | Boeing | | 1944 | Never | 3 |
| P-80 (F-80) Shooting Star | Jet fighter | Lockheed Corporation | America's first successful turbojet-powered fighter. | 1944 | 1945 | 1,715 |
| F8F Bearcat | Fighter | Grumman | Grumman Aircraft's last piston-engined fighter aircraft. | 1944 | 1945 | 1,265 |
| FR Fireball | Fighter | Ryan Aeronautical | Navy's first aircraft with a jet engine. | 1944 | 1945 | 71 |
| FH Phantom | Carrier-based fighter | McDonnell Aircraft | | 1945 | 1947 | 62 |
| F2G Corsair | Carrier-based fighter aircraft | Goodyear Aircraft | Developed from the Vought F4U Corsair. | 1945 | 1945 | 10 + 1 Prototype |
| FH Phantom | Carrier-based fighter aircraft | McDonnell Aircraft | First purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier in 1946. | 1945 | 1947 | 62 |
| FJ-1 Fury | Fighter | North American Aviation | First jet aircraft in USN service to serve at sea under operational conditions. Also the first American jet fighter to employ a single, straight ram duct in its nose. | 1946 | 1947/1948 | 30 + 3 Prototypes |
| F6U Pirate | Fighter | Chance Vought | Vought's first jet fighter, | 1946 | Never | 33 |
| XF2R Dark Shark | Fighter | Ryan Aeronautical | Combined turboprop and turbojet propulsion. | 1946 | Never | 1 |
| F-9 (F9F) Panther | Carrier-based fighter-bomber | Grumman | First jet-powered fighter aircraft operated by the United States Navy and Grumman's first jet fighter. Development commenced in the final months of World War II to harness the recent innovation of the jet engine | 1947 | 1949 | 1,385 |
| F-2 (F2H) Banshee | Carrier-based fighter | McDonnell Aircraft | The only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy. | 1947 | 1948 | 895 |
| F7U Cutlass | Naval multirole fighter | Chance Vought | First tailless production fighter in the United States as well as United States Navy's first jet equipped with swept wings and the first to be designed with afterburners. | 1948 | 1951 | 320 |
| F-10 (F3D) Skyknight | Fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | Designed in response to a requirement issued by the United States Navy in 1945 for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. | 1948 | 1951 | 265 |
| F-1 (FJ-2/3) Fury | Fighter | North American Aviation | Developed as a navalised F-86. | 1951 | 1954 | 741 |
| F-6 (F4D) Skyray | Fighter aircraft | Douglas Aircraft Company | The last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merge with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas. | 1951 | 1956 | 422 |
| F-3 (F3H) Demon | Carrier-based all-weather interceptor | McDonnell Aircraft | The first swept wing jet fighter and the only single-engined carrier-based fighter McDonnell produced. Provided the basis for the F-4 Phantom. | 1951 | 1956 | 519 |
| F-9 (F9F-6/7/9) Cougar | Fighter | Grumman | | 1951 | 1952 | 1,988 |
| XF10F Jaguar | Prototype swing-wing fighter aircraft | Grumman | Although it never entered service, its research paved the way towards the General Dynamics F-111 and Grumman's F-14 Tomcat. | 1952 | Never | 1 |
| F-7 (F2Y) Sea Dart | Seaplane fighter | Convair | The program was canceled after a series of unsatisfactory results and a tragic accident in which test pilot Charles E. Richbourg was killed when the Sea Dart disintegrated in midair. | 1953 | Never | 5 |
| F-1E/F (FJ-4) Fury | Fighter | North American Aviation | | 1954 | Unknown | 374 |
| XFV | Tailsitting Experimental VTOL fighter aircraft | Lockheed Corporation | | 1954 | Never | 1 |
| XFY Pogo | Experimental VTOL fighter aircraft | Convair | Cold War-era vehicle. | 1954 | Never | 1 |
| F-11 (F11F) Tiger | Fighter | Grumman | Work on what would become the Tiger commended in 1952 as a design study, internally designated G-98, to improve the F9F-6/7 Cougar. | 1954 | 1956 | 204 |
| F-8 (F8U) Crusader | Fighter | Vought | | 1955 | 1957 | 1,219 |
| F5D Skylancer | Fighter aircraft | Douglas Aircraft Company | A development of the F4D Skyray jet fighter for the United States Navy. Starting out as the F4D-2N, an all-weather version of the Skyray. | 1956 | Never | 4 |
| F11F-1F/F-11B Super Tiger | Fighter | Grumman | Company Designation Grumman(G)-98J | 1956 | Never | 2 |
| XF8U-3 Crusader III | Fighter | Chance Vought | | 1958 | Never | 5 |
| F-110 Spectre | | | Redesignated and renamed to F-4 Phantom II in 1962 | | | |
| F-4 Phantom II | Interceptor, fighter-bomber | McDonnell Aircraft Corporation McDonnell Douglas | Used extensively during Vietnam.The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan. It set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. | 1958 | 1960/1961 (USN) | 5,195 |
| F-5 Freedom Fighter/Tiger II | Light fighter | Northrop Corporation | Popular export aircraft | 1959 | 1964 | 2,603 |
| F-111B | Interceptor | General Dynamics and Grumman | Planned as a follow-on to the F-4 Phantom II for the United States Navy (USN). | 1965 | Never | 7 |
| CL-1400 | | Lockheed Corporation | Proposed CL-1200 for the Navy. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XF3L / D-188A | VTOL fighter | Bell Aircraft Corporation | Cancelled 1961 | Never | Never | 0 (1 Mock-up) |
| F6D Missileer | Fleet defense fighter | Douglas Aircraft Company | Designed in response to a 1959 United States Navy requirement. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XFV-12 | VTOL fighter | Rockwell International | Intended to combine the speed and armament of the F-4 Phantom II with V/STOL capabilities. | Unknown | Never | 1 |
| F-14 Tomcat | Interceptor; air superiority; multirole | Grumman | Developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B project. | 1970 | 1974 | 712 |
| F/A-18 Hornet | Multirole fighter | McDonnell Douglas (1974–1997) Northrop (1974–1994) Boeing (1997–2000) | Used extensively by the U.S Navy | 1978 | 1983 | 1,480 |
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | Carrier-based multirole fighter | McDonnell Douglas(1995–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security(1997–present) | | 1995 | 1999 2001 (IOC) | ≥632 as of April 2020 |
| F-35 Lightning II | Multirole fighter | Lockheed Martin | From the Lockheed Martin X-35, which in 2001 beat the Boeing X-32 to win the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. USMC use F-35B; USN use F-35C. | 2006 | (F-35B) 2015 (USMC) (F-35C) 2019 (USN) | 1,000+ (in total) |
| F/A-XX | Program/project | None | Built for as part of Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program | Not yet | Not yet | Not yet |

## Foreign-built fighters

| Name | Role | Origini | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| R.11 | Heavy fighter | France | Caudron | | 1916 | 1918 | 370 |
| S.E.5 | Single-seat fighter | United Kingdom | Royal Aircraft Factory | | 1916 | 1917 | 5,205 |
| Camel | Biplane fighter | United Kingdom | Sopwith Aviation Company | | 1916 | 1917 | 5,490 |
| D.VII | Fighter | | Fokker-Flugzeugwerke | | 1918 | Unknown | ~3,300 |
| D.VIII | Fighter | | Fokker-Flugzeugwerke | | 1918 | | ~381 |
| PW-5 | Fighter | | Fokker-Flugzeugwerke | | 1921 | 1922 | 22 |
| F-21 Kfir | Fighter-bomber, multirole fighter | Israel | Israel Aircraft Industries | | 1973 | 1976 | 220+ |
| YF-110B | | Soviet Union | Mikoyan-Gurevich | Captured MiG-21F-13 under Have Doughnut. | | | |
| YF-110C | | China | Chengdu Aircraft Corporation/Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation | Captured J-7B. | | | |
| YF-110D | | Soviet Union | Mikoyan-Gurevich | Captured MiG-21MF under Have Doughnut. | | | |
| YF-110E/L/M | | | | Captured aircraft of unknown type under Have Phoenix. | | | |
| YF-112C/D | | | Sukhoi | East German Su-22M4. | | | |
| YF-113A | | | Mikoyan-Gurevich | Captured MiG-17F under Have Drill. | | | |
| YF-113B | | | Mikoyan-Gurevich | Captured MiG-23BN. | | | |
| YF-113C | | | Shenyang | Captured J-5 under Have Privilege, later reused for unknown type under Have Phoenix. | | | |
| YF-113D | | | Mikoyan-Gurevich | Captured MiG-23MS. | | | |
| YF-113G | | | | Possible USAF black project. | | | |
| YF-113H | | | | Captured aircraft of unknown type under Have Phoenix. | | | |

## Export-only fighters

| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| Model 100A/D/E/F | Civil application and experimental | Boeing | Model 100E exported to Siamese Air Force, two built, one later transferred to the Japanese Navy | 1929 | Unknown | 9 |
| Hawk III | Fighter-bomber | Curtiss | Export version of BF2C-1 | | | 137 |
| Hawk IV | Fighter-bomber | Curtiss | Export version of BF2C-1 | | | 1 |
| Model 218 | | Boeing | Prototype of the P-12E/F4B-3 variant, after evaluation sold to the Chinese Air Force. | | | |
| Model 256 | | Boeing | Export version of the F4B-4 for Brazilian Navy | | | 14 |
| Model 267 | | Boeing | Export version for Brazil with an F4B-3 fuselage and P-12E wings. | | | 9 |
| P-400 | Export fighter | Bell | Export model of the P-39, uses a 20mm Hispano cannon rather than the 37mm. | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| CW-21 | Fighter | Curtiss-Wright Corporation | | 1938 | 1939 | 62 |
| F-86K | Fighter | North American Aviation | NATO version of F-86D | | | |
| CF-104 Starfighter | Interceptor aircraft, fighter-bomber | Canadair | Modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence | 1961 | 1962 | 200 |
| F-104S Starfighter | Interceptor | Aeritalia | Licensed production Italian version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. | 1966 | 1969 | 246 |
| F-111C | Fighter-bomber & reconnaissance aircraft | General Dynamics | Nicknamed the "Pig." An export variant for Australia. | 1968 | 1973 | 28 |
| F-111K | Tactical Strike Low-Level Interdiction Reconnaissance | General Dynamics | The project was initiated in 1965 following the cancellation of the BAC TSR-2 strike aircraft, producing an aircraft for the specific needs of the United Kingdom. | Never | Never | 0 |
| F-4K Phantom | Carrier-based interceptor | McDonnell Douglas | Export variant for Royal Navy with significant amount of UK equipment | 1966 | 1968 | 52 (incl 2 prototypes) |
| F-4M Phantom | Interceptor | McDonnell Douglas | Export variant for Royal Air Force with significant amount of UK equipment | 1967 | 1969 | 118 (incl 2 prototypes) |
| CF-5/CF-116/NF-5 Freedom Fighter | Fighter-bomber | Canadair | Canadian licensed-built Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter. In service with the Royal Netherlands Air Force as the NF-5. | 1968 | 1968 | 240 |
| F-8E(FN) Crusader | Carrier-based interceptor | Vought | Export variant for French Navy | 1964 | 1964 | 43 (incl 1 prototype) |
| F-15J/DJ | Air superiority fighter | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries McDonnell Douglas | Licensed built F-15 for Japan. | 1980 | 1982 | 213 |
| F-15I Ra'am | | | F-15E Strike Eagle for Israel | | | |
| F-15K Slam Eagle | | | Derivative of the Strike Eagle for the Republic of Korea Air Force | | | |
| F-15S | | | Derivative of the Strike Eagle for the Royal Saudi Air Force | | | |
| F-15SA | | | Advanced version of the F-15S. Saudi Advanced. | | | 84 |
| F-15SG (F-15T) | | | Derivative of the Strike Eagle for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. | | | |
| F-15QA | | | Qatar Advanced. | | | |
| F-15IA | | | Israel Advanced. Based on the F-15EX | | | |
| F-15H | | | Hellas. Proposed variant for the Hellenic AF. | | | |
| F-15GA | | | German Advanced. Proposed variant for the Luftwaffe. Chose F-35s and Eurofighter Typhoons instead. | | | |
| F-16I Sufa | | | For Israel | | | |
| F-16IN | | | For the Indian MRCA competition for the Indian Air Force, Lockheed Martin offered the F-16IN Super Viper. | | | |
| F-35I Adir | | | For Israel | | | |

## Experimental fighters not for military service

Does not include those with a predesignated service had the aircraft been implemented. For example, the F2Y Sea Dart is not listed below as it was intended for naval service.
| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
| Pigeon-Fraser | Pursuit/fighter | George N. Albree | First pursuit aircraft project for the United States Government. | 1917 | Never | 3 |
| TM-23 | Biplane fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft | | 1924 | Never | 1 |
| HT-2 Speed Scout | Experimental observation fighter seaplane | Burgess Company | | 1917? | Never | 8 |
| Model S | Fighter | Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company | Curtiss' first attempt at a fast and maneuverable single-seat fighter. First triplane in service in the United States | | 1917 | |
| Orenco D | Fighter | Orenco/Curtiss Aircraft | First fighter type of completely indigenous design (as opposed to foreign types or American-built versions of foreign types) to enter US military service | 1919 | Unknown | 54 |
| YP-27 | Proposal | Consolidated Aircraft | Proposed variant of Y1P-25 | Never | Never | 0 |
| Y1P-28 | Proposal | Consolidated Aircraft | Proposed variant of Y1P-25 | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-33 | Proposal | | Proposed version; unbuilt | | | 0 |
| MB-9 | Fighter | Thomas-Morse Aircraft | Quickly abandoned project | 1922 | Never | 1 |
| XFH | Fighter | Hall Aluminum Company | First fighter with a semi-monocoque metal fuselage. | 1929 | Never | 1 |
| XP-18 | Proposed monoplane biplane fighter | Curtiss | Ordered in 1930. Cancelled before any were built. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-19 | Proposed monoplane biplane fighter | Curtiss | Design was cancelled before any were built. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-52/XP-59 | Cancelled fighter project | Bell Aircraft Corporation | When the project was canceled the designation XP-59A was used as a cover for a secret jet fighter prototype, which would enter production as the P-59 Airacomet. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-56 Black Bullet | Fighter | Northrop Corporation | | 1943 | Never | 2 |
| XP-58 Chain Lightning | Heavy fighter | Lockheed | Plagued by technical problems with its engines that led to the project's cancellation. | 1944 | | 1 |
| XP-68 Tornado | Fighter | Vultee Aircraft | World War II-era high-altitude interceptor aircraft. Cancelled project. | Never | Never | 0 |
| XP-72 | Fighter-interceptor | Republic Aviation | Development of the P-47 Thunderbolt. | 1944 | Never | 2 |
| XF-91 Thunderceptor | Prototype interceptor | Republic Aviation | | 1949 | Never | 2 |
| F-20/F-5G Tigershark | Fighter aircraft | Northrop Corporation | An evolution of the F-5 | 1982 | Never | 3 |
| AFTI/F-111A Aardvark | Research aircraft | General Dynamics/Boeing | | 1985 | 1985 | 1 |
| CL-288 | Conceptual Interceptor aircraft | Lockheed Corporation | | Never | Never | 0 |
| X-32 JSF | Experimental stealth fighter | Boeing | Beaten by the Lockheed Martin X-35 in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. | 2000 | Never | 1 |
| X-35 JSF | Concept demonstrator aircraft (CDA) & experimental stealth fighter | Lockheed Martin Aeronautics | Further developed into the F-35 Lightning II in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. | 2000 | Never | 2 |
| F-19 | | | Speculative designation. Possibly classified. | | | |