Oldest Military Aircraft In Service - We all love new and advanced aircraft. But which are the longest-running and oldest fighter jets still in military service?
Of course, the military has to use the latest and greatest technology if it wants to maintain its edge on the battlefield. But sometimes it is not possible. The budget may be too small, or the political situation too inconvenient to buy new fighters. So the elderly should stay at work.
Oldest Military Aircraft In Service
However, old does not mean bad. First, the planes could be well maintained and maintained and were as capable as when they first appeared. Second, they can be upgraded with new and better engines, radars, weapons and other systems - and often - with completely new capabilities while keeping only the old shell. Third and most important - most surviving aircraft of older models are newer and more advanced variants that were introduced before the model went into production.
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All this means very little is the fact that the year the jet was introduced. For example - in theory - the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 was introduced in 1959. But most, if not all, operational aircraft of this type are MiG-21bis or similar 70s variants; Additionally, many of them were upgraded in the 90s and 2000s with new radars, avionics and weapons.
Finally, we must keep in mind that pilots, infrastructure and tactics are what win battles, and the characteristics of combat aircraft - such as age - are just one of many variables on the battlefield.
But it's still an interesting variable, so let's see which of the oldest fighter models are still operational. This listing is based on entry into service and the aircraft must be in the fighter category - meaning a design optimized for air-to-air combat, usually with ground attack capability. There are several caveats to this, but we'll cover them as we go along.
In the early 70s, a number of new fighter jets appeared, many of which, unfortunately, are not old enough to be on this list. Jaguar, a Franco-British fighter-bomber introduced in 1973, is still in service with the Indian Air Force. The Mirage F-1 appeared the same year and served Morocco, Iran and a few others. The F-14 Tomcat entered service in 1974, and despite being retired by the United States, it is still operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, which has maintained the aircraft for four decades without support from its manufacturer.
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In 1970, three completely new fighter planes entered Soviet service. The MiG-23 was one of them, but it was the most technologically advanced of the three. Development began in the early 60s and the prototype first flew in 1967. It is also actively used by many countries including North Korea, Cuba and Syria.
Another, more famous high-speed interceptor introduced in 1970, the MiG-25 first flew in 1964 and took 6 years to enter service with the Soviet Air Force. Today, only a few of these once-dangerous fighters remain in limited service with the Algerian, Libyan and Syrian air forces, and it is unclear whether the planes are still in air condition.
This Soviet fighter-bomber is actually a redesigned Su-7 from the 50s, with wings and other improvements. It was also introduced in 1970 and primarily played the role of fast ground attack aircraft. The export version was designated the Su-20 and its upgraded variant with new engines, avionics and weapon systems became known as the Su-22. They are still working with Vietnam, Iran, Poland and several other countries. Recently, the Syrian Su-22 has been heavily involved in the country's long civil war.
By the way, this place can be taken by another record - Harrier Jump Jet. The world's first vertical takeoff and landing fighter, the Harrier, was introduced in 1969. The first generation of the aircraft has long since been retired, but the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is still in service in the United States, Italy. and Spain. Is this a different model of aircraft than the first Harrier? It depends on who you ask: Almost every aspect of the plane has been redesigned, but some still consider it just an option. Therefore, we list it as a semi-record.
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Developed from the older Mirage III in 1967, the Mirage 5 focused more on ground attack, but still retained good air-to-air capabilities. A large number of them serve in the Pakistan Air Force, which has upgraded them significantly over the years. An Israeli-made version - the IAI Kfir - is still in operation in many countries.
One of the few American aircraft focused primarily on export, the F-5 entered service in 1964. Light and simple, it was also relatively cheap and became popular all over the world. The updated options serve several countries including South Korea, Mexico, Iran, Taiwan and Switzerland.
The legendary Phantom was first introduced in 1961 and developed to great potential. It still forms a significant part of the combat fleet in the air forces of Greece, Turkey, Iran and South Korea.
The original Mirage was introduced in 1961. It's hard to believe that this iconic aircraft was built in the 50s. Now, only the Pakistan Air Force operates the Mirage III, primarily using it as a ground attack aircraft.
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The Su-7 was originally designed as a flexible supersonic fighter, but has proven to be more effective in the ground attack role. It entered service in 1959 alongside the MiG-21, although it was a relatively new development. Several dozen fighter-bomber variants were delivered to North Korea in the 1970s, where they remain in uncertain operational status.
Arguably the oldest fighter in widespread use, the MiG-21 and its numerous variants and derivatives still enjoy impressive popularity with a large number of air forces. First deployed by the Soviet Union in 1959, the Fishbed has been modernized several times and some say that with modern avionics and weapons it can withstand the newest 4th generation aircraft.
Although the most prominent users, such as India and Romania, are planning to retire, there is a good chance that some air forces will retain the aircraft and continue to operate them for decades.
Before listing the two oldest aircraft, semi-entry must be the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which entered service in 1956. Is it destructive? No, it's an attack aircraft with air-to-air capabilities as an afterthought. But was it used as a fighter? Yes. And yet it is. Highly maneuverable and easy to handle at low speeds, the US It was used extensively in various exercises to simulate agile Soviet aircraft, and the heavily upgraded A-4AR Fightinghawk remains the main air defense vehicle of the Argentine Air Force.
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The first Soviet supersonic fighter, the MiG-19, entered service in 1955. The original models are long gone and remain only in museums. But the Chinese-made version, the Shenyang J-6, is still going strong. It is one of the most numerous fighters owned by North Korea, and several others - such as Myanmar and Sudan - fly a few of them as well. The Chinese Naval Air Force also hires some as trainers. It is highly doubtful that all officially operational J-6s are in airworthy condition, but they very well may be.
Developed from the famous MiG-15 of the Korean War, the MiG-17 was faster, more powerful and in some later variants could use air-to-air missiles. It entered service in 1952 and many countries still claim to operate it.
The reality is that most of the "operational" MiG-17s in Madagascar or Ugandan air forces have spent decades in open storage, theoretically waiting to be put into action, but slowly being dismantled and cannibalized. The Shenyang J-5, a Chinese-made variant, may do better: some reports suggest that at least half of North Korea's J-5s may be operational.
In any case, as long as any air force in the world has at least one flying MiG-17, it will remain the oldest model of fighter aircraft. And so it will be for years.
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Entering service two years after the MiG-17, the Hunter (in one form or another) had been in development since the mid-40s and was an older design than the MiG-15.
Most ground-attack-optimized fighters were retired around the world at the end of the Cold War, with several dozen being taken over by private operators. Today, some private military corporations (PMCs) – mainly private air forces – still operate the aircraft, notably the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), which uses them for training and simulated combat.
Although its 'in-service' status is highly questionable and its introduction date - still later than the MiG-17 - makes it technically a new aircraft, the Hunter can be considered one of the oldest fighter aircraft in any human use. . Military.
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