FlightGlobal’s 2025 report on world air forces is now out (the report offers a detailed breakdown of the estimated number of military aircraft in service with air forces around the world). As to be expected, the list of most numerous types of aircraft is mostly of US origin. Additionally, the United States Air Force remains the world’s largest , while the US Navy/Marines is arguably the world’s second-largest air force . Here are ten of the most common military aircraft in the world by type.
1Third-generation fighter jet
Around 650 Chengdu J-7s are in service
| Global fighter jet share: | 5% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | China (licensed copy Soviet jet) |
| Second most common 3rd gen fighter jet: | Likely MiG-21 |
There are still hundreds or thousands of third-generation fighter jets remaining in service. The most common is the Chinese Chengdu J-7 – a licensed copy of the Soviet MiG-21 . The last of the J-7s rolled off the production line in 2013 for the Bangladeshi Air Force. In 2024, 153 Chengdu J-7s were retired by Pakistan and North Korea while India has finally retired most of its MiG-21 widow-makers (about half of India’s fleet of MiG-21s has crashed over the years).
Photo: Shadman Samee | Wikimedia Commons
The second most common third-generation fighter jet in service is likely the J-7’s MiG-21 counterpart. The Chinese Air Force is currently in a remarkable state of transition. There one can find ancient and obsolete third-generation J-7s flying alongside the world’s second-largest fifth-generation fleet (the J-20). Additionally, China may have just ttestedone of the world’s first sixth-gen fighters .
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2Fourth-generation fighter jet
Around 2,084 F-16s are in service
| Global fighter jet share: | 15% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common 4th-gen fighter jet: | Su-27/30/34/35 Flanker family (1,284 jets) |
The F-16 remains the world’s most common fighter jet – and it is set to remain so for some time to come. While some air forces in are reducing their fleets of F-16s (like the US Air Force) or retiring them completely (like the Netherlands and Denmark), others are purchasing F-16s for the first time (like Slovakia and Bulgaria). In 2024, Turkey placed a large order for 40 new-build F-16s while Argentina reached an agreement to acquire second-hand F-16s from Denmark. Lockheed expects F-16s to remain in production until past 2030.
Photo: USAF | Tech. Sgt. Micaiah Anthony
The second most common fighter jet was the Su-27 Flanker family (which includes the updated 30/34/35 variants), with a total of 1,284 jets in service. These are large fighter jets and the Soviet counterpart to the American F-15 Eagle (which comes in third at 919 jets). The next most common fighter jets are the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet (mostly in service with the Navy and Marines), and the old MiG-29 in cash-strapped air forces.
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3Fifth-generation fighter jet
Around 712 F-35s are in service
| Global 5th-gen fighter jet share: | Over 50% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common 5th-gen fighter: | J-20 Mighty Dragon |
FlightGlobal lists 712 F-35 Lightning IIs in service for all three variants. However, this number seems a little confusing as Lockheed Martin has now delivered over 1,070 F-35s (only a handful have been lost to accidents) of these 110 where delivered in 2024. It is unclear why the number listed is around 300 less than the delivered total – perhaps FlightGlobal is excluding the jets used for training.
Photo: US Air Force | DVIDS Hub
The F-35 is not only the most common fifth-generation fighter, but it also numbers more than all the rest combined. The second most common fifth-generation fighter is the Chinese J-20 with over 200 delivered and the F-22 Raptor with around 183 serial production models remaining. The Russian Su-57’s numbers are tiny, with fewer than 20 production models having been delivered (FlightGlobal lists 24 but some of these may be pre-serial production models).
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4Aerial refueling tanker
Around 38 6 KC-135 Stratotankers are in service
| Global tanker share: | 47% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common tanker: | KC-46A Pegasus |
The KC-135 Stratotanker is by far the most common tanker and is the backbone of the United States Air Force aerial refueling capability. FlightGlobal lists 386 of them remaining in service around the world. The Air Force is partially replacing them with the new Pegasus KC-46A (based on the Boeing 767) and that tanker is now the second most common in the world (FlightGlobal lists 101).
Photo: USAF
FlightGlobal’s 2025 report lists the US as possessing 605 tankers—around 75% of the total in the world. Other countries come very distantly behind (in second place is Saudi Arabia with 22 tankers and in third place is Russia with only 19 tankers). The most common non-US tanker is the Airbus A330 MRTT.
5Tactical airlifter
Around 819 C-130 Hercules family airlifters are in service
| Global military transport share: | 19% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common tactical airlifter: | Airbus C295 |
The C-130 Hercules is “the” tactical airlifter of the United States and most of the US’s allies and partners (it also has a civilian L-100 variant). The aircraft has been extensively modified and updated to the C-130J Super Hercules variant, which is now replacing many of the older, tired Hercules. The Super Hercules is a turboprop tactical airlifter and competes on the export market with the new Brazil Embraer C-390 Millennium (it may also compete with the European Airbus A400M Atlas and the Chinese Shaanxi Y-9 to some degree).
Photo: USAF
The US Air Force has around 273 Super Hercules in service, while the Marines have 65 and the Coast Guard has 15. The second most common transport is the medium tactical Airbus C295 (previously CASA C-295) initially designed and produced by the Spanish aerospace company CASA (now its part of Airbus). 301 Airbus C295s are listed as being in service.
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6Strategic airlifter
Around 273 C-17 Globemaster IIIs are in service
| Global share of strategic airlifters: | Approx. 35% of strategic airlifters (C-17s, C-5s, Il-76s, H-20s, A400Ms) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common strategic airlifter: | Ilyushin Il-76 |
The US also has the world’s most common stragetic airlifter. Strategic airlifting typically involves moving military material long distances (e.g., intercontinental), while tactical airlift focuses on deploying material to specific locations with high precision. The most common strategic airlifter is the C-17 Globemaster III – in service mostly with the US Air Force, but also with US allies and partners like the UK, India, Canada, and Australia.
![3144811 - C-17 Lands at McMurdo Station [Image 1 of 2]](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3144811.jpg)
Photo: Staff Sgt. Laura Tickle | 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard | US Air Force
While no strategic airlifters are in production today in the United States, they remain in production in Europe (A400M), Russia (IL-76), and China (Xi’an Y-20). The second most common strategic airlifter in use today is the Ilyushin Il-76, which remains in limited production.
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7Utility helicopter
Around 3,937 Black Hawk family helicopters are in service
| Global share of military helicopters: | 19% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common helicopter: | Mi-8/Mi-17 |
The most common helicopter in the world is the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, of which the US Army has around 2,300 in service. The most common US Navy helicopter is the Sea Hawk variant of the Black Hawk family. The US Army is set to start partially replacing the Black Hawk with the new tiltrotor V-280 Valor in the 2030s.
Photo: Frontpage l Shutterstock
The second most common helicopter in service is the Soviet/Russian Mi-8/Mi-17 family of helicopters, with around 2,793 in service. These helicopters are set to continue to be flown by air forces around the world for decades to come.
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8Attack helicopter
Around 1,225 Apaches are in service
| Global share of military helicopters: | Over a third |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Second most common attack helicopter: | Mi-24 |
The most common attack helicopter in service today is the AH-64 Apache, of which around 1,225 are in service (824 of which are in service in the US Army). While close air support may be too dangerous for the Apache (due to the proliferation of air defense), they have found a new role as a deep strike platform .
Photo: United States Army
The second most common attack helicopter is the Mi-24/35 family with around 918 in service, followed by the smaller AH-1 Cobra with around 595 in service. The United States and Russia remain the largest operators of attack helicopters (although Russia has taken heavy losses, especially with its more modern Ka-52 attack helicopters).
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9Training aircraft
Around 976 T-6 Texan IIs are in service
| Global share of trainers: | 6% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States/Switzerland |
| Second most common trainer: | F-16 |
The single most common training aircraft is the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, a single-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Swiss Pilatus PC-9 aircraft. It replaced the US Air Force’s Cessna T-37B Tweet and the Navy’s T-34C Turbo Mentor. The Air Force’s jet trainer, the T-38, is the fourth most common, with 563 in service ( it is to be replaced by the T-7 Red Hawk ).
Photo: Beechcraft
Surprisingly, the most common aircraft used for training is the F-16 Fighting Falcon with around 629 used in the role (some of these are old airframes retired from frontline use). The third most common trainer is the aging British Hawk.
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10Electronic attack
Around 165 EA-18G Growlers are in service
| Global share of dedicated EW fighter jets: | 100% |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Air Force EW aircraft: | Primarily Compass Call |
Electronic warfare is one of the most important roles of an air force and the US invests heavily in it. The most common electronic warfare aircraft is the EA-18G Growler, based on the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The vast majority of these Growlers are in service in the US Navy (although 12 are also in service in the Australian Air Force).
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
Growlers make up around 9% of the world’s special mission aircraft and likely the majority of dedicated electronic warfare platforms. They are also the world’s only dedicated electronic warfare fighter jet in service. The lack of EW assets in the Russian Air Force is apparent, and it has failed to suppress Ukraine’s air defense network .
