The effectiveness of military aircraft is growing as fast as the United States’ economy. Just imagine: a modern combat plane requires 60 times less bombs to strike a target than for the fighters of the Second World War era!
The “stuffing” of modern planes is impressive! But in history there are examples, that you look at and think: “Holy christ! How did they do that?” What would shock you more: a giant plane which resembles a flying city? Or a plane which can ascend up to a suborbital height and fly six times faster than the speed of sound? We made a list of the most powerful military planes in the history of aviation.
The F15 is still the standard as far as defending us airspace. Missions abroad need stealth for sure. Like F35 or F22. Still I don’t think it would be a bad idea for the USA to pick up about a thousand of the SAAB Gripens for use of defending airspace over the US. They can operate without runways and refuel/rearm with just a few personell and a quick turn around.
The Most Powerful Military Planes Of All Time