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[Liljagare]

I find modern airfighters to be a real marvel, and how they perform in the air, is really a thing to behold.

What are some of your favourites?

Naturarly, being a silly Swede, I really do love what our country has managed to put out there, all tailored towards one enemy in mind.

It is just nuts how you can get a airframe to perform nowadays, but really, the most interestings ones are before the G2-G3 fighters imho, mainly because on the limits on the eras onboard computing power. STOL/Usage of regular roads is a common theme in all the Swedish airframes, land, turnaround with a new pilot in the shortest possible time, make 1 airplane behave like 10, use all links available to coordinate with landed and airborne frames.

J-29 Tunnan (The Barrel) first flew in 1949.



The Draken (Dragon), first flew in 1955. Superstall/Cobra manouver.





The Viggen (Thunderbolt), I still think this could have had another upgrade for a G3.5, first flight in 1967.





The Gripen (Griffon), first flew in 1988. Gripen-E is a modern contender.



It had a famous crash, right smack in the middle of Stockholm in 1993.

 

[T8SC]

F14 Tomcat

F15 Strike Eagle

F16 Fighting Falcon

F117 Nighthawk

SU27 Flanker

MiG25 Foxbat

Harrier

 

[Liljagare]

Harrier

This one, I personally never liked, it killed alot of newbie pilots, but holy smokes:

"The second highest scoring fighter ace with 301 kills, Gerhard Barkhorn, crashed a prototype British Harrier jet fighter in 1965. When being helped from the wreckage he is said to have commented, "Drei hundert und zwei [302]!"​

Shot down nine times, wounded twice but died from a car accident in peace time. Somewhat ironic.

German Air Ace Gerhard Barkhorn – Second Highest Scoring Ace of All Times

Gerhard “Gerd” Barkhorn (Gerd being short form for Gerhard) was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow Luftwaffe pilot E…

airpowerasia.com

 

[willothedog]

Typhoon. Get to see these regularly as BAE systems in Warton is not too far away.

 

[RJMacready73]

Years ago I was on a cruise ship in the med, it was real early in the morning and I was at the back pushing a pram and 2 fighter jets buzzed the back of the ship close enough for me to wave and see the pilot in the cockpit wave back at me, was surreal as fuck and the other few people up at that hour we all just looked at each other in disbelief, they must've been running sorties over to Libya at the time but dayam it was one of the coolest things I've seen, honestly could've hit the fuckers with a stone they where that close

 

[Hrk69]

 

[Gp1]

That golden canopy is gorgeous.

 

[AJUMP23]

The army workhorse.


Every pilot that uses one of these has to work with products I helped lead their development of.

 

[Trogdor1123]

The man is insane. We need more of that.

 

[eddie4]

 

[EverydayBeast]

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III​

The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.

 

[jason10mm]

Jets are pretty and all but DAMN are the new generation prop attack aircraft SEXY BEASTS!

 

[Esca]

I'm a huge fan of the A 10 warthog. I know it's old and being retired but god damn you don't want to be in it's line of sight no matter what. The sound of that GAU 8 is demoralizing and stricking fear into the enemy.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

 

[Pegasus Actual]

F16 Viper is the GOAT aesthetically. Su 27 is nice too. F15 is pretty cool and I was a Starscream mark back in the day.

It's gotten no love in the thread yet but the F18 has been growing on me. (I think I like the Super Hornet better because of the boxy air intakes)

 

[MMaRsu]

This kind of shit is insane to me

 

[winjer]

The F-15 is still my favorite, despite being half a century old.
Truly beautiful aircraft and the best kill record of all time.

 

[Tams]

It's seriously mad the fighters you Swedes have managed to come up with. Hopefully you can get some more sales.

The Harrier will always be my favourite, but the Tornado and Jaguar are also kino. And yeah, the F-35, especially the B, is a very sexy aircraft.

 

[jason10mm]

This kind of shit is insane to me

Thats the fun part, for me, of vacationing in Destin Florida. The kids are playing on the beach but I'm watching all the fighter jets overhead (when not distracted by bikinis).

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Thats the fun part, for me, of vacationing in Destin Florida. The kids are playing on the beach but I'm watching all the fighter jets overhead (when not distracted by bikinis).

You gotta squeeze in a little shirtless volleyball for the full experience.

Over here I see a lot of F18s and F35s flying around. I think in general the F35 is a very cool looking plane, but it's kind of ugly from below. And my god does it look unathletic in the sky next to the F18s.

Just something offputting about how far back the tail is compared to the engine.

 

[Badlucktroll]

I also think the US has ARVs (alien replica vehicles)

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

 

[jason10mm]

WW2 planes are in a class of their own.

My personal fave

With drone fighters, I'm curious just how out there the designs can be with no consideration for a pilot. Are the laws of physics demanding something that is structurally similar to current airframes or are there really wacky designs now possible?

 

[nkarafo]

F16 Viper is the GOAT aesthetically.

Yup.

I don't even like planes but the F-16 is a beauty.

 

[TheDreadBaron]

Something about that devilish downturned tail...

 

[Trilobit]

WW2 planes are in a class of their own.

My personal fave

Where my brain always ends up when I see photos of such propeller planes:

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Certified nutter.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

^you're sounding like a man bogged down by uncleansed Thetans. Sad!

 

[Liljagare]

 

[Forsete]

My favourites are:

J35 Draken and JA37 Viggen.

Draken for its beautiful design, and Viggen because when I grew up you would see it all the time, and you would hear it when it broke the sound barrier. That was impressive.
Also, Viggen just has this brute force Cold War look.

Liljagare if you're not already, consider becoming a support member of SWAFHF, these are the guys that keep our beauties flying. I've been a member for many years now. I just received the 2025 calendar from them, full of beautiful pictures of aircraft.

Swedish Airforce Historic Flight – ETT FLYGANDE SVENSKT KULTURARV

swafhf.com

Also, I recommend watching this.

 

[Hookshot]

Avro Vulcan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Both for the crazy shape and for this

To counter improving Soviet defences after the cancellation of Skybolt, Avro proposed a Vulcan with three Gnat fighters slung underneath. The Gnats were to have been released in enemy airspace to provide fighter cover, and they were expected to land "in friendly territory" or return to the Vulcan to replenish their tanks by means of a specially installed flight-refuelling drogue.

 

[Forsete]

Avro Vulcan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Both for the crazy shape and for this

Oh, I've always loved that aircraft.

 

[Tams]

Avro Vulcan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Both for the crazy shape and for this

I got to see the one that was relatively briefly restored to air show standard.

It flew low and slow over. And you knew it was there. I can't adequately describe in words what it felt and sounded like.

 

[Gp1]

Since half of the posts are not about fighters and a good part of the rest are not about jets...

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

F14 Tomcat

F15 Strike Eagle

F16 Fighting Falcon

F117 Nighthawk

SU27 Flanker

MiG25 Foxbat

Harrier

Great taste <3

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

Dp Srry!

 

[Hookshot]

Is that supposed to be a jet that can go into space? or just return from it?

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

 

[Hookshot]

There's a big different from a rocket launching something and it effectively floating back down like the shuttle and something just flying out of the atmosphere under it's own power.

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

Oh I wouldn't know for  sure I just found them aestheticaly pleasing

 

[Hookshot]

Oh I wouldn't know for  sure I just found them aestheticaly pleasing

I see, I've no idea what sort of power source would allow it but I'd love to see the day where a "plane" could just fly out on its own, and come back like the spaceships of sci fi do.

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

I see, I've no idea what sort of power source would allow it but I'd love to see the day where a "plane" could just fly out on its own, and come back like the spaceships of sci fi do.

Same here hookshot. Perhaps look up harnessing free energy/ether.

Such design..

 

[BlackTron]

To counter improving Soviet defences after the cancellation of Skybolt, Avro proposed a Vulcan with three Gnat fighters slung underneath. The Gnats were to have been released in enemy airspace to provide fighter cover, and they were expected to land "in friendly territory" or return to the Vulcan to replenish their tanks by means of a specially installed flight-refuelling drogue.

 

[BigDeadFreak]

The Lockheed Starfighter is one of the best looking aircraft. It looks like a pure killing machine with no concession to aesthetics.

 

[Gp1]

The Lockheed Starfighter is one of the best looking aircraft. It looks like a pure killing machine with no concession to aesthetics.

Gorgeous, but It kills even its own pilots. I believe it's the worst accident rate in the history of the Luftwaffe.

 

[Putonahappyface]

The Northrop YF-23 was an amazing piece of aeronautical engineering.

Two of the most beautiful fighter jets ever created in my opinion. The Northrop YF-23 flying along side the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, when they were both prototypes.

 

[Liljagare]

 

[Liljagare]

Liljagare if you're not already, consider becoming a support member of SWAFHF, these are the guys that keep our beauties flying. I've been a member for many years now. I just received the 2025 calendar from them, full of beautiful pictures of aircraft.

Swedish Airforce Historic Flight – ETT FLYGANDE SVENSKT KULTURARV

swafhf.com

Am a OG member. (Woho!).

Abother fine airframe though, cadillac of the sky they called it?

 

[Ownage]

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III​

The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.

These fatties are way more agile and faster than one expects.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

The Northrop YF-23 was an amazing piece of aeronautical engineering.

Two of the most beautiful fighter jets ever created in my opinion. The Northrop YF-23 flying along side the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, when they were both prototypes.

I'm glad they went with the raptor . The other one looks like a kid designed it.