A fighter jet is an aircraft with one or more jet engines intended to engage other aircraft with the secondary role of attacking ground targets. Once denied official existence, these aircrafts have made history, some of them reaching legendary status with their capabilities, especially when it came to altitude and speed records. The speed and raw tenacity that these beasts of the sky have while in action is something to behold.
Many modern fighter jets are designed not for top speed but for other characteristics such as maneuverability, range, and stealth. As such, the same aerodynamics that makes an aircraft go fast can and do make them less maneuverable or comparatively limited in terms of ammunition and fuel.
Here are the top 20 fastest fighter jets in the world.
| Rank | Fighter jet | Speed | |
| Mach | Mph (Km/h) | ||
| 1 | North American X-15 | Mach 5.89 | 4,520 mph (7,274 km/h) |
| 2 | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | Mach 3.26 | 2,500 mph (4,023 km/h) |
| 3 | Lockheed YF-12 | Mach 2.96 | 2,274 mph (3,660 km/h) |
| 4 | Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat | Mach 2.85 | 2,190 mph (3,524 km/h) |
| 5 | Bell X-2 Starbuster | Mach 2.73 | 2,094 mph (3,370 km/h) |
| 6 | North American XB-70 Valkyrie | Mach 2.68 | 2,056 mph (3,309 km/h) |
| 7 | Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-31 Foxhound | Mach 2.48 | 1,864 mph (3,000 km/h) |
| 8 | Mikoyan Gurevich Ye-152 Flipper | Mach 2.22 | 1,700 mph (2,736 km/h) |
| 9 | Chengdu J-10 Firebird | Mach 2.20 | 1,687 mph (2,715 km/h) |
| 10 | Mikoyan Gurevich Ye-166 | Mach 2.17 | 1,665 mph (2,680 km/h) |
| 11. | McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle | Mach 2.15 | 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) |
| 12. | General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark | Mach 2.15 | 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) |
| 13. | McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II | Mach 2.09 | 1,606 mph (2,585 km/h) |
| 14. | Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker | Mach 2.09 | 1,600 mph (2,575 km/h) |
| 15. | Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger | Mach 2.02 | 1,553 mph (2,499 km/h) |
| 16. | MiG-29 Fulcrum | Mach 1.98 | 1,522 mph (2,449 km/h) |
| 17. | Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor | Mach 1.95 | 1,500 mph (2,414 km/h) |
| 18. | Sukhoi Su-35 | Mach 1.95 | 1,500 mph (2,414 km/h) |
| 19. | Dassault Mirage 2000 | Mach 1.89 | 1,452 mph (2,337 km/h) |
| 20. | Chengdu J-10 | Mach 1.88 | 1,445 mph (2,326 km/h) |
