Since we had an enjoyable discussion on the best fighter planes in WW2. I wanted to expand on it in this post and wanted to get everyone's opinion on the best 5 fighter aircraft ever built. The criteria I'm using for my five are a mix of historical significance and performance for the time period. So here are my five and the reasons why:

1) Spitfire: Without the Spitfire, it is uncertain if Britain would have won the Battle of Britain in 1940, if Britain was defeated in 1940 the whole outcome of WW2 could have changed and since WW2 was the biggest event of the 20th century, Spitfire wins solely for significance. Also one of few WW2 aircraft to remain highly competitive throughout the War. Third, its excellent Rolls Royce Merlins became the powerplant for Number 2 on the list the P-51 Mustang.

2) P-51 Mustang: The P-51 ability to escort the bombers all the way to Germany allowed the Allies to cripple German war industry. Allowing the allies to win the war sooner. Strong performance

3) F-4 Phantom: Really set the standard of a modern multi-role fighter although it was orginally designed as a Naval Interceptor. Prior to the Phantom, America and to a lesser extent its allies build large numbers of single mission planes but after the Phantom, multirole aircraft became more common. Great performance for its era, Excellent longevity, its issues were corrected in the next generation fighters like the F-15 and F-16 which cemented America's lead in the air.

4) F-15 Eagle: Set the standard for the modern air superiority fighter, has been a top fighter plane for nearly 50 years now. Fully cemented Americans Air Dominance in the sky. In 2021 the F-15 is still being built while its supposed replacement the F-22 has been out of production for nearly 10 years.

5) F-86 Sabre: Best early cold war fighter. Very successful over Korea and widely exported


These are my 5, what are your thoughts?