Which current military fighter aircraft has the best range?

Roni Kurz: The McDonnell Douglass F-15 C, with a ferry range of 3 000 nm and a combat radius of 1 061 nm, has the longest range I ve ever seen in a fighter aircraft. Compare to most other teen series US fighters at

Sunshine Holets: There is no best range. All of them have a fairly short range, those big engines drink JP. That's why pilots are so skilled at in-flight refueling. If I had to pick a particular airplane I would choose the F/A-18. The airframe and avionics inside are tough enough to withstand the rigors of working day and night from aircraft carriers. If you ever get the opportunity to compare the diameter of the main mounts of an F/A-18 to a F-16 notice how spindly the main mount of the F-16 is. The truth is that there is nothing shabby about the current crop of fighters. They have been tested over the years and proven worthy....Show more

Jefferson Sarson: In 2005, a trainer Eurofighter T1 was reported to have had a chance encounter the previous y! ear with two U.S. Air Force F-15Es over the Lake District in the north of England. The encounter became a mock dogfight with the Eurofighter allegedly emerging victorious.During Exercise Northern Edge in Alaska in June 2006, 12 F-22s of the 94th FS downed 108 adversaries with no losses in simulated combat exercises. In two weeks of exercises, the Raptor-led Blue Force amassed 241 kills against two losses in air-to-air combat, and neither Blue Force loss was an F-22.This was followed with the Raptor's first participation in a Red Flag exercise. Fourteen F-22s of the 94th FS supported attacking Blue Force strike packages as well as engaging in close air support sorties themselves in Red Flag 07-1 between 3 February and 16 February 2007. Against designed superior numbers of Red Force Aggressor F-15s and F-16s, it established air dominance using eight aircraft during day missions and six at night, reportedly defeating the Aggressors quickly and efficiently, even though the exer! cise rules of engagement allowed for four to five Red Force re! generations of losses but none to Blue Force. Further, no sorties were missed because of maintenance or other failures, and only one Raptor was adjudged lost against the virtual annihilation of the defending force. When their ordnance was expended, the F-22s remained in the exercise area providing electronic surveillance to the Blue Forces.The F-22 Raptor has Range: >1,600 nmi (1,840 mi, 2,960 km) with 2 external fuel tanks Combat radius: 410 nmi (471 mi, 759 km) While the Eurofighter Typhoon has Range: 2,900 km (1,802 mi) and Combat radius:Ground attack, lo-lo-lo: 601 km (325 nmi) Ground attack, hi-lo-hi: 1,389 km (750 nmi) Air defence with 3-hr CAP: 185 km (100 nmi) Air defence with 10-min loiter: 1,389 km (750 nmi)...Show more

Frederic Engellant: well the best range is all because they can all be refueled mid-flight.The best all around is a large debate between f-16 , f-15, f-18 and f-22

Lyman Gauld: The best is the one that completes the mission and brings y! ou back. Best range is a function of aerial refueling before and after engagement. Countries either do or do not have aerial refueling capabilities.