How to recognise combat aircraft

33 combat aircraft in Spotrep’s field guide, each with a photo, where it comes from, who uses it and the details that tell it apart from the rest.

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A-10 Thunderbolt IIJets · USA
Straight wings, two big engine pods mounted high on the rear fuselage and twin tails at the very end.
AV-8B Harrier IIJets · USA / UK
Jump jet with large swivelling exhaust nozzles on the fuselage sides, a drooping shoulder wing and small outrigger wheels at mid-span under the wings.
B-1B LancerJets · USA
Swing-wing bomber with a smoothly blended body, four engines in two pairs under the fuselage and a tall fin.
B-2 SpiritJets · USA
Flying wing with no tail, a sawtooth trailing edge and engines buried in the wing with intakes on top.
Eurofighter TyphoonJets · UK / Germany / Italy / Spain
Delta wing with canards well forward under the cockpit, single fin, chin intake.
F-4 Phantom IIJets · USA
Big two-seat fighter with drooping tailplanes, upturned outer wing panels and two engines.
F-15 EagleJets · USA
Large twin-engine fighter with two tall vertical tails, a big flat wing and wide box intakes either side of the cockpit.
F-16AMJets · USA
Upgraded early-model F-16: single fin, belly intake and bubble canopy, almost identical in outline to the F-16C.
F-16C Fighting FalconJets · USA
Single tail fin, intake under the fuselage, frameless bubble canopy.
F-22 RaptorJets · USA
Stealth fighter with diamond-shaped wings, two outward-canted tails, large horizontal tailplanes and flat engine nozzles.
F/A-18 HornetJets · USA
Twin engines, two outward-canted tails, long leading-edge extensions alongside the cockpit.
JAS 39 GripenJets · Sweden
Small single-engine delta wing with canards just behind the cockpit and a single tail fin.
JF-17 ThunderJets · China / Pakistan
Small single-engine fighter with bump-shaped side intakes, wing-root extensions and a single tall fin.
MiG-21Jets · Soviet Union
Small delta-winged fighter with a round nose intake holding a shock cone, a thin fuselage and a tall swept fin.
Mirage 2000Jets · France
Tailless delta wing with no horizontal tail, half-cone intakes on the fuselage sides and a single fin.
Panavia TornadoJets · UK / Germany / Italy
Swing-wing two-seater: the wings move between swept and spread, with a large single fin and two engines side by side.
RafaleJets · France
Twin-engine delta wing with canards close behind the cockpit, single fin, two intakes under the wing roots.
Su-25Jets · Soviet Union
Straight, slightly swept wings, two engines in long nacelles along the fuselage sides and a long pointed nose.
Su-27Jets · Soviet Union
Twin fins, long tail sting between widely spaced engines, large swept wing and no canards.
Su-34Jets · Russia
Flanker airframe with a wide, flat duck-bill nose for side-by-side seating and small canards ahead of the wings.
Su-35SJets · Russia
Twin tail fins, long nose, large intakes under a broad flat fuselage.
Su-57Jets · Russia, Algeria
Stealth-shaped fighter with widely spaced engines, all-moving twin tails, large leading-edge extensions and a long, flat fuselage.
Tu-22M3 BackfireJets · Soviet Union
Swing-wing bomber with two engines buried in the rear fuselage, huge rectangular intakes beside the cockpit and a tall fin.
No photo yet
B-52 StratofortressJets · USA
Huge bomber with eight engines in four double pods under a long, drooping swept wing and small outrigger wheels near the wingtips.
No photo yet
Chengdu J-10Jets · China
Single-engine delta-canard fighter with a large chin intake under the cockpit and a single fin.
No photo yet
Chengdu J-20Jets · China
Large stealth fighter with canards just behind the cockpit, a long fuselage, twin canted tails and ventral fins.
No photo yet
F-35A Lightning IIJets · USA
Single-engine stealth fighter with twin canted tail fins, faceted fuselage and a single round exhaust.
No photo yet
MiG-29Jets · Soviet Union
Twin fins and twin engines with large intakes under a blended wing; shorter and stubbier than the Su-27 family.
No photo yet
MiG-31Jets · Soviet Union
Large, long interceptor with big square intakes, two vertical tails and two very large engine nozzles.
No photo yet
Su-24Jets · Soviet Union
Swing-wing bomber with side-by-side cockpit, rectangular intakes and a single tall tail.
No photo yet
Su-30SMJets · Russia
Flanker airframe with a two-seat cockpit and small canards ahead of the wing root.
No photo yet
Tu-95 BearJets · Soviet Union
Huge swept-wing bomber with four engines, each driving two contra-rotating propellers.
No photo yet
Tu-160 BlackjackJets · Soviet Union
Very large white swing-wing bomber with four engines in paired pods under the wing roots.

How to recognise combat aircraft

Easy to mix up