24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Boeing has produced many iconic aircraft over the last century, ranging from biplane fighters to stealth jets.
- The fastest plane on this list, introduced in 2021, could fly from Boston to Miami in approximately 45 minutes.
- Boeing aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-52 Stratofortress served important roles in supplementing U.S. military strength during different conflicts.
- Also: Discover the “New NVIDIA”
As the world’s leading aerospace company, The Boeing Company (“Boeing”) has its hands in numerous spaces. In 2023, Boeing launched Boeing Business Jets Select (BBJ Select) to enhance its bizliner business. BBJ Select allows discerning customers to select from a stunning 216 cabin confingurations for the Boeing 737-7. Boeing hopes that this move will push them to new heights and expand awareness of Boeing’s brand name in the business jet field. This would add to Boeing’s prowess, as it is already known for its immense influence and frequent use in the defense sector. (Here are the 24 most expensive planes in the U.S. military.)
Boeing has fueled battlefields with fighter aircraft and bombers for roughly a century now. The dropping of the atomic bomb, seen as one of the most important events in military history, was carried out by a Boeing aircraft. Out of all combat aircraft Boeing produced over the years, many have gone on to gain iconic status.
For example, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is one of Boeing’s most iconic fourth generation fighter jets. It originally entered service in 1999 and still makes up a sizable portion of the U.S. Air Force’s combat aircraft. The Super Hornet can hit a top speed of nearly 1,200 mph, making it ideal for reconnaissance and interception. (From another aviation leader: here are 26 iconic aircraft built by Lockheed Martin.)
To identify the most iconic combat aircraft manufactured by Boeing, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of Boeing aircraft from Military Factory, an online database of arms, vehicles, and aircraft used by militaries worldwide. We ordered these aircraft chronologically and included supplemental information regarding the type of aircraft, total units produced, top speed, and armament.
Why We’re Covering This
Boeing is a multi-billion dollar company with a significant presence and influence in both the military and economy. Boeing’s innovations in defense and security have changed geopolitical relations and shifted the balance of power throughout history. Not only do Boeing’s products and technologies affect the economy through sales, the company impacts communities in 65 different countries through job creation.
Scroll below to see the most iconic combat aircraft Boeing created:
PW-9 (FB-5 / Model 15)
- Type: Single-engine biplane fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1924
- Total units produced: 157
- Top speed: 159 mph
- Armament:.55 caliber machine gun, .30 caliber machine guns, 122lb conventional drop bombs
F2B (Model 69)
- Type: Carrierborne fighter biplane
- Year introduced: 1928
- Total units produced: 33
- Top speed: 158 mph
- Armament:12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns, .30 caliber Browning M1919 medium machine guns, conventional drop bombs
F4B / P-12
- Type: Carrierborne pursuit fighter biplane
- Year introduced: 1929
- Total units produced: 586
- Top speed: 189 mph
- Armament:.30 Browning M1919 medium machine guns, .50 caliber Browning heavy machine gun, conventional drop bombs
B-17 Flying Fortress
- Type: Heavy bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1937
- Total units produced: 12,731
- Top speed: 287 mph
- Armament:12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns, conventional drop bombs
B-29 Superfortress
- Type: High-altitude long-range strategic heavy bomber
- Year introduced: 1943
- Total units produced: 3,970
- Top speed: 358 mph
- Armament:12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns, 20mm M2 automatic cannon, conventional drop bombs, nuclear bombs
B-50 Superfortress
- Type: Heavy bomber / long-range reconaissance aircraft
- Year introduced: 1948
- Total units produced: 370
- Top speed: 380 mph
- Armament:20mm cannon 12.7mm machine guns, conventional drop bombs
Washington (B-29)
- Type: High-altitude long-range strategic heavy bomber
- Year introduced: 1950
- Total units produced: 83
- Top speed: 224 mph
- Armament:12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns, conventional drop bombs, nuclear bombs
B-47 Stratojet
- Type: Strategic medium / heavy bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1951
- Total units produced: 2,039
- Top speed: 600 mph
- Armament:20mm cannons, conventional drop bombs, nuclear bombs
B-52 Stratofortress
- Type: High-altitude long-range strategic heavy bomber
- Year introduced: 1955
- Total units produced: 744
- Top speed: 595 mph
- Armament:Air-launched cruise missiles, free-fall nuclear bombs, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, joint direct-attack munitions
AC-130H Spectre / AC-130U Spooky
- Type: Close air-support force protection gunship
- Year introduced: 1972
- Total units produced: 21
- Top speed: 300 mph
- Armament: 20mm gatling-style automatic cannons, 40mm automatic cannon, 105mm field gun
F-15 Eagle
- Type: Air superiority / multirole fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1976
- Total units produced: 1,500
- Top speed: 1,875 mph
- Armament:20mm M61A1 automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided bombs, cluster bombs
F-15J (Peace Eagle)
- Type: Air superiority fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1981
- Total units produced: 223
- Top speed: 1,656 mph
- Armament:20mm M61 Vulcan gatling-style cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, conventional drop bombs, CBU cluster bombs
F/A-18 Hornet
- Type: Multirole carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1983
- Total units produced: 1,480
- Top speed: 1,190 mph
- Armament:20mm M61 Vulcan gatling-style cannon, Sidewinder missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, HARM missiles, laser-guided bombs
CF-18 Hornet
- Type: Multirole jet-powered fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1983
- Total units produced: 138
- Top speed: 1,128 mph
- Armament:20mm M61A1 Vulcan gatling-style cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Sparrow missiles, Maverick missiles, rocket pods, laser-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs
AV-8B Harrier II
- Type: Short take-off and vertical landing strike aircraft
- Year introduced: 1985
- Total units produced: 500
- Top speed: 665 mph
- Armament:25mm GAU-12U Equalizer cannon, laser-guided bombs, Maverick missiles, Harpoon missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Napalm
B-1 Lancer
- Type: Long-range strategic heavy bomber aircraft
- Year introduced: 1986
- Total units produced: 104
- Top speed: 833 mph
- Armament:General purpose bombs, CBU cluster munitions, freefall nuclear bombs, air-launched cruise missiles
F-15E Strike Eagle
- Type: Strike fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1988
- Total units produced: 420
- Top speed: 1,653 mph
- Armament:20mm M61A1 internal gatling-style cannon, Sparrow missiles, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Maverick missiles, laser-guided bombs
F/A-18 Super Hornet
- Type: Carrierborne strike fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 1999
- Total units produced: 615
- Top speed: 1,187 mph
- Armament:20mm M61A1 Vulcan automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, Harpoon missiles, Maverick missiles, Rockeye II cluster bombs, laser-guided bombs
F-22 Raptor
- Type: Air dominance fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 2005
- Total units produced: 195
- Top speed: 1,599 mph
- Armament:20mm internal automatic cannon, Sidewinder missiles, AMRAAM missiles, GBU-32 joint direct munitions, air launched cruise missiles
F-15EX Eagle II
- Type: Air superiority / multirole fighter aircraft
- Year introduced: 2021
- Total units produced: 144
- Top speed: 1,864 mph
- Armament:20mm M61A1 Vulcan gatling gun / cannon, Sidewinder missiles, various air-to-air missiles
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