F-35: How Fast Can This US Military Fighter Fly?

Key Points – The F-35 Lightning II’s top speed of Mach 1.6 (~1,200 mph) is comparable to other fifth-generation stealth fighters like China’s J-20 (Mach 1.7) and Russia’s Su-57 (Mach 1.7).

-While some older, non-stealth Russian interceptors like the MiG-31 are significantly faster, the F-35’s primary advantages lie in its advanced stealth, maneuverability, and extensive interoperability with allied air forces.

-Ultimately, in engagements where speed is relatively matched, superior pilot training and combat experience—areas where US aviators are considered to excel—are deemed more critical factors for air combat success than raw speed alone.

Does It Matter How Fast the F-35 Is?

If you have ever been to an air show featuring the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels or the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds elite demonstration teams, you are likely fascinated by the fly-bys in formation that whoosh by directly overhead. It’s the high speed that jolts you and allows you to appreciate just how fast these warbirds can fly.

Let’s take a look at the speed of one of the most expensive fighter jets in the world – the F-35 Lightning II.

The F-35 Brings More to the Table Than Just Speed

The F-35 can reach a top speed of MACH 1.6 or about 1,200 miles per hour.

But speed is not the only thing we examine when it comes to the F-35.

There is that great stealth and maneuverability that makes it such a tough customer in a potential dogfight. So speed alone may not be the F-35’s best attribute. Then there is the ability for it to be interoperable with at least 19 other countries who are partners in the F-35 program. This makes it especially lethal regarding allies bonding together to thwart Russia or China.

This is how the F-35 has such great situational awareness as the allied airplanes can share real time data and make the pilots from friendly forces do their job so well.

China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Warbird Is a Touch Faster

Compared to China’s fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon, the F-35 is slightly slower. The J-20 can cruise at a top speed of 1,321 miles per hour or MACH 1.7.

But the F-35 is stealthier and not every military observer or American intelligence analyst believes that the J-20 Mighty Dragon has full-stealth attributes. It may be only equipped with some radar evasion qualities.

Russia’s Su-57’s Top Speed Is About the Same

Thus, the relative speeds of the F-35 and J-20 may not matter as much. Vladimir Putin believes his air force’s Su-57 Felon fifth-generation fighter is the best stealth jet in the world. The Su-57 flies a top speed of 1,324 miles per hour – again about MACH 1.7.

You can see how in a speed test, all three fighters would be evenly matched. Russia does have the MiG-31 Foxhound. The MiG-31 can travel at a blistering MACH 2.83 or 1,854 miles per hour. This would give the Foxhound quite the advantage when going up against the F-35. The Russians own the speed category. The MiG-25 Foxbat can go MACH 3.2 or 2,190 miles per hour, although the Foxbat is only used by a handful of air forces these days. Russia quit producing the MiG-25 in 1984 after building over 1,180 models.

Why Do Pilots Feel the Need for Speed?

Speed is a big component and measure of air superiority. It also allows a fighter pilot to escape danger perhaps even outrunning some surface-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles. Speed gives an airplane more maneuverability too. During reconnaissance missions, ultra-high speed airplanes like the SR-71 Blackbird accomplished their spy missions better with optimum acceleration. The last SR-71 flight was in 1999.

Does Stealth Beat Speed?

Would you rather have greater speed or greater stealth? My money is on stealth. If you look at the exploits of Israel’s F-35I Adir, radar evasion showed how successful it was in a daring strike against Iran last autumn. The F-35I suffered no losses when attacking Iranian air defenses and other military targets. This impressed many observers that convinced the U.S. Air Force the Israelis had made the baseline F-35 even better. The Lightning II has a role in Day One of combat where it can achieve air dominance early in the fight. That is music to Lockheed Martin’s ears – the manufacturer of the F-35.

Plus, the Lightning II is just as fast as China and Russia’s best stealth birds. Another feather in the cap for the F-35 program.

But the performance of even the fastest fighter jets boil down to how good the pilots are. The United States arguably has the most highly-trained and highly-skilled pilots. Their training is realistic and difficult. American fighter pilots flew for the entirety of the Global War on Terror and accrued a huge amount of combat flying hours. By comparison, Chinese aviators have no combat experience and at one time 25 years ago, they would often refuse to fly at night or in bad weather. Russia’s fighter pilots are more experienced, but one can argue that they have not enjoyed a great war against Ukraine and never established air superiority or dominance in that conflict.

Speed obviously makes a difference, but the level of stealthiness may be more important. The F-35 is just as fast as stealth airplanes from China and Russia, although Putin’s air force has some real hot rods that are not stealthy. The skill of the individual pilots is the most significant aspect of dogfighting when speed is evenly matched and my money is on the Americans with their F-35s. Based on what the Israelis have accomplished with their F-35I program it looks like the Lightning II is a winning airplane even if it is not as fast as the MiG-31.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

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