F-15 Eagle – The Classic Standard-Bearer
Controlling the air has been the military gold standard for decades, a lesson pounded home since World War II. That dominance, however, is no longer automatic.
The Cold War–era F-15 Eagle best embodied the traditional concept of air superiority, conceived out of necessity to outrun Soviet fighters and founded upon the energy-maneuverability theories of strategist John Boyd. Its unblemished war record, especially with the Israeli Air Force, made it a legend.
The F-15EX Eagle II that exists today continues that tradition, with searing Mach 2.5 speeds, a 60,000-foot ceiling, and the capacity to carry an astonishing 22 air-to-air missiles. Its advanced avionics and fly-by-wire systems make it deadly, but its absence of stealth has raised questions as to just how effectively it would defend itself against contemporary air defenses.
Eurofighter Typhoon – The Nimble Performer
The transformation from single-task to multi-task fighters revolutionized the landscape of air combat. Fourth-generation fighter jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon excel in the tight battles using canard-delta wings and surgical precision of agility.
In comparison, fifth-generation fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II employ stealth, distant sensors, and effortless data-leakage to win battles before they are even fought.
German and American pilots who have flown both variants all agree—dogfighting favors the Typhoon, but for remaining unseen and providing live feed of information to the entire battlespace, the F-35 wins. What is “better” very much depends wholly upon the mission and the threats being confronted.
S-400 Triumf – The Airspace Equalizer
State-of-the-art aircraft won’t be able to secure air dominance on their own anymore—integrated air defense systems (IADS) have altered the calculus. The S-400 and its comparably advanced counterparts can detect and attack targets at distant ranges, even penetrating stealth designs.
Stealth was created to counter enhanced ground-based threats, but not without compromises, ranging from limited weapon carriage to wear-and-tear on coatings in supersonic flight.
In parallel, innovative sensor technology can pinpoint minor engine turbulence, which could betray even stealth aircraft. No concept as yet that a single “do-everything” aircraft can do for dedicated fighters is proven, especially in close-range combat.
Buk-M1 – The Ukraine Frontline Threat
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the fact that neither side can rely on straightforward air superiority. Mobile air defense systems such as the Buk-M1 and contemporary electronic warfare systems create a “mutually denied” air zone, in which each side has to fly under perpetual threat.
The harsher truth is the complete opposite of the air dominance that is usually recalled as being performed during the 1991 Gulf War. Finnish officers Vilho Rantanen and Peter Porkka propose that this disputed territory is becoming the new norm, with mobile, networked defenses being much more difficult to annihilate than traditional fixed systems.
AGM-88 HARM – The Suppressor’s Tool
In light of these shifts, air forces are adapting their objectives. U.S. Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin has emphasized that air supremacy can no longer equate to unbroken dominance for weeks at a time.
Rather, superiority needs to be used surgically—at targeted locations and moments—to enable joint operations. Blunting enemy air defenses using systems such as the AGM-88 HARM is still essential, but newer solutions such as long-range precision strikes, unmanned systems, and space-based surveillance are increasingly appealing options.
NGAD Fighter – The Sixth-Generation Edge
In the future, the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance program is a transition to flexibility and cooperation. The NGAD idea couples a manned sixth-generation fighter with a series of unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) and next-generation networking systems. These aircraft will have adaptive engines, open architecture for future upgrades, and the capability to command or direct swarms of unmanned drones. The aspiration is to prevail not by sheer brute power, but by survivability, flexibility, and transparent integration with the remainder of the force.
MQ-28 Ghost Bat – The Future Wingman
In today’s world, air superiority is not about unbroken, absolute dominance—it’s about fighting and winning in contested airspace.
Unmanned wingmen such as the MQ-28 Ghost Bat herald a future where air dominance is more of a spectrum than an on/off switch.
Technological advancements, shifts in tactics, and hard-won lessons from recent combat demonstrate that the most important thing is flexibility—shaping air power for the fight, not hoping the fight will conform to old dogma. The air domain will still be critical, but it will require new thinking and a willingness to shed old assumptions.