8 Of The Best Jets Lockheed Martin Has Ever Manufactured

Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, established in 1912, capitalized on the nascent and growing aviation industry that sprang up almost immediately after the Wright Brothers took flight at Kitty Hawk. The company name was changed to Lockheed Aircraft Company in 1926, just before going bankrupt due to the Great Depression. The company was eventually bought followed by another name change to Lockheed Corporation, succeeded by a period of successful aircraft construction that helped it evolve into one of the world's premier military aviation defense contractors.

World War II allowed Lockheed to excel in fulfilling military contracts, developing some of the machines that proved invaluable to the Allied war effort and eventual victory. Upon the emergence of the jet age, Lockheed found itself at the forefront of jet aircraft development, taking the lead in supplying the United States Air Force with the best aircraft in the skies contributing to the maintaining of balance during the Cold War. Lockheed's Skunk Works advanced design and development arm created sophisticated and highly classified new aircraft under complete secrecy beginning in the 1950s and continues that cutting-edge development today. A March 1995 merger with a long-time manufacturer of weapons systems, Martin Marietta Corporation, created Lockheed Martin, the defense giant we have today.

Some of the finest aircraft used by the United States, its allies, and partners come from Lockheed Martin, including our fastest and most fearsome fighter jets. This is a look at the eight finest models produced by the company to date.

The most capable and advanced fighter jet at the disposal of the United States Military presently is the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. To call it advanced does not do it justice, as the avionics and communication suites along with the weapons control systems rise above a level of sophistication that few people can comprehend. Available in three variants for the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, each one has specific capabilities and strengths custom-tailored for the role in which they are used. For example, Navy F-35B variants feature additional downward-facing fans mounted amidships providing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability to a jet that can fly at supersonic speeds. Impressive as that may be, the communications equipment of all the variants might impress even more.

Built with stealth technology to reduce its radar cross-section to the size of a golf ball, the F-35 keeps a range of weapons from sidewinder missiles to laser-guided bombs stored in internal bays and augmented by an onboard 25mm cannon. However, what makes it so effective at combat is its data link communications that interlink with other aircraft in a squadron, ground vehicles, and sea-based craft, providing real-time coordination with up-to-date information on the fly. It gathers information from satellites and multiple sensors to locate and track targets and continues communication with its weapons after they have been fired, guiding them to within inches of a target.

F-35s are not the fastest or most agile planes in the skies, but they retain an advantage by having coordinated attacks lined up long before encountering any adversary.

Before satellite technology had matured to the point that we could launch multiple surveillance units into space providing a real-time watch over our adversaries, the DoD and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) wanted a way to keep tabs on the goings on behind the Iron Curtain. In the 1950s, it was decided that only a high-flying plane with advanced imagery equipment could see what was happening on the ground while remaining out of range of anti-aircraft weapons.

Initially developed by the Lockheed Skunk Works division under complete secrecy, the U-2 performed its maiden flight in 1955. Shortly thereafter, the CIA began flights over the Soviet Union to monitor nuclear weapons development. Flying at 70,000 feet was thought to keep it out of range for Soviet radar systems, but CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down in 1960 near Moscow, creating an international diplomatic crisis and ending the flights.

The U-2 continued flying and is still used today, though the Air Force is retiring the legendary U-2 spy plane in 2026. Even in the age of satellite technology, U-2s have continued providing high-definition photography not contingent upon an orbit path and at a much closer distance than from space. The incredibly high flight ceiling and range of 7,000 miles thanks to its highly fuel-efficient engine and glider-like flying characteristics have kept the plane relevant and useful, especially with updates of modern state-of-the-art imagery and communications equipment. Though the U-2 has flown for nearly 70 years, unmanned aerial vehicles are likely taking its place.

While supersonic fighter jets are the glitz and the glam of military aviation, none of them can get anywhere to do anything without the big brute workhorses shuttling supplies and troops around. While Lockheed's fighter jets are quite impressive, the company also has logistics covered with the massive Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy. First flying in 1968, the C-5 was the largest flying plane in the sky until the Antonov AN-124 outflanked it by 28 tons of gross weight in 1982.

When top brass at the DoD realized they needed a jet-powered cargo aircraft to replace the turboprop C-133 Cargomaster, they conceived of a new plane that would eventually be the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The first fully operational aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1970, and they can carry up to a 291,000-pound payload while cruising at 540 mph with a range of 6,320 nautical miles without aerial refueling, nearly doubling the capabilities of its predecessor.

Flown exclusively by the Air Force, it has been indispensable in providing heavy lift transport for global operations of the United States Military, including multiple Cold War missions throughout Europe and later operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, moving supplies and heavy armor to troops in places flung far afield. Though it has been flying for more than 50 years, current airframes are estimated to have 80% lifespan remaining, and updates to the avionics and engines will keep them flying for years to come.

Any time a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is spotted on the tarmac, it becomes instantly recognizable. With its long and slender fuselage and short straight wings, its design seems to fly in the face of convention when compared to other successful jet fighters of its era. Cosmetically, the airframe appears as though it is an engine with a couple of wings attached and a little pod for the pilot up front. However, it was the first American fighter jet to sustain a supersonic flight above Mach 2.

Korean War encounters with the fast MiG-15 led to calls for a light and fast aircraft that could intercept the Soviet jets and establish air supremacy, and the F-86 Sabre was struggling to dominate enemy MiG fighters. This influenced the design of the F-104, and its barrel-like shape, razor-sharp wings for reduced drag, and incredibly short wingspan gave it incredibly fast climb rates and overall top speed. Equipped with a six-barrel 20-millimeter cannon and just two sidewinders on the wingtips, the F-104 had to attack and fire with a hasty retreat. Its wide turning radius made it less effective in dogfighting, making flat-out speed its biggest advantage.

Although the F-104 Starfighter proved to be an impressive high-speed fighter, it also had many flaws. It performed well in specific scenarios and disadvantaged in too many others. Most of all, it has a poor safety record, claiming the lives of 115 pilots during its service period. Accidents were common, garnering it the nicknames of "the flying coffin" and "the widow maker."