With 12,731 airframes thundering off assembly lines into the line of fire, 
Boeing’s wartime B-17 Flying Fortress set the record for best-selling combat aircraft in history when it comes down to raw production numbers. This historic run was driven by the raging fires of World War II. Boeing’s innovative engineering and outstanding mass-production abilities were crucial to the Allied war effort at the time of democracy’s greatest crisis.
- Stock Code
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BA
- Business Type
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Planemaker
- Date Founded
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July 15, 1916
- CEO
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Kelly Ortberg
- Headquarters Location
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Chicago, USA
Stepping back to some of the other high-sellers also reveals an interesting trend. Making the P-38, T-33, C-130, F-16, and now the F-35, Lockheed Martin has never quite managed to outstrip the numbers that the legendary B-17 achieved, but they have more high-selling models overall. Boeing’s one, world-changing surge and Lockheed’s string of triumphs make each an icon in their own right. Let’s go down the list of seven exceptionally high-selling warbirds from both of these great American builders.
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
1,230+ sold
The F-35 Lightning II has been one of the most successful and revolutionary military aircraft programs from Lockheed Martin, and the United States. Also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), it was conceived to replace fourth-generation platforms in the US Air Force, Navy, and Marines, as well as international partners. Inter-service and Multinational cost-sharing helped make possible what has grown to be an epic defense project, spawning three variants of the stealth fighter.
At more than $400 billion in development and procurement costs, it is the largest defense program in history by dollar value, even eclipsing the atom bomb and B-29 Superfortress. Since it debuted in 2017, over 1,230 have been delivered and 3,400 ordered by 20 nations – and counting. In addition to its advanced capabilities, like stealth technology, advanced sensors, and network-centric systems, the F-35’s commercial success is also evident in diplomatic value.
Beyond the numbers, the F-35 is changing international defense relations and military aviation doctrine. It has sped up the world’s transition to fifth-generation fighters practically overnight, countering rivals like China and Russia in their own aircraft projects that are dwarfed by comparison. The broad international partnership has produced historically unheard-of interoperability among allied air forces.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
2,811+ sold
First flown in 1954 and put into service by 1956, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules is the most successful military transport aircraft, with the exception of WWII’s Douglas C-47 Skytrain. It has outstanding performance from short airstrips while transporting heavy loads of cargo. Lockheed’s mighty Hercules transformed military logistics using lessons learned from the Vietnam War.
Hercules can operate in areas that are unreachable by conventional transport aircraft thanks to its high wing configuration and four-turboprop engines. It offers remarkable dependability and versatility, and a modular design of the aircraft made it possible to create innumerable variations, like special operations platforms, gunships, tankers, and reconnaissance models.
The C-130 is one of the oldest military aircraft programs in the world as well. In the seven decades since it first took flight, more than 2,500 planes have rolled off the lines, and they aren’t expected to close any time soon. The Hercules is a truly global platform, having been flown by 28 different forces. The current C-130J Super Hercules is still in production, proving to have exceptional durability even in a time of digital technology.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
3,970 sold
Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was created in the twilight of World War II. The bomber was a generation leap forward in strategic capabilities and aviation technology. It was the first intercontinental strategic bomber in history. Developed in 1942, it was equipped with advanced fire control systems, remote-controlled defensive gun turrets, and a pressurized cabin, among a host of other technological breakthroughs. Its cost dwarfed even the Manhattan Project, costing double the price of the nuclear weapons program for which it was designed to carry.
The sophistication of the aircraft set new standards for the development of weapons systems and spurred enormous industrial investment. Between 1943 and 1946, Boeing produced 3,970 B-29s, one of the most intensive production runs of aircraft in history. The course of the Pacific Campaign in WWII was changed by the plane. The bomber allowed the United States to launch persistent strategic bombing campaigns against Japan. And ultimately delivered the only two nuclear weapons used in a time of war.
Despite the rapid onset of the jet age in the post-war era, many B-29s continued to serve into the 1950s throughout the Korean War. Beyond its use during the war, the B-29 had a significant influence on military aviation by drafting the framework for strategic air power doctrine and aerospace industry standards. Boeing developed the first jet-powered air transport and airliner, the 707, by drawing on its experience gained with the B-29 program.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
4,604+ sold
The lightweight fighter pushed by the “Fighter Mafia” veterans of the Vietnam War led the USAF to select the General Dynamics’ F-16 Fighting Falcon in the 1970s. The Viper, as it was later called, transformed military aviation with innovative features like a side-mounted control stick (yoke), relaxed static stability, and fly-by-wire flight controls. The F-16 put agility and pilot interface ahead of payload and speed, challenging the design of preceding fighter jets like the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom.
Due to its high agility and speed as well as low cost, coupled with America’s readiness to share the plane with allies through licensed production agreements, the F-16 has been a wild success. Over 4,600 aircraft have been produced since 1976, and 25 countries operate the type across six continents. Countries like South Korea, Belgium, and Turkey set up their own F-16 assembly lines, establishing a global industrial network that supported production for decades and brought in billions of dollars for the aerospace sector.
The F-16 was inherited by Lockheed Martin after it purchased the military division of General Dynamics in 1993. Its extensive use improved interoperability and training effectiveness by standardizing NATO and many allied air forces around a single platform. The aircraft’s continued production despite the rise of fifth-gen fighters only further exemplifies its outstanding performance and capability.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
6,557 sold
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is a two-seat trainer version of the F-80 fighter by the same name. When it was first flown in 1948, its goal was to help military pilots transition from propeller-driven aircraft to jet power in the early stages of the Cold War. It was perfect for introducing pilots to high speeds and swept-wing handling. It has a simple design, gentle handling qualities, and dependable single-engine setup.
There were 5,691 of the T-33 that were built between 1948 and 1959, and they served over 20 nations over several decades of service. Due to economies of scale brought about by its widespread adoption, allied air forces now share common operating procedures and training costs. Globally, military aviation training doctrine and pilot development were directly formed with the help of the T-33.
Air forces around the world were able to set up independent jet training programs because of the T-33’s ease of flying and simplicity of maintenance. That made it possible to fill the ranks with thousands of skilled pilots who would go on to fly more advanced jets. Many of the T-33 aircraft continued to fly into the twenty-first century, making it one of the longest produced and flown planes in American history.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
10,037 sold
Clarence “Kelly” Johnson’s debut design and one of the most innovative aircraft of WWII was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. It was also one of the most produced because it had already entered development and early examples were delivered before the start of the war. The P-38 had excellent high-altitude performance, long range, and heavy firepower. It remains the most numerous twin-engine, twin-boom fighter ever made.
The aircraft had numerous cutting-edge features for the time, like tricycle landing gear, turbo-supercharged engines, and complex intercooler systems. Along with its crowd-pleasing streamline shape, it raised the bar for piston-powered fighters. During the war, Lockheed produced 10,037 P-38s, making it the most successful plane in Lockheed’s history. The P-38 even passed on its namesake to the modern F-35 today.
The Lightning had a major influence in the Pacific and served in every theater of WWII. Its versatility and effectiveness were demonstrated by the fact that many Allied air forces, including those from Britain, Australia, and the Free French, all flew variants of their own. Fighter doctrine and military aviation development were changed by the P-38. In no small part, thanks to the success of the Lightning, Kelly Johnson would form Skunk Works and go on to make many of the most famous planes in USAF history.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
12,731 sold
Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress was the cornerstone of American strategic air power during WWII and a symbol of American strength. Its maiden flight was in 1935 and by 1945, there were 12,726 B-17s that had rolled off Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed-Vega lines. High production translated into combat power, as hundreds of B-17s flooded German airspace daily, crippling industry and forcing the Luftwaffe to pull fighters and air defenses from the front for home defense.
The sheer volume of aircraft in attack formations allowed for “combat boxes,” which were mutually defensive, with hundreds of .50 caliber machine guns in overlapping fire arcs between planes. The potential of industrial output as a strategic weapon was demonstrated by the numbers over every theater of WWII.
The production run of The Flying Fortress changed doctrinal thinking toward air power and wartime manufacturing. In order to meet quotas, Boeing implemented assembly line innovations that later became commonplace in postwar aviation. Ideas like section-assembly, subcontracting, and statistical quality control all made it possible to produce the incredible number of Flying Fortresses.
