50. RC M346 Italian Fighter
So you want to own your own Italian fighter jet but don’t know whether or not it would be a good idea. Well, turn to the folks at RC Sparks Studios to get the answer. They have found one painted candy apple red, and made to scale. Even better? It’s wings and fins remove for ease of travel. There’s a carbon rod used to help stabilize the wing, and if you purchase the build kit you get the inlet duct, gas tank and assemlby hardware. The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master runs about $180 or so.
That’s a small price to pay for such a tricked out aircraft that is easy to assemble once it arrives. Of course, it is modeled after the jet trainer for Italian combat pilots. It was the only jet that was able to achieve transonic flights without the use of an afterburner. This was engineered and designed to help reduce operating and acquisition costs. The two engines and redundant triple quadruple systems help enhance its reliability. Of course, the RC fighter jets named after the real thing are capable of doing all that, for a few hundred dollars it’s nice to pretend.
49. RC Airbus 400M
Airbus 400M RC Media World does it again with this clip of the Airbus A400M. It’s a gigantic model for sure, and quite detailed to boot. Check out the side door that opens fully, revealing the interior. Also, notice the detail on the four propellers as well as the exterior of the plane’s hull. Great pains were taken to make sure this Airbus is themed out to be as authentic as possible. The best part? She flies beautifully. Why? This baby is not gas powered, that’s why. That’s right, this RC military aircraft is all electric and ready to fly! And while the Airbus may not be known for making such grand maneuvers as other RC fighter jets, she certainly looks pretty authentic taking to the sky as a military aircraft model. You can find this model for much cheaper then you would find an RC fighter jet. The reason is pretty simple. The airbus does not require any extras for acrobatics and such. She purely exists to take off, bank and land. This would be the perfect a RC starter plane. For about $200-$300 you can find a great one online. Not bad for getting your feet wet.
48. B-17 Flying FortressRC Military Aircraft
If you have about $300, you could buy a nice RC fighter jet model plane. However, you probably couldn’t score one that’s 19 feet long. That’s what you were looking at here. This is a scale model of the B-17 known as the “Flying Fortress”. RC Scale Airplanes posted a short video clip of this beast in action. It performs very similar to the real model, and looks the part, too. It has an aluminum overcast frame which gives it the durability needed for such a large RC aircraft. Upon takeoff, you have to hold the rear wing to keep it from rolling prematurely down the runway. This is necessary to let the engines gain RPMs before the aircraft is released. Once that happens, she flies beautifully and perfectly, provided you are adept enough with the controls. As we said earlier, for a a few hundred dollars you can find a smaller model, expect to pay upwards of $600 for this RC military aircraft. It’s a thing of pure beauty. Congrats to the owner, Peter Pfeffer “Peda” on showcasing his plane at the Austrian RC airshow.
47. RC Boomerang XL
RC Sparks has an extensive Youtube channel. They feature everything from RC trucks and cars to airplanes and boats. They know a thing or two about RC vehicles. So it should come as no surprise to find an RC Boomerang XL equipped with RC turbine jets as one of their featured showstoppers. This puppy has a 94 inch wing span, and is 92 inches long. As for speed? It can go a blazing 200mph in the sky. Not bad. The best part though? It disassembles to make travel easy. If you would like one of your own you can have it for under $500. Not bad for a model RC plane that will shoot through the sky. This one gets top marks from us! Also, see this list of fastest military jets.
46. RC BVM Bandit
Looking for a jet that’s fast? Well, look no further than the BVM Bandit. This super RC plane is equipped with RC turbine jets and can achieve speeds of 250 mph plus. That’s right, you read that correctly. Try to pull something like that off with your car, it’s impossible. It will also nab you more than your fair share of jail time. Yet, if you can convince Steve Prideaux, this RC plane’s owner, to let you pilot his scary fast jet, you will feel like king for a day. This one in particular has been taken on more than 170 flights. It is the pride and joy of the crew at Essential RC. Their video clip shows the BVM off with grace, style and mash. To find one of these yourself, you’ll need about $300. Course, that seems like such a small price to pay for something that can go so fast. It might be worth the investment, just be sure you beat me to the store. I’m on my way already!
45. BVM Kingcat
Check out the detail on this huge BVM Kingcat. It is an RC turbine jet plane themed out beautifully. The purple coloring on the wings, complete with a distressed checkerboard pattern contrasts nicely with the brilliant yellow underbelly. You will never lose this thing in the sky that’s for sure! Also, check out the pilot. He’s not real, but you would never know that if you were on the ground. If you have limited landing space that’s no problem. Notice the wheels of this beast are outfitted with brakes. That ensures quick stops on short runways. If you want one yourself then you may have to scour the Internet for a bit to try and find one. Newer models have made these things somewhat vintage. Still though, you should be able to find one for a few hundred dollars. Charge her up, take her out to the runway and let her fly. You won’t regret it!
44. CRJ-200 Air Canada Jazz
This CRJ-200 is 54” x 67”, and is a replica of an Air Canada plane.
43. 40% Clipped Wing Club
These two 40% Clipped Wing Cubs were seen being flown at the PVMAC field in Chino, California. These Cubs weigh roughly around 40 lbs. each with DLE 120 engines.
42. BAE Jetstream J-31
This BAE Jetstream J-31 is a replica of a United Express plane.
41. RC T-33 Trainer
This plane is a bit different. It’s a BVM T33 Shooting Star large-scale RC turbine jet plane. It looks much like the real McCoy, down to the color to wings and landing gear. However, the real fun is watching her fly. And, she can fly for quite a while too! This is not an electric powered RC plane, but one that runs on kerosene. The team at RC Sparks is once again responsible for bringing us epic footage of this fearless plane in flight.
The pilots were pretty experienced and make controlling the plane in windy conditions seem easy. Of course, it’s not. You would do well to wait for calmer conditions if you are new to flying RC military aircraft type plans. With a little practice though, you’ll be able to do exactly what these pilots do, act like a kid and enjoy every minute of it! Nothing wrong with that my friends, just after $150 to fund the habit.
40. DA 120
The DA 120 he is holding up against him is 138in.
39. Fisher Price with Wings
This Fisher-Price toy car has been modified for flight.
38. SR-71 RC Military Aircraft
If you ever have the chance, go to Hausen AM Albis. Held annually in Switzerland, it is an air show the likes of which you have never seen. It is an RC air show for starters. It also features some creative builds like the one you see here. This is an SR-71 Blackbird, complete with a real turbine engine! This particular one was designed and showcased by Roger Knobel. It flies like a dream and even features afterburners! Okay, well the afterburners are not real, but the plane does feature an afterburner effect. That took time and though and we appreciate the attention to detail. If you want one of your own then be prepared to give up about $800. Once you do though, you can tear up the skies like Roger. This plane maneuvers surprisingly like a real blackbird. That’s impressive for RC fighter jets and RC military aircraft.
Check out some more models of these amazing aircraft:
37. F-16 Fighter RC Military Aircraft
Okay, so this RC fighter jet is huge! How big? Well, try on a 1:4 ratio for size and get back to me. That’s a big freaking plane no matter how you slice it. This one happens to be owned by YouTube poster Mr. Seppanen. He decided to post a video of the scale model F-16 fighter jet to YouTube. It just happens to be its maiden flight so this was something special for sure.
Upon takeoff, it performed as expected with those four booster 160+ turbines giving up the speed needed for an impressive flight. Getting one of these yourself will cost you around $300 for a standard small-scale model, and upwards of $600 – $700 if you choose to scale up to something like Mr. Seppanen has. Either way owning one is a blast. I guess it just depends on how much money you are willing to spend in the end. Checkout these interesting facts on the F-16.
36. R/C Turbine Jet
This Turbine Jet has some pretty cool colored smoke trails while flying in Udine, Italy.
35. Northrop Grumman Rq-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a UAV surveillance aircraft that is unmanned. It has a similar use to the Lockheed U-2.
34. Jet Blue A320
This collector went all out to make his model RC Jet Blue A320.
33. F-22 Raptor RC Military Aircraft
These jets are known for tearing up the sky. In full scale production, the F-22 Raptors are feared around the world. As an RC military aircraft, they are respected. Check out the Youtube footage of this one brought to you by RC Sparks.
And while it is true, this is on of those RC fighter jets that does not have the capability of conducting a ground attack, or gaining signal intelligence, or waging electronic warfare, it is still impressive. It will blaze through the sky like its Lockheed Martin real-life counterpart. Expect to pony up right around $500 for this beast. Trade the scratch though and one thing is certain… you will never have buyer’s remorse again!
32. Parkmaster
This Parkmaster is high in the sky in flight.
31. F-35 Lightning RC Military Aircraft
This giant F-35 Lightning RC model plane can be seen making a demo flight thanks to the team at RC Media World. Piloted by Christian Gschwenter, this baby will fly much like it’s real world counterpart. This test flight was made at Bayreuth in 2016 of this year. Thanks, return spends dives and roles can all be performed with these RC fighter jets if you know how to fly them right. If you don’t, spend about $400 and get your own.
You can log plenty of practice time and ultimately wind up shredding the sky just like the RC fighter jets featured in our list. The gas powered engine ensures hours of use. Keep a can on standby to make sure you have an afternoon of high flying fun. These RC military aircraft planes are too much fun to fly. After all, everyone needs a hobby don’t they?
30. Modified STOL Aircraft
This is a modified STOL aircraft. STOL means short takeoff and landing aircraft.
29. RC Firebird Turbine
So you have probably seen cars on the Internet with that paint that changes color. Well, what about RC fighter jets that does the same? Look no further than this, the RC Adventures jet. The entire plane is covered in green paint with purple flames and wings. However, the paint changes color depending on the angle you view it at.
For instance, it could look green with purple flames, black with purple flames or an off hand shade of yellow. Pop the canopy off to reveal the electronic goods and take a minute to be amazed. Once your curiosity is satisfied, snap back on, fire her up and let this turbine jet lose. Just be sure you have money to pay for a replacement. This one cost about $15,000. Yep, you heard that right, $15,000. Don’t crash this one. It might set you back a few months.
Check out this awesome RC plane. It is modeled after the iconic A-10 Warthog. It features two RC turbine jets and can perform almost as well as the real thing. This RC model plane was actually debuted at the Model Air Show in Berlin Gatow Germany in the summer of 2015. We have to give credit to the fine folks at RC Media World for putting this little Youtube video clip together.
28. A-10 Warthog RC Military Aircraft
If you notice, the plane takes off and immediately shoots skyward. The landing gear doesn’t retract, but it certainly doesn’t get in the way of flight either. Barrel rolls loops and other maneuvers are performed with ease. Of course, a nice feature is the stunning detailed interior, complete with a cockpit that removes for easy cleaning. If you want one to call your own, plan on spending about $600. It’s worth it though, once you see how fun this jet is to fly!
27. Kitten Plane
This plane is specifically modified to fit a kitten as its pilot.
26. RC Sikorsky Military Helicopter
Each year, Europe holds one of the biggest radio controlled helicopter events. As such, you are sure to find a few unique things. Take for instance this Sikorsky Sea Stallion CH53 Big 6 Blade scale model. It was featured at the Swiss Heli Challenge in 2013. The most memorable thing about it? Well, besides being made to scale and pulling off an exact replica presentation of the real-world chopper, this one happened to have a perfect flight. This is actually harder to pull off then if you are flying one of those RC turbine jets we have featured up to this point. Helicopters have so many factors to consider when flying, yet only one stick to control them with. The RC model is slightly different yet takes about as much practice to pilot flawlessly. If you want to try your hand, come up with about $400 and you can find a good specimen to cut your teeth on. Who knows, you could end up in one of these events and might even be featured on our sight. Crash one and I can almost guarantee that!
25. EasyJet
This is an EasyJet RC plane is designed by the EasyJet Airline Company Limited, a British airline.
24. RC Mil Mi24 Military Helicopter
Leave it to the fine people of Norway to come up with an event featuring RC military aircraft. This event, held at Uddovoll Airbase every year is quite a crowd pleaser. No wonder. Look at what this guy is flying. His name it Totto and he happens to be the owner of the beautiful scale model Mil-Mi 24 RC military helicopter featured here. So how does it spec out? Well, it has a scale of 1:7.6 with a rotor diameter of 98.4 inches. Oh yeah, I guess we should have told you that this is not your average copter whirly bird toy. This Mil-Mi is rich with detail and flies beautifully. It weighs 51 pounds and is outfitted with weaponry as if it were the real deal. Amazing detail and beautiful performance, if you did not know better you might mistake it for the real thing from a distance.
23. Horizon
This Horizon is parked at a local RC airfield after a day of flights.
22. RC B-25 Mitchell Bomber
Okay. So this next RC military aircraft is huge! How big exactly? Well, how about this RC B-25 Mitchell Bomber is one third the size of an original. That is one massive model plane! She flies nice too. All you have to do is make sure the controls are hooked up, the gas tank is full and the power button is on. Then do what this guy did, enter her in the Weston Park Air Show. You will have to go to great Britain to do it though. That is where the festival is held. They have been holding the event for more than 20 years. It is a way to honor legendary fighter aircraft of the past. This one fit in nicely and it costs a pretty penny too. Larger planes like this one can run anywhere from $1,500-$3,000 depending. Worth every penny though! Checkout these images of old military aircraft.
21. Edge 540 60cc
This guy just unboxed his Edge 540 60cc. It’s bigger than him.
19. The Champ
The owner of this Champ wanted to get it in the air to enjoy the last minutes of sunlight for the day.
18. RC Sukhoi Su-30 Fighter
Germany has everything don’t they? Great food, amazing scenery and the Gottengen Air Show featuring every sort of RC turbine jet you could think of. Featured here is the Sukhoi SU30 MKK fighter jet. This scale model is made 1:6.5 and has a bonus… vector thrust control. This gives the vehicle added speed, tailored to be inserted with laser focus. It performs beautifully as well. Balzing fast climbs, rolls, loops and sharp turns are all a result of the vector control and true to life design. So if you ever find yourself in Germany for a while, be sure to look up Gottengen. If you are lucky, you could find the air show. If you are real lucky, you might end up with one. Expect to pay about $600 for it. Not bad for a fun, fast RC fighter jet! Checkout these images of Russian fighter jets.
17. MQ 9 Reaper Drone
This RC MQ-9 Reaper Drone is a replica of the real thing. Unfortunately, the plane has been discontinued so if you want one for your collection you’ll have to search for a private seller.
16. RC Canadian Snowbird Jet
This beauty hails from Canuckland, but don’t let her fool you. She is one of the finest RC military aircraft you will find. She is powered by a nice Jetcat P-160, but it gets better. She is actually piloted by an individual who has 11,500 hours of real world flight time. His name is Tony Hooper. He has flown more than 40 different aircraft in his day. This makes him an expert of sorts. This RC model airplane was flown at an RC show held in Rougham, Canada. It is a pretty big deal, even though the event is held at an abandoned airbase. People flock to see the spectacle, and watch RC fighter jets of all types perform. This particular plane is a bit more difficult to fly than others. Hence the reason Tony has all that flight experience before attempting to get her off the ground. Yet, if you want to try, you can. All you need is $1,500 to buy the kit, and a LOT of time to practice!
15.Turbine Glider
This cool Turbine Glider has been equipped with OPUS engines for high-speed flight.
14. RC Tomahawk Futura
Have you figured out what this jet is yet? Yep, it is a German model Tomahawk Futura. This one has been customized and will move! A turbine engine and slick controls make it a plane to covet. Ans as for piloting the thing… well if you thought the last one was difficult, try your hand at this one! It flies and responds like a real jet even though it is an RC turbine jet. Also, it happens to have a custom paint job, so you don’t want to go scratching it up.
If you are curious as to how much it would cost to get this RC military aircraft in the air, how does the number $11,000 sound? Yep, that is pretty steep. You can always grab a kit for much less though. The price increases every time you customize your creation. Look at this one though. Some would say its worth it!
13. Douglas DC-9-15 Hawaiian Airlines
This cool RC Hawaiian Airliners is 48” x 63”, and is a replica of an actual Hawaiian Airliners plane.
12. RC Virgin Atlantic Jet Airliner
If you’ve ever wondered about finding the biggest RC plane in the world, check this one out. This is not an RC fighter jet per se, but it is a jet airliner. It’s modeled after the Boeing 747-400 Virgin Atlantic Airliner. Of course, you might think this was made to market for Richard Branson’s Virgin music line. Maybe it is carted from place to place to get people familiar with the brand. Nope, a fan did this one.
Fans gather every year for the Airliner Meeting in Oppingen, Germany. This Boeing made its debut at the July 2015 gathering and made quite a splash. The scale ratio is 1:13 and she features 4x IQ Hammer 140 turbines that lift her into the air. That’s no small feat because she weighs 131 pounds and is 17.8 feet long! This is not a toy for children to fly. Flying this one requires skill and deft control. Plus it took a little more than 2,000 hours to build so I’m sure the first flight was a bit nerve racking. Checkout these images of Boeing aircraft.
11. Fairchild SA-227 Metroliner PenAir
This Fairchild SA-227 is 59” x 57”, and is a replica of an Alaskan Airliner plane.
10. AXN Floater
This was originally an AXN Floater, but due to some breaks in the plane, the collector got creative and designed a Mountain Dew bottle into the plane.
9. F 117
This cool F117 is high in flight during this sunset.
8. Hitec Extra 300s
These two kids are getting introduced to the hobby of model RC planes with this sweet Hitec Extra 300s.
7. 4 Engine Bomber
This RC 4 Engine Bomber is about to get sent out for flight.
6. Lockheed C-141B Starlifter
This Lockheed C-141B Starlifter is a replica of the C-141 in the Air Force.
5. RC Boeing Air France
Let’s fly in a Concord, shall we? Well we can come close at least. This jet you see here is an exact replica of the sonic boom creating beast. RC fighter jets: eat your heart out when it comes to the Concord. This one was again featured at the Oppingen Germany Air Show in 2015. It takes off and lands beautifully. The aircraft is piloted by its owner, Norbert Hesse. It’s about 4.4 m long and has a wingspan of 1.85 m.
It’s powered by a turbine jet and will absolutely sing once it gets lifted into the air. An RC military aircraft like this will cost right around $5,000 for the total build. That includes everything you need to instruct the plane as well as the remote radio components. These aren’t cheap, but they are worth it for sure. Plus, it’s not a game to an aircraft that most people will never even fly in their lifetime. That’s pretty slick right there for an RC enthusiast.
4. RC L-39 Albatros
A few moments ago we saw the world’s largest RC airliner. Well, take a look at the world’s largest RC turbine jet. It is the Breitling L-39 Albatros XXXL. This particular jet made its debut at the 2016 Euroflugtag Reidt. Don’t let the fancy words confuse you, this is simply an air show held in Germany each year. However, let’s get back to the business at hand. Specs for this beauty. She has a wingspan of 3.5 m, length of 4.5 m and a scale of 1:2,7.
That means she is one large plane. Something like this would cost you thousands of dollars to make, so it is typically best to stick with smaller RC jets if you’re looking to get into RC aircraft as a hobby. Still though, these are always fun to look at, and eventually entertain as an option, once you get a respectable stash of RC military aircraft in your possession.
3. F-14 Tomcat RC Military Aircraft
Remember that Wetson Air Show we mentioned a while back in England? Well here is another feature from the 2013 season. Of all the RC fighter jets we have featured, this one is perhaps the best. This Tomcat F-14 has afterburner effects like the SR-71 featured earlier, but it goes faster. It is a large RC plane too. Expect to pony up about 10k if you want to own something like this. The twin turbines help this Tomcat blaze across the sky. Yet, there is one caveat about this particular RC turbine jet. It was wing tested. That’s right. You can find videos of the owner testing the wings of the plane before its maiden voyage, Pretty smart when you think about it. It would be a crying shame to launch it in the air only to have it fall apart. Its best not to think about those things!
2. F/A-18 Hornet RC Military Aircraft
This incredible RC fighter jet comes to us courtesy of the Hausen Airshow. This particular jet was featured in the 2015 show and is none other then an F/A-18 Hornet. It’s a larger scale model plane, but it will fly. It has a wingspan of almost 2m and weighs 19 kg. Powered by a single jet turbine, it can loop, bank, roll and dive with the best of them. Cost for building one of these is right around $5,000, so you want to make sure you are all in if this is your thing. Plus, remember there is a learning curve when it comes to piloting jet RC aircraft like the ones you see in our list. These aren’t your typical RC planes. Mastering them takes time. Yet, so long as you get the training and have the patience, you can become a successful RC military aircraft pilot overtime. Then you can join the ranks of thousands of people worldwide who enjoy this great hobby/sport.
1. RC B-2 Spirit – Fastest Turbine Jet
This is the fastest RC turbine jet in the world. The B-2 Spirit. Well, at least for now. It set the Guinness World Recording 2016. So how fast does it go? How about 744 km/h, or 462 mph for those of us here in the states. I don’t care who you are, that’s blazing fast. The pilot is Niels Herbrich. Part of the speed gain is due to its weight. It weighs a paltry 7.5 kg and is powered by kerosene. However, the turbine engine is a beastly Behotec 180. Now, the only thing you want to make sure of when you fly this thing is that you stay out of the way. This is particularly true if you have another RC military aircraft nearby. The last thing you want is a midair collision. While it would look spectacular, neither plane would likely survive. That would be a bad day for both owners. Plus, a superior waste of money too. It cost about five grand to build the world’s fastest RC jet. You don’t come across those every day. You want to make sure you keep it in one piece!