Five Fighter Jet Production Lines Still Running Decades After Their First Flight

Five fighter-jet production lines are still active decades after their first prototypes flew, but the longest-running cases aren’t always truly “continuous.” The list spans a 37-year-old Russian-designed Su-30 family line now restarting in India after a five-year pause, to a U.S. design that has been built new in St. Louis for 54 years since its maiden flight. The rankings are based on manufacturer disclosures from Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, Saab and Hindustan Aeronautics, plus Boeing for the American jet. One entry also isn’t uninterrupted: it went dark for years before restarting under a new contract—different from a factory that never stopped.