Jet airliners like an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 777, can fly at speeds
that reach over 900 km/h. And that is really really fast, so much that
these aircraft cross countries and even continents in just a few hours.
But there are certain aircraft that can fly at a much faster speeds.
However, these flights are reserved only to the military and special
government operations, and they can fly at over 7,000 km/h!
Extremely high speeds, usually Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) are
essential in certain operations in military aviation. Interceptors need
to be quick to address an enemy aircraft before they reach their
destiny. And on the other hand, spy planes need to fly fast enough to do
what they need do before being detected and intercepted.
In the commercial sector, however, the only attempt to carry
passengers at supersonic speeds was with the Concorde, which flew from
1976 to 2003, but might return to the skies soon. Capable of flying at
2200 km/h, the plane could fly from Paris to Rio de Janeiro in only 6
hours, which now takes over 12 hours on board a Boeing 777, for example.
The industries of the United States and Russia were the ones that
created the fastest aircraft ever flown, and naturally they are all for
military use. See the list below of the 10 fastest aircraft of all time:
10 – F-111 Aardvark
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| Image: USAF |
General Dynamic F-111 “Aardvark” was one of the most widely used jet
bombers in history and is known for the accuracy of it’s attacks at high
speed. It was launched in 1964 and reached 2655 km/h. The US Air Force
used that plane in nearly every conflict in which they were involved
from the 1970’s until 1990.
9 – F-15 Eagle
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| Image: Wikimedia |
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 “Eagle” first flew in 1972 and can reach 2665
km/h. Once considered the world’s best fighter until the arrival of
Russian-made Su-27. The F-15 is the main fighter used by the air forces
of the US, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
8 – Tupolev Tu-144
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| Image: http://techpedia.lk |
In addition to the Concorde, another supersonic airliner was the Tupolev
Tu-144, developed in the former Soviet Union. The aircraft flew for a
short time between 1975 and 1979, and was soon removed from service for
safety reasons. The aircraft never presented full operating conditions
and many problems arose while it was active. The aircraft could carry
167 passengers and reach a top speed of 2878 km/h.
7 – MIG-31
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| Image: http://techpedia.lk |
Evolution of the MIG-25, the MIG-31 can honor the family name. It can
reach up to 3030 km/h and has one of the most powerful radar systems
ever used in a fighter plane, able to track other aircraft from more
than 400 km away. It launched in 1975 and nowadays serves the Air Forces
of Russia and Kazakhstan.
6 – XB-70 Valkyrie
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| Image: http://techpedia.lk |
The monumental North American XB-70 Valkyrie was a bomber prototype that
flew in 1964 and reached a top speed of 3300 km/h. After problems in
the program, that included a budget much larger than anticipated and a
serious accident, the project was canceled. To date, the US military is
still trying to develop an aircraft of this size and speed.
5 – Bell X2
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| Image: Wikimedia |
Evolution of X1, the first plane to exceed the speed of sound in 1947,
the Bell X2 was a prototype to test the reaction of the fuselage above
mach 3 speeds. In 1955 the experimental aircraft reached 3370 km/h. The
lessons learned in this project were applied in many airplanes
manufactured in the USA afterwards.
4 – MIG-25
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| Image:rostec.ru |
One of the most feared aircraft of the former USSR, the Mig-25 first
flew in 1964 and stunned the world by reaching 3400 km/h and to this day
is the fastest aircraft in operation in the world. Still active in the
air forces of Algeria, Azerbaijan and Syria.
3 – YF-12
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| Image: Wikimedia |
The Lockheed YF-12 was a prototype interceptor aircraft of the US Air
Force that could fly at 3,661 km/h. The project was canceled after
complications and forecasts of extremely high operating costs, but its
development was used to create the spy plane SR-71.
2 – SR-71
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| Image:migflug.com |
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a strategic reconnaissance aircraft
that flew at 3540 km/h. Launched by the US Air Force in 1964, it was
then was passed over to NASA, who used it until 1999 on high-speed tests
at high altitude.
1 – X-15
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| Image: Wikimedia |
The fastest plane ever, the North American X-15 prototype, reached an
incredible 7273 km/h in 1967. The plane was a joint project of the US
Air Force and NASA, who researched new ways to reach speeds hitherto
unthinkable. To fly, the X-15 had to be launched from a B-52 bomber and
only then start its engines. After the flight, the pilot landed the
prototype like a conventional aircraft.