What is the fastest military aircraft in the world. What is the fastest plane in the world

Looking through old films, newspapers and magazines, you can see how quickly the world of mankind is changing. Everything is noticed, starting from fashion, ending, of course, with achievements in technology. Even planes used to be different, not as fast and functional. So what, I wonder, is the fastest plane in the world?

To answer this question, you will have to get a little familiar with the terms that are so common in the aviation industry. The plane, as it turned out, is a serial product, which is controlled by a pilot. Also, the product has two wings, stabilizers and other attributes of the aircraft fuselage.

NASA in 2004 tested the X-43A project, which had a jet engine. As the test showed, the project developed the X-43A at a speed of 11,230 km / h. Naturally, this was not without the attention of the Guinness Book of Records, which, together with NASA, called this test project the fastest aircraft in the world. However, it is worth noting here that this is still a drone launched from another aircraft, and a rocket launcher as an engine. Therefore, it certainly cannot be called a real aircraft.

The SR-71 Blackbird is a manned supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, perhaps the fastest manned aircraft. It was named that way because its fuselage color is dark blue. The blackbird was operated until 1998, but due to uneconomical operation, low reliability, it was no longer used in practice (12 aircraft were lost from total 32 aircraft). The maximum speed that the SR-71 Blackbird developed was 3,540 km/h. This is an absolute record for today.

Aviation cannot do without mentioning and getting to know the MIG-25 aircraft. According to many pilots, this soviet fighter can reach speeds up to 200 km / h more than the SR-71 Blackbird - up to 3,600 km / h. The only thing that did not allow the MIG-25 to become a record holder was the lack of official confirmation of such a speed.

The next place also belongs to the Soviet long-range fighter - SU-31. This aircraft was developed back in 1979 at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, and in 1981 it was already put into service. Since that time, SU-31 has been the representative air force Russia. The maximum speed that this long-range fighter is capable of is 3,000 km/h. However, pilots should know better, because many of them believe that the speed of 3000 km / h is far from the limit for the SU-31.

American aircraft of the 4th generation has a speed of 2650 km / h;

The modern Russian prototype of the 5th generation has a speed of up to - 2600 km / h

Classic Soviet fighter, design speed - 2500 km / h.

XB-70 "Valkyrie"

This aircraft was designed for the US Army. Its functions also include the ability to carry a nuclear charge. It is considered one of the fastest bomber aircraft in the world. The total number of production of such aircraft is only 2 units. Max Speed, which is subject to this bomber - 3,187 km / h.

Used from 1969 to 1985, it is considered one of the best combat aircraft. The maximum speed that the MiG-25 develops is 3,000 km / h.

A Soviet-issue interceptor fighter that operates at a long range. It was developed specifically to protect against opponents, the possibility of intercepting them at various heights at the very different time days and absolutely at any weather conditions. MiG - 31 is capable of accelerating to a maximum of 3,000 km / h.

This bomber aircraft was developed in 1960. The main task, which was put into the project of this aircraft, is its practical electronic warfare and reconnaissance function. It is capable of accelerating to a maximum of 2,655 km/h.

IN civil aviation there are also races for the championship in speed in the air. Of the main competitors, the Soviet TU-144 and Concorde (French-English project) should be singled out. The speed that is subject to the TU-144 is 2,500 km / h, and that of the Concorde is 2,300 km / h. However, in practice, the Soviet passenger aircraft did not carry out as such passenger traffic, therefore, it was Concorde that became the record holder for speed in civil aviation. This project has a great practice in the transportation of passengers, however, already in 2000 its operation was banned.

Su-27 - 2500 km / h

Su-27 - Soviet/Russian multipurpose highly maneuverable all-weather heavy fighter fourth generation, developed by the Sukhoi Company. It was conceived as a direct competitor to large fourth-generation fighters designed in the United States, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle. The first flight of a prototype Su-27 took place on May 20, 1977, and in 1985 it entered service. Soviet Air Force. Today it is one of the main fighters of Russia, its modifications are in service with India, China and many other countries.

General Dynamics F-111 - 2655 km / h

General Dynamics F-111 - supersonic American tactical bomber, aircraft aerial reconnaissance And electronic warfare, developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics. He made his first flight on December 21, 1964, and was put into operation on July 18, 1967. He took part in the fighting in Vietnam. In total, 562 examples were produced for the US Air Force and the Australian Air Force during the production period.

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle - 2665 km/h

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter developed in the early 70s by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), commissioned by the US Air Force to gain air superiority. Its first flight took place in July 1972. In 1974 it was put into operation. Exported to Israel, Japan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

MiG-31 - 3000 km / h

The MiG-31 is a two-seat supersonic heavy interceptor fighter. Work on its creation began at RAC MiG PJSC in 1968. The first flight took place on September 16, 1975. The aircraft was built on the basis of a single-seat MiG-25, primarily to cover the territory of the USSR from being hit by cruise missiles from the Arctic, where there was no continuous radar field. It is the first Soviet fighter of the fourth generation.

North American XB-70 Valkyrie - 3309 km / h

North American The XB-70 Valkyrie is a prototype of an American strategic bomber that was supposed to fly at an altitude of 21 thousand meters at a speed three times the speed of sound. Only two examples were built. The first experimental XB-70 Valkyrie aircraft first flew on September 21, 1964, the second on July 17, 1965. One of the aircraft is now in the National Museum of the US Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. The second on June 8, 1966, while flying in formation of several aircraft, collided in the air with a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter fighter, fell to the ground and completely collapsed.

Bell X-2 - 3370 km / h

Bell X-2 is an American experimental aircraft designed to study aerodynamic and thermodynamic characteristics during flight at speeds from 2 to 3 Mach (Mach number). Its development began in 1945 by the Bell Aircraft Corporation in cooperation with NACA and the US Air Force. The creation of the X-2 aircraft was completed in 1952, and in 1953 its testing began. Only two examples were built. Both crashed, after which the research was stopped.

MiG-25 - 3470 km / h

The MiG-25 is a supersonic Soviet / Russian fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, the world's first serial fighter that reached a speed of more than 3 thousand km / h. It was developed by JSC RSK MiG in the early 1960s. It is the last aircraft designed by Mikhail Gurevich before his retirement. The first flight of the prototype took place in 1965, and in 1970 it was put into operation. A total of 1190 copies were produced.

Lockheed YF-12 - 3661 km / h

The third place in the list of the fastest manned aircraft in the world is occupied by the Lockheed YF-12, an American interceptor prototype developed by the famous aircraft designer Clarence Johnson based on the Lockheed A-12 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. This aircraft is the world's largest manned interceptor. It first took to the air on August 7, 1963. A total of three YF-12s were produced, each valued at approximately $18 million. After a series of flight tests, the project was closed.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - 3818 km / h

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is an American strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed in the late 50s by Lockheed based on the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. It is the first aircraft created using stealth technology. Its first flight took place on December 22, 1964. He was in service with the United States from 1964 to 1998 and was actively used for espionage. A total of 32 aircraft were produced, 12 of which crashed in accidents (none were shot down).

North American X-15 - 7274 km / h

The North American X-15 is a hypersonic experimental rocket plane that has set a number of world speed and altitude records (107.96 km). Work on its creation began in 1955 and was entrusted to North American Aviation. A total of three prototypes were produced. On March 10, 1959, the car took to the air for the first time. Over the course of nine years - from 1959 to 1968, out of the planned 200 test flights, the X-15 carried out 199. The record was the flight of the pilot Joe Walker on August 22, 1963.

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The Americans have released another of the fastest aircraft in the world. But Saker S-1 is not just another development of NASA scientists. This is an aircraft that can work wonders.

Saker S-1 speeds up to 1207 kilometers per hour. Although relatively slow for a military vehicle, this vehicle does not require long runways, climbs almost 14 kilometers, and costs only $5 million. Such money is a huge amount, but for an air liner with such characteristics, it is quite sane.

This is felt when compared with the prices of other aircraft, for example: the F / A-18 Hornet carrier-based attack fighter, which costs 50 million. Also, the US government has publicly stated that any American citizen can buy the Saker S-1.

The men's online magazine MPORT has selected 10 aircraft that have entered the history of mankind due to their incredible speed.

Tupolev Tu-144

Tupolev Tu-144 is not a plane, but solid records. This is the world's first supersonic aircraft that was used for commercial purposes. In 1969, the Tu-144 overtook the molecular propagation of sound waves at an altitude of 11,000 meters. The maximum speed of such an air liner is 2500 km/h. There is no doubt that the Tupolev Tu-144 is the pride of the nation.

Source: hiconsumption.com

F-15 Eagle

The F-15 Eagle is an American tactical fighter that has gone through more than one baptism of fire. This military aircraft participated in the battles in the Middle East, Yugoslavia and Persian Gulf. And most importantly: no one ever knocked him out. Maximum speed: 2650 km/h.

Source: www.theawesomer.com

Aardvark F111

Although the Aardvark F111 has already been taken out of production today, this strategic fighter could reach speeds of up to 1475 km / h near the ground, which is important for conducting tactical shelling and destroying ground opponents. Maximum acceleration: 2655 km / h.

Source: 1oflimited.com

MiG-31

MiG-31 is one of the fastest aircraft. The maximum speed of such a fighter reaches 3000 km / h. And most importantly: this air warrior can fight and accelerate to the maximum in any weather conditions.

Source: www.gizmag.com

MiG-25

MiG-25 is not a fighter, but a masterpiece. Although it was discontinued in 1985, this aircraft is still in service with the Russian Air Force.

Source: www.gizmag.com

XB-70 Valkyrie

The XB-70 Valkyrie is the pride of the US Air Force. This bomber with full ammunition is capable of accelerating to 3187 km / h. The only funny thing is that there are only 2 units of such Valkyries in the world.

Source: wordlesstech.com

Bell X-2 Starbuster

For what spaceships? The Americans decided to fly into open space by plane. Therefore, they came up with the Bell X-2 Starbuster. This test liner is capable of climbing 38 kilometers, accelerating to 3380 km/h. Therefore, scientists made it from special alloys of nickel, copper and steel, thus trying to reduce friction against air. It is a pity that the number of such space planes also did not exceed 2 units, like the XB-70 Valkyries.

Our age of speed and competition sometimes makes you think, but of all existing ones?

In this article, we will try to most fully and impartially answer this question. First you need to define terms.

For an aircraft, we will take a serial product controlled by a pilot and having two wings, stabilizers and other attributes of the aircraft fuselage. NASA in 2004 tested an experimental project X-43A with a jet engine, which reached a speed of 11230 km / h, according to the results of NASA tests, together with the Guinness book, they hurried to name it the fastest plane in the world. In fact, this is a drone, produced in several copies, launched from another aircraft and used as an engine. rocket launcher, so you can't call it an airplane.

Of modern military manned aircraft, the American strategic supersonic reconnaissance SR-71 Blackbird blackbird, so named because of the dark blue color of the fuselage, is recognized as the fastest. This futuristic object was operated until 1998, due to high operating costs and low reliability, in total 12 out of 32 aircraft were lost, then operation ceased. The maximum recorded speed of the SR-71 Blackbird developed - 3540 km / h. Which is a record today. Thus, we can say that today it is 3540 km / h.

SR-71 Blackbird

It should be noted that the Soviet MIG-25 fighter, according to the pilots, could easily reach speeds, albeit short-term, up to 3600 km / h, which is almost 200 km / h more than the SR-71. But since, according to international rules, the speed was not officially recorded, the record remained with the SR-71 Blackbird.

Next on the list Russian fighter long-range interceptor SU-31. This aircraft was developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau back in 1979 and put into service in 1981, and has been successfully operated to this day. The maximum speed of the SU-31, in accordance with the technical documentation, is 3,000 km/h. But according to the assurances of the pilots, he is capable of more.

This bomber was developed back in 1960. Its main purpose was to carry out reconnaissance and conduct electronic warfare. The maximum speed of this device is 2655 km / h.

The fastest passenger plane

From civil aviation, the speed palm was shared by the Soviet TU-144 and the Franco-English Concorde project. The design speed of the T-144 was 2500 km / h against 2300 km /, at Concorde, but due to the fact that the TU-144 practically did not carry out passenger traffic, the nomination most fast passenger plane necessary , hand over to Concorde, which had been flying regularly for many years, until its operation was banned in 2000.

When it comes to speed, it's breathtaking. If we are talking about planes flying at supersonic speeds - this is something fantastic. All of these aircraft are masterpieces of engineering, equipped with the most advanced technologies of their time.

Top 10

He has a truly fantastic speed in 11,230 km/h. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Developed using a technology alternative to turbojet engines in our time.

Although its maximum speed is listed as 12 144 km/h He's not in first place. This is explained by the fact that at the time of testing, the X-43 record was not broken. Both the first and second aircraft were developed by NASA using the latest technology.

It is rightfully considered one of the fastest aircraft with a pilot on board. The maximum speed it can reach is 8200 km/h. This is almost seven times the speed of sound. The aircraft was designed for research into hypersonic flight. X-15 is equipped with a rocket engine. However, he can only take to the air on board a bomber. strategic purpose from where it starts. The maximum altitude reached by the aircraft is 107 kilometers.

1. "Blackbird" or SR-71

The aircraft is reconnaissance in the US Air Force. The machine was produced in limited quantities - 32 aircraft. The first air vehicle equipped with stealth technology. Max speed approx. 4102 km/h. The plane was actively used for espionage.

1. YF-12

Outwardly, it does not differ from the Blackbird, except that it carries air-to-air weapons. It was the predecessor and prototype of the SR-71. Max speed: 3,661 km/h.

1. Legendary MiG-25

It was designed to intercept the American Blackbird and had a speed of 3916 km/h. Characteristics of this combat aircraft impressive - at a speed of more than 3 times the speed of sound, it was capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 25 kilometers. It proved itself very well in a number of military conflicts.

What makes it unique is that in 1954 it reached an unimaginable speed for that time. But after an unsuccessful flight, the release program was closed. Max speed: 3,370 km/h.

1. "Valkyrie" XB-70

Truly a heavy duty aircraft of the times cold war. Designed to deliver nuclear weapon for a short time. High speed (3672 km/h) allowed to avoid the consequences nuclear explosion, as well as from enemy interceptors.

1. MiG-31

With a speed of 3464 km/h. This aircraft, thanks to its most powerful engines, was able to develop such a speed at any altitude. The technical radar filling made it possible to control several aircraft over a fairly large area.

It's incredible, but this aircraft has been in service for 40 years and will serve the US Air Force for at least another 8 years. His speed is 3065 km/h, and specifications and scope make it indispensable for the Air Force.

Top 4 passenger aircraft

1. Tu-144

The legendary Soviet supersonic liner, had a speed of 2430 km/h. A truly fantastic result for that time among passenger aircraft. By the will of fate gave way to Concorde, which for a long time(until 2003) carried out passenger transatlantic flights.

If we talk about the projected passenger aircraft, this model deserves a place in the top. Even from the name it becomes clear that the future aircraft will overcome the speed of sound ( 2335 km/h). The aircraft will be designed for any category of passengers.

Reaches speed in 1153 km/h. The fastest civilian vessel with the status of a business aircraft. Used mainly as a private for wealthy businessmen and business people.

And, finally, the fastest scheduled passenger aircraft is an engineering masterpiece by Airbus. The latest aircraft, which, in addition to its speed, is also the world's largest double-deck airliner. Max speed: 1,020 km/h.

Military aircraft

The fastest military aircraft in the world can be called the Russian MiG-25 and the American SR-71. An interesting fact is that the Soviet fighter was created in fact to neutralize the American intelligence officer. The MiG set a lot of speed records of its time. The pilots who piloted this machine claimed that the aircraft was able to overcome the mark of Mach 3.5 (speed of sound). This value is greater than that of the American Blackbird. However, this is not documented anywhere. In turn, the SR-71 did not have sufficient reliability. In the entire history of its flights, a third of the vehicles produced have been lost.

Combat aircraft

Much has already been said about the champions of military aircraft in various years. The fastest combat aircraft currently in use is the MiG-31. The fighter is designed to destroy targets in the air at any altitude and in any weather conditions. It is not a problem for the machine to use thermal and radio interference by the enemy.

Designed to intercept cruise missiles. Nowadays, they are used in military conflicts to solve a wide range of tasks. For some time they were used as "special forces" in the troops air defense Russia.

The video shows the takeoff of this high-speed car

turboprop aircraft

A truly unique aircraft that has been in service since the distant 1952 (!) Years. The speed for that time was amazing - 924 km/h. Engines, with a capacity of 15,000 forces, set a Guinness record for screw engines. The aircraft is still in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and performs wide range combat missions.

An interesting fact is that the speed of the Tu-95 is slightly less than the speed of the jet American B-52. The armament and technical characteristics of the aircraft make it possible to safely hit targets beyond the range of enemy radar equipment.

The relevance of the machine is also confirmed by its use in the military conflict in Syria, where the bomber regiment successfully completed a number of tasks assigned to it.

In conclusion, it should be noted that aircraft production technologies do not stand still. However, those aircraft that were discussed above will firmly take their place in the history of aircraft construction as advanced aircraft at that time. Who knows what records await humanity in the future, and what goals the new hypersonic aircrafts. All this will show time.