In the world there are a large number of aircraft that have crossed the line of speed at Mach 2 (2448 km / h). Some of them are research vehicles, but most of them are military or reconnaissance vehicles.
You must admit that there is something mesmerizing in flight at supersonic speed, which all the fastest planes in the world can achieve. Just imagine: you are at an altitude of five kilometers, you hear a clear “forward” command in the headphones and squeeze the throttle back to the stop. You feel how a powerful engine accelerates you to a speed inconceivable for any other life form on our planet.
But the matter is not in you at all - you are just a passenger. The plane you fly on is the true work of art; the labor and knowledge of hundreds of designers and engineers has been invested in it. Now we will tell you about the ten most rapid aircraft in the world.
10. Su-27 | 2876.4 km / h
Su-27 can reach Mach 2.35. This aircraft is the pinnacle of engineering in the former Soviet Union. This aircraft has two engines and an electronic control system, first used on Soviet combat aircraft. This machine was created to gain superiority in the air, and for this he had to withstand a new generation of American aircraft, such as the F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 is armed with a 30-mm cannon and has 10 suspension points for air-to-air missiles, which can hit the enemy at medium and short distances. Su-27 is a really cool car, despite the fact that it first flew up to the sky more than 35 years ago, these fighters are still in service. Numerous modifications of the Su-27 have been created. And the most modern of them are a formidable adversary for any aircraft.
9. General Dynamics F-111 | 3060 km / h
The ninth number of our list of the fastest aircraft in the world, is not a fighter, it is a tactical bomber that can reach Mach 2.5. This beautiful aircraft was decommissioned in 1998. It had nine external suspension points and two bomb compartments inside the fuselage. All this allowed him to lift into the air and deliver to the target 14,300 kg of conventional or nuclear bombs, carry air-to-air missiles, or it was possible to mount a multi-barreled high-speed gun on it. F-111 also called Anteater. The F-111 was the first aircraft to be launched in the series, with a variable sweep of the wing, and this gave this aircraft tangible advantages.
8. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle | 3065 km / h
This is an American all-weather fighter, which is considered one of the most successful aircraft, it is still in service with the US Air Force. F-15 eagle belongs to the fourth generation, has two engines and excellent thrust-to-weight ratio. All this allows you to accelerate an aircraft weighing 18,000 kg to a speed of 2.5 times higher than the speed of sound. The F-15 Eagle made its first flight back in 1976, but today it is considered an important part of the US Air Force weapons and will remain in service until 2025. The Americans delivered 1200 copies of these aircraft to their closest allies: Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The current plans of the American command to continue the production of these machines, until 2019.
Initially, this aircraft was conceived as a means of gaining superiority in the air, but then a modification of the F-15E Strike Eagle was released, which can already be attributed to fighter-bombers. This machine can take on board air-to-air missiles Sparrow, Sidewinder, additional fuel tanks or aircraft bombs. For this, the F-15E Strike Eagle has 11 suspension points. In addition, this aircraft is armed with a 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rapid-firing gun. Not surprisingly, this aircraft has more than 100 confirmed victories in air battles.
7. MiG-31 | 3463.92 km / h
This aircraft can reach Mach 2.83. Two powerful engines were installed on it, which allowed the aircraft to develop supersonic speed at both high and low altitudes. On the MiG-31 passive and active radar systems were installed, four of these machines could control the front with a length of 900 kilometers. MiG-31 was armed:
- automatic 23 mm gun;
- four heavy air-to-air missiles R-33 or six R-37;
- medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles or special missiles for high-speed purposes.
The production of this machine was stopped in 1994 and it is not known exactly how many aircraft were made. Presumably, this is 400-500 cars.
6. XB-70 Valkyrie | 3672 km / h
XB-70 Valkyrie- This is a unique aircraft and another brainchild of the Cold War. Six of its engines were supposed to accelerate a plane weighing 240 tons to a speed of Mach 3. As a result of this speed, the design of the aircraft in some places was heated to 330 ° C. The aircraft needed such a high speed in order to get away from the Soviet interceptors and, most importantly, in order to avoid the consequences of a nuclear explosion. Indeed, the XB-70 Valkyrie is a strategic bomber designed to deliver nuclear weapons. The huge size of the aircraft allowed him to raise enough fuel to fly into the territory of the USSR at a distance of 6900 kilometers and return without refueling in the air. The plane could take on board 14 nuclear bombs. The first flight of the XB-70 made in 1964, two aircraft were built.
5. Bell X-2 Starbuster | 3911.9 km / h
Bellx-2 - This is an experimental American aircraft, which was created to study the conditions of flight at high speeds. The first flight of the car took place in 1954, and two years later the program was discontinued. It was on this plane that we studied how the plane behaves at speeds above 2 Machs. It was on this plane that Mach 3,196, which was incredible at that time, was achieved, but after reaching this speed, the pilot made a sharp maneuver and the plane went out of control. After this incident, the program was discontinued.
4. MiG-25 | 3916.8 km / h
MiG-25 was created to intercept American reconnaissance aircraft, such as the SR-71, flying at high altitudes with a relatively low speed. To be able to perform such tasks, the MiG-25 had unique characteristics: the speed of the aircraft was 3.2 sound speeds, it could hit targets at an altitude of up to 25 kilometers. None of the MiG-25s ever shot down an SR-71, but on the other hand, these machines performed well in several conflicts, for example, in the Iran-Iraq war. The MiG-25 was armed with 4 air-to-air missiles. This aircraft is still in operation in several countries. In total, about 1,100 cars were built.
3. Lockheed YF-12 | 4100.4 km / h
Yf-12 It was developed as a prototype aircraft, which can reach a speed of 3.35 sound speeds. It does not differ in appearance from the SR-71 Blackbird, except that the YF-12 is armed with three air-to-air missiles. It was this aircraft that served as the prototype for the creation of the SR-71 Blackbird. In addition, both of these aircraft were developed by one designer - the famous Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. Soon, the program was discontinued, but this aircraft forever remained in the history of aviation, as the owner of several titles, which, however, he soon took away the SR-71 Blackbird.
2. SR-71 Blackbird | 4102.8 km / h
After testing, this aircraft was used by both the US Air Force and NASA. The military used the Blackbird as a strategic intelligence agent, and NASA used it for research purposes. The first flight SR-71 Blackbird committed in 1964. A total of 32 cars were produced. They were actively used for espionage against the USSR, Cuba and other countries. The SR-71 Blackbird was the first aircraft to use stealth technology. But the main defense of the aircraft was its speed: it easily avoided interceptors and missiles. The main problem with its creation was the high temperature to which the aircraft warmed up in flight. For SR-71, special fuel is needed, it is refueled only in flight.
1. North American X-15 | 8,200.8 km / h
It is the world's fastest manned aircraft. Its maximum speed is Mach 6.7. It was built to conduct research on the study of hypersonic manned flights. X-15 has a rocket engine, it starts from the side of a strategic bomber. This aircraft has already reached an altitude of 107 km, a speed of Mach 6.7 and made a suborbital space flight. The plane lands on its own, at the bottom of a dried lake.