In the world there are a large number of aircraft that have overcome the speed limit in 2 Mach( 2448 km / h).Some of them are research vehicles, but most of them are combat or reconnaissance vehicles.
Agree, there is something fascinating in flight at supersonic speed, which can reach all the fastest aircraft in the world. Just imagine: you are at an altitude of five kilometers, you hear a clear command in the headphones "forward" and squeeze the choke back, until it stops. You feel how a powerful engine accelerates you to a speed unthinkable for any other life form on our planet.
But it's not about you at all - you're just a passenger. The airplane on which you are flying is the true work of art, the work and knowledge of hundreds of designers and engineers was invested in it. Now we will tell you about the ten the fastest aircraft in the world .
10
Su-27 2876.4 km / h
Su-27 can reach the speed of 2.35 Mach. This aircraft is the pinnacle of engineering thought of the former Soviet Union. This aircraft has two engines and an electric remote control system, first used on Soviet combat aircraft. This machine was created to gain air superiority, and for this he had to confront 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 that can hit the enemy at medium and short distances. Su-27 is really a great car, despite the fact that it first climbed into the sky more than 35 years ago, these fighters are still in the ranks. Many modifications of the Su-27 were created. And the most modern of them are a formidable opponent 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's a tactical bomber that can reach speeds of Mach 2.5.This beautiful plane has already been written off in 1998.He had nine points of external suspension 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 he could mount a multi-barreled rapid-fire cannon. F-111 was also called the Anteater. The F-111 was the first aircraft launched into the series, with a variable sweep of the wing, and this gave the 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 the arsenal of the US Air Force. F-15 Eagle belongs to the fourth generation, has two engines and excellent thrust-to-weight ratio. All this makes it possible to disperse an aircraft weighing 18,000 kg to a speed 2.5 times higher than the speed of sound. His first flight F-15 Eagle committed in the distant 1976, but he is still today considered an important part of the US Air Force's weapons and will remain in service until 2025.1200 copies of these aircraft the Americans delivered to their closest allies: Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel. In 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 the F-15E version of the Strike Eagle, which can already be attributed to fighter-bombers, was released. This machine can take on board air-to-air missiles Sparrow, Sidewinder, additional fuel tanks or aircraft bombs. For this purpose, the F-15E Strike Eagle has 11 suspension points. In addition, this aircraft is armed with a 20 mm rapid-fire gun M61A1 Vulcan. Not surprisingly, on the account of this aircraft more than 100 confirmed victories in air battles.
7
MiG-31 3463.92 km / h
This aircraft can reach Mach 2.83.It has two powerful engines, which allowed the aircraft to develop supersonic speed at both high and low altitudes. On the MiG-31 were installed passive and active radar systems, four similar vehicles could control the front length of 900 kilometers. Mig-31 was armed:
- with an automatic 23-mm cannon;
- with four heavy R-33 air-to-air missiles or six R-37;
- with medium-range or long-range air-to-air missiles or special missiles for high-speed targets.
Production of this machine was stopped in 1994 and it is not known exactly how many planes were made. Presumably, this is 400-500 cars.
6
XB-70 Valkyrie 3,362 km / h
XB-70 Valkyrie is a unique aircraft and another child of the Cold War. Six of its engines were to disperse an airplane weighing 240 tons to a speed of Mach 3.As a result of this speed, the aircraft structure in some places was heated to 330 ° C.Such a high speed aircraft was needed in order to escape from Soviet interceptors and, most importantly, to avoid the consequences of a nuclear explosion. After all, 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 6,900 kilometers and return back without refueling in the air. The plane could take on board 14 nuclear bombs. The first flight of the XB-70 took place in 1964, two aircraft were built.
5
Bell X-2 Starbuster 3911.9 km / h
The BellX-2 is an experimental American aircraft that 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 terminated. It was on this plane that the way the plane behaves at speeds above 2 Machs was studied. It was on this plane that the incredible speed of Mach 3.166 was reached, but after reaching this speed, the pilot made a sharp maneuver and the plane got out of control. After this incident, the program was terminated.
4
MiG-25 3916.8 km / h
The MiG-25 was designed to intercept American reconnaissance aircraft, such as the SR-71, flying at high altitudes at a relatively low speed. To be able to perform similar tasks, the MiG-25 had unique characteristics: the speed of the aircraft was 3.2 sound speed, it could hit targets at an altitude of 25 kilometers. None of the MiG-25s ever shot down the SR-71, but these machines proved themselves 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 The
YF-12 was developed as a prototype aircraft that can develop a speed of 3.35 sound speeds. Its appearance does not differ 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 a prototype for the creation of the SR-71 Blackbird. In addition, both of these aircraft developed one designer - the famous Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. Soon the program was terminated, but this aircraft remained forever in the history of aviation, as the owner of several titles, which, incidentally, he soon selected 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 Blackbird as a strategic intelligence agent, and NASA used it for research purposes. The first flight of SR-71 Blackbird was made in 1964.A total of 32 cars were produced. They were actively used for espionage against the USSR, Cuba and other countries. SR-71 Blackbird was the first aircraft to use stealth technology. But the main defense of the plane was its speed: it easily escaped from interceptors and missiles. The main problem in 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 8200.8 km / h
This is the world's fastest manned aircraft. Its maximum speed is 6.7 Mach. He built it to carry out research on the study of hypersonic manned flights. The X-15 has a rocket engine, it starts from the side of the strategic bomber. This plane has already reached an altitude of 107 km, Mach 6.7 and made a suborbital space flight. The plane landed on its own, to the bottom of a dried-up lake.
