Aviation has come a long way since the fearless Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903. More than a century has passed since that fateful morning in Kitty Hawk, and since then, engineers have created many winged cars that can fly higher and faster than Wilbur and Orville Wright could ever have imagined.
Introducing you 5 fastest manned aircraft in the world according to the news portal Business Insider.
5. XB-70 Valkyrie
The American strategic bomber was developed in the 1950s, and its first flight took place in 1964. The ultimate flight speed of the Valkyries was 3.187 km / h. Due to the development of the Soviet missile defense system and the emergence of new anti-aircraft missiles, the B-70 program was phased out. Two completed prototypes of the XB-70 were used to test high-speed flights. One of them crashed in 1966, and the second safely “flew” to retire to the National Air Force Museum.
4. Bell X-2 Starbuster
The experimental aircraft, tested between 1953 and 1956, is the "brainchild" of the Bell Aircraft Corporation, the US Air Force and NASA. It was created to study the aerodynamic problems arising from supersonic flights at a speed range from M = 2 to M = 3. Bell X-2 reached a speed of 3.380 km / h at an altitude of 19.800 meters above the ground. Although the research program was quickly phased out due to the crash of the second prototype, Starbuster remains one of the fastest aircraft in the world.
3. MiG-25 Foxbat
The top 3 of the fastest manned aircraft is opened by the Soviet supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance MiG-25, introduced in 1970. The Americans thought that thanks to the large wings, it would be a super maneuverable fighter. Instead, the device needed large wings because of its mass (36.720 kg with a 100% fuel level in the internal tanks). The aircraft developed a top speed of over 3,000 km / h. The outdated but reliable Foxbat is still being used by the air forces of Algeria and Syria.
2. SR-71 Blackbird
The Blackbird was an advanced reconnaissance aircraft created during the Cold War. The aircraft manufacturer Lockheed in 1960 was responsible for the development of the device. Production models were stained with dark blue paint so that they were not noticeable against the night sky. A two-seat aircraft with a futuristic design developed a speed of 3,540 km / h at an altitude of 24,400 m. SR-71 first flew up in the sky in December 1964 and has since been considered one of the most successful projects in the field of aviation technology during the arms race between the USSR and the West. The main maneuver of Blackbird’s missile evasion was acceleration and climb. This aircraft owns 4 records relating to flight speed. Even after his “retirement," many believed that the US government could not fully unleash the potential of the SR-71. Given that the military is more interested in unmanned aircraft in the 21st century, the separation of the SR-71 from the sky was inevitable.
1.X-15
The fastest manned aircraft in the world was made by North American Aviation, an American aerospace manufacturer, which ceased operations in 1996. The main task of operating a rocket plane was to study the flight conditions at hypersonic speeds and the entry of winged vehicles into the atmosphere. In the early 1960s, the X-15 set a new bar for speed (the maximum was 7.274 km / h). Due to its impressive characteristics, it was used in the space training program. The future famous “moon rover” Neil Armstrong took part in it. Currently, the X-15 is on display at the National Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
