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 machines that can fly higher and faster than Wilbur and Orville Wright could ever have imagined.
Introducing you The 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 first flew in 1964. The Valkyrie's maximum flight speed 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 curtailed. Two completed prototypes of the XB-70 were used for high speed flight testing. One of them crashed in 1966, and the second flew safely to retire at the National Museum of the US Air Force.
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 aerodynamic problems that arise during 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 scrapped by the crash of the second prototype, the Starbuster remains one of the fastest aircraft in the world.
3. MiG-25 Foxbat
The top 3 fastest manned aircraft are opened by the Soviet supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft MiG-25, presented in 1970. The Americans thought that thanks to the large wings, it would be a super maneuverable fighter. Instead, the craft needed larger wings due to its mass (36.720 kg with 100% fuel level in the internal tanks). The aircraft reached a top speed of over 3.000 km / h. The outdated but reliable Foxbat is still in use by the Algerian and Syrian air forces.
2. SR-71 Blackbird
The Blackbird was an advanced reconnaissance aircraft developed during the Cold War. The aircraft manufacturer Lockheed was responsible for the development of the device in 1960. The production models were painted in dark blue so that they were not visible against the background of the night sky. A two-seater aircraft with a futuristic design developed a speed of 3.540 km / h at an altitude of 24.400 m.The SR-71 first took to the skies in December 1964 and since then has 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 Blackbird's main missile evasion maneuver was acceleration and climb. This aircraft holds 4 speed records. Even after his "retirement", many believed that the US government had failed to unleash the full potential of the SR-71. Given that the military in the 21st century is more interested in unmanned aircraft, the separation of the SR-71 from the sky was inevitable.
1.X-15
The fastest manned aircraft in the world was manufactured by North American Aviation, an American aerospace manufacturer that ceased operations in 1996. The main task of operating the rocket plane was to study the conditions of flight at hypersonic speeds and the entry of winged vehicles into the atmosphere. In the early 1960s, the X-15 set a new speed bar (maximum speed was 7.274 km / h).Due to its impressive characteristics, it has been used in the space training program. The future famous "lunar rover" Neil Armstrong took part in it. The X-15 is currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum and the National Air Force Museum.