Fastest Aircraft in the World

Just a simple question that is not as easy to answer as many will think........
Having looked into this a bit, please, please feel free to express your thoughts on what aircraft is the fastest in the world.
Any speed numbers would be great.


regards
seekerof

Official data on this does not include "black projects" such as the ever elusive and oft denied Aurora -
So Officially?
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, first flown in 1963, is the fastest operational aircraft to fly within earth's atmosphere. At an operational altitude of 80,000 feet the SR-71 can achieve speeds over 2,200 MPH or above Mach 3. The airframe is built almost exclusively of titanium to withstand the extreme heat generated and two Pratt and Whitney J-58 axial flow turbojets producing a total of 68,000 pounds of thrust. Only the experimental X-15 surpasses the SR-71 for the outright records at Mach 6.72.

Top 50 Fastest Airplanes

Great site on Airplanes.
It says X-15 is the fastest. But I don't know when it was last updated.

Personally I prefer F-22.

Between the two fo you...Surfup and intelgurl....this will probably be the shortest lived thread on ATS!





I should have known better........
Geezuz.....*goes off mumbling......where the hell all the fighter freaks at when you need them*........*shakes head*........



regards
seekerof

The X-15 doesn't count. It was a #ing rocket with wings. Hell, they had to drop it from another plane, what does that tell you about its true ability to fly?

the fact that it was air-dropped is the reason it's record is not official

also, for another unofficial aircraft, doesn't the shuttle enter the atmosphere at something like Mach 20?

Though you bring up a debatable observation Pherophile, the thing about it was:
It was a rocket...
It did fly...
It was manned...
Thus, it fell into the category of aircraft...rocket aircraft to be exact, but an aircraft nonetheless....


regards
seekerof

It landed in one piece as opposed to dropping like a rock when the power ran out - didn't it?

And I also think that the X-15 has become "official".
The only "possible" change to the list I currently see is that the SR-71/X-15 has probably been surpassed by the yet unannounced Aurora.
If the Aurora is equipped with either pulse-detonation or scramjets, as has been speculated....this aircraft could reach cruise speeds of roughly Mach 5 to Mach 8........

*edit*changed SR-71/X-15
regards
seekerof

[Edited on 14-11-2003 by Seekerof]

Like you already said here..

SR-71 is fastest (Or was.. i dont know if the NASA still uses few?) air breathing aircraft..

And X-15 was (just maybe..) fastest rocket 'plane'..

If you're talking about rockets with wings, you may as well include the Russian and American space shuttles, although I think Buran never had a manned flight... the Buran was also a safer design in my opinion.

Buran

~yea seriously. space shuttles are the most fast. jets? Hmm since the blackbird is retired, I'd say the valeryie or whatever......not including x planes or planes that we speak of and have no credible proob of their existence. Just let the military do it's job and let us skeptics wonder.

You guys forgot about the XB-70. Its top speed was about mach 3.1. It also had I think eight 30,000 pound class engines.

Well... I don't really think that max speed is the most important parameter of an aircraft... Look what's on the third place! MiG-25 Foxbat-B reconnaissance aircraft- not thought of as the best in any cathegory exept speed.

Just personal opinion...

Man your right about the Mig. I am have a big fight with this other guy in the thread: F-22 can go at least mach 2.5. I think you should go over there and try to talk some sence into them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the X-15 go over 10,000mph when it flew up to the edge of space?

The fastest self propelled plane is the sr71. @ around 3.5 mach. the fastest aircraft however is the x-35 @ just over mach 6. see guiness book of world records. the shuttle does not count as it is orbital gravity enduced.

Can someone tell me if this is what is left of the aurora program. I saw Aurora mentioned above.




I think this is what people call the aurora though I am not sure: X-33

search1.nasa.gov...

An air traffic controller in LA was busy maintaining separation of all the various aircraft on his scope, talking to mooney this, bonanza that, Delta 1515, United 5151, etc, when this voice comes up: (Military call signs are some word, indicating the squadron, followed by a number, often denoting the rank in the squadron... so redneck 1 would be the commander of a squadron named "redneck." I've named this squadron 'snake', because I don't remember the real name)

"Los Angeles Center, Snake 4 requesting flight level 610" (this would be 61,000 feet, higher than any civilian traffic, and most military)

After a pause, the controller replied,

"Snake 4, if you can get there, you can have it"

"Los Angeles Center, Snake 4 descending out of 800 to 610"

(it was an SR-71)

DESCENDING out of 800.....LOL priceless!! I wish I coulda been there. (In the airplane of course.)