Top secret fastest plane ever SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’ capable of 4000mph speeds reportedly set to debut
- The aircraft will have a speed of over Mach 6
- It will also feature hypersonic missiles to be more deadly
- The SR-72 could enter service in the 2030s
Published on Apr 28, 2024 at 1:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Nalin Rawat
Last updated on May 09, 2024 at 6:38 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Lockheed Martin’s top-secret unmanned hypersonic aircraft, the SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’ is set to become the world’s fastest plane.
The SR-72 is touted to reach over 4,000 mph – or 6,437 km/h – making it the fastest plane ever developed.
The aircraft is the successor to the famous SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ which was a crucial aircraft during the Cold War.
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The SR-71 “Blackbird” was also known as the fastest plane ever, when it came into service in 1974.
It was retired by the USAF in 1998, but no aircraft has even come close to breaking its record.
However, the title of the fastest plane ever might soon be passed down to its successor, SR-72 “Son of Blackbird”.
The hypersonic aircraft is designed to be unmanned, hypersonic, and reusable.
The SR-72 is rumored to support Lockheed Martin’s new High-Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW).
However, it will mainly be used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
According to Lockheed Martin, a prototype of the SR-72 was scheduled to fly by 2025.
However, the aircraft will likely enter service in the 2030s.
But the SR-72 will not be the only aircraft competing for the title of the fastest plane ever.
The US also has two other aircraft in development that can compete for the title of the fastest plane in the world.
The first aircraft is Dart AE, developed by Hypersonix Launch Systems, with a Mach 7 top speed.
The second is a secret reconnaissance aircraft for the US military, SR-91 Aurora, which is rumored to have Mach 5+ speed.
Other than these two, Stargazer is yet another hypersonic aircraft in development, that will able to fly at 6,905 mph – that’s an eye-watering nine times the speed of sound.
However, the aircraft is still in early development.
Regardless, it will be a while before an aircraft can steal the title of being the fastest plane ever from the SR-71 ‘Blackbird’.
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Nalin started his career by working with various national newspapers in India. He has also worked as a writer/editor for many popular websites, while still pursuing his journalism and mass communication degree. Working as a digital nomad has allowed him to inform and educate through his work. When he is not writing, you can find him playing video games or travelling the mountains on his bike.
