Lockheed Martin’s top-secret unmanned hypersonic aircraft, the SR-72 “Son of Blackbird”, is set to take the title of 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 infamous 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”.
