From the Dawn of Aviation
to the Moon and Beyond
Explore aircraft, rockets and spacecraft, and understand the science behind them. Discover aviation and space news, interactive tools and original projects by Sean.
Aviation & Space News
The latest aviation and space stories from Fastest Planes.
ESA and Vast Set a Framework for Post-ISS Cooperation
ESA and Vast signed a new cooperation framework on October 5. A feasibility study will examine future European access to low Earth orbit after the…
Crew-13 Reaches the ISS in 7 Hours 55 Minutes
Crew-13 completed its October 1 launch and ISS docking in 7 hours 55 minutes. Meet the crew and learn what its research mission will investigate.
A WB-57F Chases the Eclipse Above the North Atlantic
NASA flew near 50,000 feet during the August 12 eclipse to reduce atmospheric interference in observations of the Sun's corona.
Kadena’s First Assigned F-15EX Heads to Portland for Preparation
The Kadena-assigned Eagle II left Boeing on August 28 for preparations in Oregon, not a confirmed arrival in Japan.
Which aircraft is fastest?
Start with the category: propulsion, crew and mission determine what can be compared.
Uncrewed air-breathing research aircraft
Reported air-breathing speed-record flight.
2004-11-16 · Read the source contextCrewed rocket research aircraft
A rocket-powered flight-test result; a different mission from a jet aircraft.
1967-10-03 · Read the source contextCrewed reconnaissance jet
Explore the SR-71’s category record and published performance.
1976-07-28 · Read the source contextFrom the Sound Barrier to the Sun
Where aircraft records end, spaceflight takes over — the fastest machines people have built, step by step.
Compare, calculate, explore
Choose a question and investigate it with the sources in view.
Fighter Aircraft
The world’s most advanced air superiority and multirole combat platforms
F-22 Raptor
5th-generation stealth fighter. Supercruise. Designed for air superiority.
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F-15 Eagle
Twin-engine fighter developed for air superiority.
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F-14 Tomcat
Variable-sweep wings. Phoenix missiles. Top Gun legend.
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F-16 Falcon
Single-engine multirole fighter used internationally.
ExploreMade by Sean
From reading about aircraft to making things: drawings, models, games and code.
Experimental & Hypersonic
Atmospheric flight milestones from Mach 3 to Mach 9.6
X-43A
Air-breathing aircraft speed record. Scramjet-powered.
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X-15
Crewed rocket-plane speed record. Reached the edge of space.
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X-51 Waverider
Landmark Mach 5.1 scramjet test. Rides its own shockwave.
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SR-71 Blackbird
No SR-71 was shot down by enemy action. A record-setting air-breathing crewed aircraft.
ExploreRockets & Spacecraft
From Saturn V to Starship — the encyclopedia leaves the atmosphere
Saturn V
NASA's 110.6 m Moon rocket launched every Apollo lunar mission and Skylab, sending 140,000…
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Starship
SpaceX’s two-stage launch system is designed for full reuse. V3 flight tests assess deployment,…
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International Space Station (ISS)
A 420-tonne laboratory the size of a football field, orbiting at 28,000 km/h and…
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Parker Solar Probe
The fastest human-made object ever: NASA's Sun-skimming probe hit 692,000 km/h in December 2024,…
ExploreStealth Aircraft
How aircraft reduce their detectability across different sensors
F-117 Nighthawk
The world’s first operational stealth aircraft. Faceted design.
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B-2 Spirit
$2.1 billion flying wing. Global strike capability. Only 21 built.
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B-21 Raider
Next-generation strategic bomber. AI-enabled.
ExploreF-22 Raptor
All-aspect stealth combined with supercruise.
ExploreStrategic Bombers
Supersonic bombers designed to strike targets across continents
Supersonic Airliners
When civilians flew faster than sound
Knowledge Updates
Checked September 8, 2026 · Flight science with sources
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Discover more about supersonic aviation and spaceflight