Supersonic & Aerospace
Encyclopedia
The Definitive Guide to Aircraft That Break the Sound Barrier — and the Machines That Leave It Behind
Explore 146 supersonic, hypersonic & stealth aircraft and 21 rockets & spacecraft from around the world
Aviation & Space News
The latest in aircraft, defense technology, spaceflight & supersonic aviation
X-59 Reaches Mach 1.2 on Its 25th Test Flight
NASA reports a 72-minute X-59 test reaching Mach 1.2 and approximately 49,000 feet; dedicated noise validation remains ahead.
LINK Tests Spacecraft Servicing After Swift Reboost Plan Is Scaled Back
LINK deployed its robotic arms and tested electric thrusters, but NASA says it will not approach Swift more closely or carry out the original reboost.
Roman Space Telescope Launches on Falcon Heavy
NASA confirms an August 30 launch. Roman is traveling toward its operational orbit; launch and science readiness are separate milestones.
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.
Dragonfly Gets Its Flight Wiring and a Named Titan Landing Region
The Titan rotorcraft's harness connects power and data systems; its landing dune field now has the official name Ahmakiq Undae.
Five Rocket Sensors Reveal Structure in Radio-Disrupting Ionospheric Layers
New results from the SpEED Demon mission show a structured plasma layer. The study is new; the sounding-rocket flight took place in 2022.
ESA Signs First Launcher Challenge Contracts
Milestone-based support backs RFA, PLD Space and Isar Aerospace as Europe works to broaden its supply of launch services.
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.
Goldstone Adds a 34-Meter Deep-Space Communications Antenna
DSS-23 began operations on August 3 after testing, adding capacity for missions across the solar system and beyond.
Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 jets reach Guam
Serials 6727 and 6728, the first of a delayed 66-jet order, are waiting on weather before the final hop to Taitung’s Chihhang Air Base.
Saab unveils a fighter-size uncrewed wingman
The A3-001 mock-up at Malmen is built for SEAD, electronic warfare and strike beside Gripen. Demonstrators are supposed to fly before 2030.
Germany flies a drone built to launch IRIS-T
POLARIS Spaceplanes’ COBRA prototype covered more than 20 km on its first flight, without a missile aboard.
LandSpace lands a Zhuque-3 booster, then it tips over
China’s first private orbital booster landing on legs ended with a pad fire and a collapsed landing gear.
E-2D Block II clears its critical design review
The Navy’s carrier-borne radar aircraft is moving from detailed design into integration and retrofit work.
The largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown takes off
Heart Aerospace’s full-scale X1 flew for 27 minutes, reached 1,100 feet and delivered more than one megawatt of electric power.
Japan’s H3 launches QZS-7 with a U.S. space-tracking sensor
The navigation satellite carries the second U.S. hosted payload built to watch geosynchronous orbit over the Indo-Pacific.
Speed Comparison
Published aircraft speeds and design targets, with comparison notes
This chart compares published Mach figures. [projected] marks design targets or estimates, not demonstrated records. Other specifications are not necessarily certified records. Mach-to-km/h conversion requires the local temperature; see how Mach number works.
Click any bar to view the aircraft page
| Rank | Aircraft | Published Mach | Basis | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NASA X-43A | Mach 9.6 | Reported flight result | Hypersonic |
| 2 | North American X-15 | Mach 6.7 | Reported flight result | Hypersonic |
| 3 | Lockheed Martin SR-72 Son of Blackbird [projected] | Mach 6 | Design target / estimate | Hypersonic |
| 4 | Boeing X-51 Waverider | Mach 5.1 | Reported flight result | Hypersonic |
| 5 | Hermeus Halcyon [projected] | Mach 5 | Design target / estimate | Hypersonic |
| 6 | Convair Kingfish [projected] | Mach 4 | Design target / estimate | High Supersonic |
| 7 | Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior [projected] | Mach 3.7 | Design target / estimate | High Supersonic |
| 8 | Lockheed D-21 | Mach 3.35 | Published specification | High Supersonic |
| 9 | Lockheed A-12 OXCART | Mach 3.35 | Published specification | High Supersonic |
| 10 | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | Mach 3.3 | Published specification | High Supersonic |
Fighter Aircraft
The world’s most advanced air superiority and multirole combat platforms
F-22 Raptor
5th-generation stealth fighter. Supercruise. Unmatched air dominance.
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F-15 Eagle
104 victories, zero losses. The definitive air superiority fighter.
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F-14 Tomcat
Variable-sweep wings. Phoenix missiles. Top Gun legend.
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F-16 Falcon
World’s most produced 4th-gen fighter. 4,600+ built.
ExploreStealth Aircraft
Invisible warriors — engineered to defeat the most advanced detection systems
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.
ExploreExperimental & 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
Never intercepted. Fastest air-breathing crewed aircraft.
ExploreStrategic Bombers
Supersonic bombers designed to strike targets across continents
Supersonic Airliners
When civilians flew faster than sound
Rockets & 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 fully reusable two-stage giant: 121 m tall with about 74,000 kN of thrust,…
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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,…
ExploreKnowledge Updates
Checked September 8, 2026 · Flight science with sources
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Discover more about the world of supersonic aviation