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 News
The latest developments in military, stealth & supersonic aviation
Ukraine and Sweden sign a 16-jet Gripen E deal — with eyes on 100+
Kyiv and Stockholm finalized an agreement for 16 newly built Saab Gripen E fighters on June 30 — the first tranche of a fleet Swedish officials have framed as up to 100–150 jets, built for dispersed road-base operations and the long-range Meteor missile.
The U.S. Air Force picks its first unmanned fighters
The service cleared both the General Atomics YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A “Fury” into production — its first fighter-designated aircraft with no cockpit, roughly 150 planned by 2030.
NASA’s X-59 reaches Mach 1.4 in quiet-supersonic milestone
Lockheed Martin’s needle-nosed demonstrator hit Mach 1.4 at 55,000 ft, clearing the way for the community overflights meant to replace the sonic boom with a soft “thump.”
Ukraine marks Russia Day with a deep-strike drone raid 1,100 km out
Long-range drones struck refineries in Tatarstan and a plant in Samara; Russia claimed it downed 231 drones across more than 15 regions.
GAO: the F-35 mission-capable rate has fallen to just 44%
Readiness slid from 67% in FY21, the watchdog found, blaming spare-parts shortages and software delays.
Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat debuts a bigger wing at ILA Berlin
An enlarged loyal-wingman variant lifts max takeoff weight to 12,000 lb and adds an internal bay for two AMRAAMs.
France and Germany kill the FCAS sixth-generation fighter
Nine years and roughly €4 billion in, the crewed fighter was terminated over a workshare fight — and Europe’s next-gen map is being redrawn around GCAP.
Speed Comparison
From Mach 1 to Mach 9.6 — every aircraft ranked by maximum velocity
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| Rank | Aircraft | Max Speed (Mach) | Speed (km/h) | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NASA X-43A | Mach 9.6 | 11,856 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 2 | North American X-15 | Mach 6.7 | 8,275 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 3 | Lockheed Martin SR-72 Son of Blackbird | Mach 6 | 7,410 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 4 | Boeing X-51 Waverider | Mach 5.1 | 6,299 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 5 | Boeing X-51A Waverider | Mach 5.1 | 6,299 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 6 | Hermeus Halcyon | Mach 5 | 6,175 km/h | Hypersonic |
| 7 | Convair Kingfish | Mach 4 | 4,940 km/h | High Supersonic |
| 8 | Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior | Mach 3.7 | 4,570 km/h | High Supersonic |
| 9 | Lockheed D-21 | Mach 3.35 | 4,137 km/h | High Supersonic |
| 10 | Lockheed A-12 OXCART | Mach 3.35 | 4,137 km/h | 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
From Mach 3 to Mach 9.6 — the fastest machines ever built
X-43A
Fastest aircraft ever. Scramjet-powered.
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X-15
Fastest crewed aircraft ever. Reached the edge of space.
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X-51 Waverider
Longest scramjet flight. 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,…
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