15 Fastest Military Aircraft and Experimental Jets in History, Ranked

Entering operational service in the late 1960s, the F-111 introduced terrain-following radar and swing wings to military aviation. Its twin afterburning turbofan engines propelled the strike aircraft to over 1,650 miles per hour during level flight.

First flown in 1972, the air superiority fighter combines low wing loading with exceptional thrust to weight performance. It can climb to 98,000 feet in under four minutes while sustaining extreme speeds in contested airspace.

Developed to intercept cruise missiles and high-altitude bombers, the Foxhound features powerful phased-array radar. Its heavy airframe and twin turbofans allow it to hunt across vast northern frontiers while maintaining supersonic cruise.

Built as a high-altitude strategic bomber prototype, the XB-70 rode its own supersonic shockwave using compression lift. The titanium and stainless steel aircraft provided invaluable aerodynamic data before the program ended in 1969.

Conceived to explore flight regimes beyond Mach 2, the rocket-powered X-2 addressed aerodynamic heating at extreme velocities. Pilot Milburn Apt became the first person to exceed Mach 3 before a fatal loss of control occurred during the descent.

Western military analysts initially feared the MiG-25 when it debuted during the Cold War. While capable of blistering high-altitude sprints to counter supersonic bombers, sustained high-speed runs risked permanently melting its massive engines.

Equipped with Hughes ASG-18 radar and long-range air-to-air missiles, the YF-12 demonstrated the feasibility of Mach 3 interception. Air Force test crews flew the titanium prototype above 80,000 feet during rigorous evaluation trials.

Designed by Clarence Kelly Johnson at the secretive Skunk Works facility, the A-12 served as the direct predecessor to the SR-71. The titanium spy plane flew twelve classified sorties during Operation Black Shield before retirement.

Launched from an airborne B-52 bomber, the X-51 demonstrated scramjet combustion using conventional hydrocarbon fuel. The experimental vehicle maintained hypersonic cruise for over three minutes, setting an endurance record in 2013.

Part of the Hyper-X exploration initiative, the uncrewed X-43 proved that scramjets could produce positive thrust at near-orbital speeds. The flight marked the fastest recorded speed ever achieved by an air-breathing aircraft.

Developed under the Prompt Global Strike program, the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle tested thermal protection materials. During test launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the glider withstood temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Piloted by Captain Chuck Yeager in October 1947, the bullet-shaped X-1 exceeded Mach 1 above the Mojave Desert. The historic flight proved that the sound barrier was an engineering obstacle rather than an impenetrable physical wall.

Created in collaboration with Paramount for top-tier cinematic realism, the Darkstar prototype incorporated genuine advanced aerospace design principles. Lockheed Martin engineers built the life-sized mock aircraft before displaying it at Edwards Air Force Base.

Between 1959 and 1968, three X-15 aircraft completed 199 flights to the edge of space. Pilot William J. Pete Knight set the standing world record for the highest speed ever reached by a crewed, powered aircraft at 4,520 miles per hour.

No SR-71 was ever lost to enemy fire during its three decades of service across the globe. Powered by hybrid Pratt and Whitney J58 engines that acted as continuous afterburners and ramjets, the Blackbird remains the undisputed pinnacle of crewed air-breathing speed.