Is the SR-71 still the fastest?
In 1976, it became the fastest airbreathing manned aircraft, previously held by its predecessor, the closely related Lockheed YF-12. As of 2025, the Blackbird still holds all three world records. Breaking Records Through Aviation History. What is the fastest plane in the world today? That title goes to the unmanned NASA X-43, clocking in at a jaw-dropping Mach 9.In 1976, it became the fastest airbreathing manned aircraft, previously held by its predecessor, the closely related Lockheed YF-12. As of 2025, the Blackbird still holds all three world records.
Can a SR-71 outrun a missile?
During its service life, the Blackbird is reported to have dodged a remarkable 4,000 missiles launched at it. One of the most defining characteristics of the SR-71 was its extraordinary speed. It could fly at speeds exceeding Mach 3, which empowered the aircraft to outrun the missiles launched at it. The first unconfirmed reports about the SR-72 emerged in 2007, when various sources reported that Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs (ADP) division, Skunk Works, was developing an aircraft capable of flying at six times the speed of sound, or Mach 6 (4,000 mph; 6,400 km/h; 3,500 kn), for the United States .Anyway, according to Lockheed (who designed and built them) the A-12 Oxcart was officially able to fly at 95,000ft and at 2,221 mph or at Mach 3. Compare that to 85,000ft and 2,112mph or Mach 3. SR-71.The only known faster aircraft are either rocket powered, or unmanned. The X-15 was piloted and flew faster than the SR-71, but it was rocket powered. NASA’s X-43 used air-breathing scramjets for propulsion, and was faster than an SR-71, but it was unmanned.