The World’s Fastest Airplane is the Lockheed SR-71
Are you ready for both another world record and a hefty does of Americana? Want to relieve some of the most glorious moments in the history of science and engineering? Just like things that go really, really fast? Well, we’ve got something special for you . . .
Born of the unconventional genius Clarence “Kelly” Johnson in the renown Lockheed Skunk Works engineering lab, the SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest aircraft to have ever flown, a record it has held since 1976. The SR-71 was originally designed for the United States Air Force as an ultra-fast long-distance reconnaissance aircraft, a role that it filled beautifully on innumerable combat flights over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. After a brief retirement, the SR-71 returned to service in the 1990s and flew over the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans in the name of freedom and democracy.
Some of the specs on the Blackbird are still classified, but what we know is really impressive. With top recorded speed of well over over 2,000 miles per hour, the SR-71 stands alone as the fastest aircraft in history. It also holds the record for the highest flying, with a maximum recorded altitude of well over 85,000 feet.
We’ll never know the full story of the aircraft and the men who flew her, but the SR-71 Blackbird has earned its place in aviation history. Check out a full list of the fastest military aircraft.