The Fastest Jets in History

Mikoyan Ye-152

In the dead heat for air speed superiority during the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed two single-engine test fighters. Their purpose was to see how far they could push their own envelope when it came to world records. The game, back then, was to see who could get there first, drop a payload, and scurry out. The Ye-152 seemed like a promising chance for the Soviet Union to catch up to fighter craft like the F-100, F-101, and the F-106. But the Ye-152 turned out to be little more than a good show. With a maximum achieved speed of Mach 2.8+, it definitely had pure velocity in its corner.

However, with engine reliability and combat viability both proverbially up in the air, the Ye-152 went no further than simply making the world record charts for fastest jets in 1959. The Soviet Union would eventually figure out that in the Ye-150 family, two engines may be better than one. The Ye-152A used a much more reliable R-11 twin turbojet design, which enabled it to withstand the stresses of sustained supersonic flight much better. Unfortunately, this test craft was terminated after it crashed in 1965.

Top Speed: 1,883 mph
Max Flight Distance: 913 miles