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The Fastest Military Jets in History

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Boeing X-51 Scramjet

Boeing X-51 Scramjet
U.S. Air Force

The advantage of modern technology is not having to risk an actual pilot’s life to test the utter barriers of new scramjet Wave Rider technology. The Wave Rider is the lovechild of DARPA, the United States Air Force, and several other bleeding edge aeronautic programs. It’s an unmanned aerial craft meant to be deployed in air, much like how the North American X-15 was deployed from the back of a B-52 Stratofortress.

The X-51 is much smaller because, unlike the X-15, it doesn’t have to support a human pilot. Capable of recorded speeds above the Mach 5 mark, this highly experimental craft is designed to be pushed into service around 2030 – where it will ideally serve as a platform for a fast-attack missile. With a range of 460 miles, a B-52 Stratofortress just needs to get within a 500 mile range of target before it could deploy the X-51 and then safely return back to base.

  • Top Speed: 3,900 mph
  • Max Flight Distance: 460 miles