Science & Technology

World's fastest plane, the SR-72 'Son of Blackbird', could debut soon

By T.K. Randall
March 8, 2024 ·  9 comments

When will we see an official reveal of the SR-72 ? Image Credit: Lockheed Martin Believed to be in development at Lockheed Martin, the new aircraft - known as the SR-72 (or "Son of Blackbird") - will reportedly be capable of achieving speeds exceeding Mach 6 (over 4,000mph).

Designed to act as a successor to the now-retired SR-71 "Blackbird", which was itself the fastest plane in the world when it first debuted back in 1974, the SR-72 has reportedly been in development for years.

While we don't know anything concrete, it is thought that the SR-72 will be an unmanned, hypersonic reconnaissance plane capable of equipping and firing Lockheed Martin's new High-Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW) which will use ramjet propulsion to hit heavily armored, distant targets.A prototype is reportedly due to fly in 2025 with the plane entering service by 2030.

If this timetable is correct, then we would expect to hear something within the next few months.

The SR-72 isn't the only new hypersonic plane vying for the title of the world's fastest plane, either, as the Hypersonix Launch Systems Dart AE (rumored to be capable of reaching Mach 7) is also in the works, as is the US military's SR-91 Aurora which should be able to reach similar speeds to the SR-72.

Exactly when any of these will actually debut, however, remains to be seen.


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Tags: SR-72