Summary
- Mach 10 speed
Top Gun: Maverick
reaching 7,826 mph, surpassing the limits of physics. - Real-world technology is far from achieving manned flights at such extreme speeds.
- The
Top Gun 2
cast flew F/A 18E/F Super Hornets capable of reaching Mach 1.5.
Pete “Maverick” Mitchell flies his experimental Darkstar jet at Mach 10. Top Gun: Maverick — although the movie doesn't explain how fast Mach 10 actually is. Top Gun 2 begins with former TOPGUN instructor Maverick piloting an experimental aircraft called the Darkstar. Although a fictional aircraft, the Darkstar is actually based on a combination of experimental jets such as the Lockheed Martin SR-72. The company is expected to begin test flights with the SR-72 at speeds up to Mach 6 by 2025. Top Gun: MaverickTom Cruise takes the Darkstar on a test flight to reach Mach 9.
However, according to this news Top GunWith the villainous Rear Admiral Cain on his way to shut down the program, Maverick decides to show how fast the Darkstar can really go. It propels the Darkstar jet to Mach 10 and beyond, reaching Mach 10.2 before the ship spins out of control and disintegrates. “Mach” represents the speed of an object compared to the speed of sound. Mach 1 refers to the true speed of sound, which is 760 mph at sea level. Mach 10.2 is a little over ten times the speed of sound (at sea level), meaning the Maverick was traveling at about 7,826 mph.
Mach 10's Speed Answer is Difficult
It's Hard to Narrow It Down to One Answer
However, it is not that simple the speed of sound varies with altitude, temperature and air density. Although the speed of sound is 760 mph at sea level, it is actually closer to 660 mph at 55,000 feet. Top Gun in the opening scene of the sequel, Maverick pilots a non-real-life experimental aircraft. However, there are comparables. Both the SR-71 and the rumored SR-72 can reach altitudes of more than 80,000 feet, where the speed of sound is lower than sea level. Therefore, “How fast is Mach 10?” difficult to answer.
The Darkstar is likely to reach the same heights as the SR-72. Although there is limited information on the speed of sound at altitudes above 60,000 feet (except for jet aircraft launched from space), temperature differences between 40,000 and 60,000 feet appear to be negligible. Differences at 80,000 feet should also be minimal, meaning Maverick's predicted top speed (Mach 10.2) if it were to fly the Darkstar above 60,000 feet is about 6,732 mph. This would theoretically allow a pilot to travel the breadth of the United States in less than 25 minutes.
In Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise's character reaches speeds that no manned flight in an airplane even comes close to achieving. The X-15 and pilot William J. Knight set the world record for the fastest manned aircraft in 1967. It reaches a maximum speed of Mach 6.7. Top Gun: Maverick echoes the protagonist's inability to resist his need for speed as he pushes the Darkstar beyond Mach 10, reaching hypersonic speeds and eventually destroying the plane. However, Maverick made the mission an overall success by demonstrating the aircraft's capability in advance.
Can the human body withstand Mach 10?
Never really tested
The speed of Tom Cruise's character is Mach 10 Top Gun: Maverick a large number of scientifically impossible actions are shown in the film. That is, is it possible for the human body to withstand such acceleration? The the answer is probably no. A speed of Mach 10 has never been achieved by a manned aircraft, so it has not been tested.
However, Mach 10 has been achieved by a spacecraft – on November 16, 2004, NASA launched the X-43A, an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle that was able to reach a true Mach 10 as it pushed through the atmosphere. But it was an unmanned ship. The problem with humans sustaining such a speed is due to the acceleration required to reach it and the resulting G-force.
A normal person can tolerate up to about 4-6G. And real fighter pilots can pick up big 9Gs in a second or two, but that only comes with extensive training. Astronauts only experience 3G around during a rocket launch, which is hard enough to imagine for anyone on a real launch simulator ride. So even though Tom Cruise's fictional character can reach speeds of Mach 10 Top Gun: Maverickit is unlikely that a real person could withstand such acceleration and deceleration.
A lot of work went into Maverick's Mach 10 Jet
It was important to set the tone of the film
Given the excitement of Mach 10 Top Gun: Maverick It's no surprise that so much detail and work goes into creating a scene, a cinematic moment. In a breakdown Top Gun on the flying scene, director Joseph Kosinski explained how the production worked with Lockheed build a full-scale model of a real aircraft Such “may or may not exist”. He also noted that the suit Maverick wears on stage is based on an actual high-altitude flight suit used by pilots of such aircraft.
After a gap of 34 years Top Gun: Maverickwas important bring back the franchise with a memorable opening scene. Kosinski explained that the Mach 10 scene is both an homage to the original's opening scene and a way to show how the character is drawn to the future of flying. Most impressively, the takeoff scene was performed by a real pilot, one of the few allowed to fly such a plan. Due to the damage from the plane's takeoff, which Ed Harris endured epically, the shot could only be made once. Top Gun moment was no double.
How Fast Is Top Gun's Current Actor: Maverick Flew
The Main Jet Used in Top Gun 2 can reach Mach 1.5
Flight scenes Top Gun: Maverick (with the exception of the Darkstar jet) all achieved using real aircraft. Many of these have also been tested by members Top Gun 2 it is difficult for the actors to distinguish when the jets are flying and when there are professional pilots in the cockpit. This makes it difficult to determine exactly how fast Top Gun: Maverick The cast has flown while creating an award-winning action movie, but some guesses are possible.
The main jet used by their heroes Top Gun 2 It was the Boeing F/A 18E/18F Super Hornet. The F-18 Super Hornet, a real aircraft currently in use by various branches of the United States Military, has a top speed of approximately 1,189 mph. To compare this to the Darkstar, the F-18 can reach Mach 1.5. However, due to safety concerns, the cast was not allowed to fly the F-18s (even veteran pilot Tom Cruise).
Again, most of the cast was involved in the second seat of the cockpits for various scenes. Although it is impossible to know exactly how fast they were flying at the time, the fact that they were in a jet capable of reaching speeds of Mach 1.5 suggests that they were going quite fast (the F-18'S were not at high speed).
What's the closest a human has ever come to Mach 10?
The current Record is Mach 6.7
No real pilot has ever flown as close to Mach 10 as Darkstar Top Gun 2. However, there have been several manned flights that have broken the sound barrier more than once. The current record holder for manned aircraft flight was achieved back in 1967 by William Knight in the X-15 rocket jet. A highly experimental aircraft, the Knight managed to reach a speed of Mach 6.7 – a record that has not yet been broken.
However, it should be noted that the X-15 is not an aircraft intended for conventional military use. Moreover, this speed was partially achieved due to the fact that the jet flew above the earth's atmosphere (minimizing wind resistance). Jets like the Lockheed Martin SR-72 that the Darkstar is in Top Gun: Maverick was based on the possibility of manned flights at such high speeds, real-world technology is still a long way from the point where military pilots can achieve speeds close to Mach 10 in a combat situation.