How fast is Mach 10? What Speed ​​Maverick travels to in Top Gun 2

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell flies the experimental Darkstar jet at Mach 10 speeds in Top Gun: Maverick – Although the movie doesn’t explain how fast Mach 10 actually is. Top Gun 2 Starts with former TOPGUN instructor Maverick piloting the Darkstar, an experimental aircraft. While 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 by 2025, with speeds up to Mach 6. Top Gun: MaverickTom Cruise’s takes the Darkstar on a test flight to reach Mach 9.

However, on news that Top GunThe villainous Rear Admiral Kane was en route to shutting down the program, Maverick decides to show how fast the Darkstar can really go. He pushes the Darkstar jet to Mach 10 speed and beyond, reaching Mach 10.2 before the craft spirals out of control and breaks apart. “Motion” represents the speed of an object in comparison to the speed of sound. Mach 1 is the actual speed of sound, which is 760 mph. Mach 10.2 is just over ten times the speed of sound (at sea level), meaning Maverick is traveling approximately 7,826 mph.

The answer to how fast Mach 10 is is tricky

It’s hard to narrow it down to one answer

It is not as simple, however, as these The speed of sound deviates due to altitude, temperature and air density. While the speed of sound is 760 mph at sea level, it is actually closer to 660 mph at 55,000 ft. Top Gun The opening scene of the sequel, Maverick pilots an experimental aircraft that does not exist in real life. However, there are things that are comparable. Both the SR-71 and the rumored SR-72 could reach altitudes of over 80,000 ft, where the speed of sound is lower than it is at sea level. Therefore, the answer to “How fast is Mach 10?” is difficult to answer.

The Darkstar is likely to reach the same heights as the SR-72. While there is limited data on the speed of sound at altitudes greater than 60,000 ft (except with jets dropped from space), the differences in temperature between 40,000 and 60,000 ft are seemingly negligible. The differences at 80,000 feet should also be minimal, meaning that Maverick’s projected top speed (Mach 10.2), if he were to fly the Darkstar beyond 60,000 ft., is around 6,732 mph. This would theoretically allow the pilot to travel the breadth of the US. it. In under 25 minutes.

in Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise’s character reaches speeds that no manned flight in an aircraft even comes close to achieving. The X-15 and pilot William J. Knight set the world record for the fastest manned aircraft all the way back in 1967, Reaching a maximum speed of Mach 6.7. Top Gun: Maverick Repeats the title character’s trait of being unable to resist the need for speed as he pushes the Darkstar further than Mach 10 speed, reaching hypersonic speed and resulting in the aircraft being destroyed. However, Maverick showed the aircraft’s capability earlier, making the mission an overall success.

Can the human body survive Mach 10?

It has never been truly tested

Tom Cruise’s character’s feat of Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick is one scientifically improbable stunt of many featured in the film. That being said, is it possible for the human body to be able to withstand such acceleration? The Most likely answer is a resounding no. Mach 10 speed has never been achieved by a manned aircraft, so it has never 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, and was able to achieve actual Mach 10 while being pushed into the atmosphere. However, it was an unmanned force. The problem with the people who can endure this speed has to do with the acceleration that needs to be achieved, and with this G-force.

A normal person can withstand up to 4-6 gs. Real fighter pilots, on the other hand, are able to take a whopping 9Gs for a second or two, but that only comes with extensive training. Astronauts only experience around 3G during a rocket launch, which is hard enough to imagine for anyone who has been on a realistic launch simulator ride. So, although Tom Cruise’s fictional character may be able to reach Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: MaverickIt is unlikely that a real person would be able to withstand such acceleration and deceleration.

A lot of work went into Maverick’s Mach 10 jet

It was important to set the tone for the film

Given the thrill of the match 10 Top Gun: Maverick scene, it is not surprising that a lot of details and work went into creating this cinematic moment. In a statement from the US Top Gun Flying scene, director Joseph Kosinski explains how the production worked with Lockheed to Build a full-scale model of a realistic air force Of the kind that “may or may not” exist. He also pointed out that the suit Maverick wears in the scene is based on an actual high-altitude flight suit used by pilots of such aircraft.

After a 34-year hiatus before Top Gun: MaverickIt was important to Bring the franchise back with a memorable opening scene. Kosinski explained that the Mach 10 scene was both a nod to the opening scene of the original, and a way to show how the character was taken into the future of flight. Most impressively, the take-off scene was performed by a real pilot, one of the few cleared to operate such a plan. The shot could only be done once due to the damage caused by the plane’s upward force that Ed Harris endured, as the epic Top Gun Moment has no trick double.

How fast the actual cast of the top gun: Maverick Flew

The main jet used in Top Gun 2 can reach Mach 1.5

The flight scenes in Top Gun: Maverick (except for the Darkstar jet) are all achieved with real aircraft. Many of these are also piloted by members of the Top Gun 2 cast, although it is difficult to discern which moments involved jets flown by actors and which had professional pilots in the cockpit. This makes it difficult to determine exactly how fast these are Top Gun: Maverick Cast flu when creating the award-winning action movie, although it is possible to make some estimates.

The main jet used by the heroes of Top Gun 2 was the Boeing F/A 18E/18F Super Hornet. An actual aircraft currently used by various branches of the United States military, the F-18 Super Hornet has a top speed of around 1189 mph. To compare this to the Darkstar, the F-18 is capable of reaching Mach 1.5. However, the cast were not allowed to pilot the F-18s themselves (even accomplished pilot Tom Cruise) due to safety concerns.

Still, many of the cast were present 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 would have been going at a considerable pace (even if the F- 18’s are not at top speed).

What is the closest to Mach 10 a person has ever reached?

The current record is match 6.7

No real pilot has ever flown at speeds close to Mach 10 like the Darkstar In Top Gun 2. However, there were a few man flies that broke the health barrier several times over. The current record holder for a manned aircraft flight was achieved all the way back in 1967 by William Knight in an X-15 rocket jet. A highly experimental aircraft, Knight managed to reach speeds of Mach 6.7 – a record that has yet to be broken.

However, it must be noted that the X-15 is not a plane designed for conventional military use. What’s more, the speed is reached in part due to the jet flying above the Earth’s atmosphere (which minimizes wind resistance). While jets like the Lockheed Martin SR-72, which the Darkstar in Top Gun: Maverick is based on, present a possibility to make manned flights at such high speeds a possibility, real-world technology is still quite far away from a position where military pilots will reach speeds close to Mach 10 in a combat situation.