#supersonic

Convair B-58 Hustler high speed USAF bomber. It was first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. first flight was Nov 11th 1956, introduction into service was March 15th 1960, 116 were built and she served the USAF until January 31st 1970.

credit Aviation Titan

17 July 1965. First flight of the second and final North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie prototype, AV-2 62-0207 from Palmdale, California. US nuclear-armed deep-penetration bomber.

@EiseleRon10374 via X

B-1 Lancer strategic bomber takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., during a training mission supporting the Weapons Instructor Course, June 8, 2017.

Analysis of 3 infamous American 🇺🇸 combat machines:-

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a subsonic aircraft (flies below the speed of sound) with a maximum cruise speed of approximately 684 mph (Mach 0.84 to 0.92). It was the world's first operational stealth attack aircraft designed to be undetected by radar and other unique stealth strategies and was awarded the prized Collier award <>

https://youtu.be/CQiuEfbMwNA?is=JOfG2DLwLG1CWLiP

Lockheed SR-72 Darkstar hypersonic conceptual successor to the SR-71 Blackbird below with a design purpose to achieve sustained speeds of Mach 6 or greater, roughly double the top speed of the SR-71. A realistic 69.5-foot-long, full-scale static mockup was used in the Top Gun movie. Innovative in surface-to-air missile (SAM) technology. Imbedded Rapid-Response Intelligence could sprint across continents in under an hour to capture on-demand intelligence <> https://theaviationist.com/2021/11/23/sr-72-teased-video/

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird remains the fastest and highest-flying manned, air-breathing supersonic jet aircraft ever built setting world records in 1976 for cruising at a sustained speed of 2,193 mph (Mach 3.2) and an altitude exceeding 85,068 feet. Achieved by innovative Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines generating 32,500 pounds of thrust. Built primarily from titanium to withstand the intense aerodynamic friction and heat (surface temperatures exceeding 1,000°F) generated at Mach 3 <> https://www.si.edu/object/lockheed-sr-71-blackbird%3Anasm_A19920072000

B-58 Hustler Bomber.

A supersonic strategic bomber developed by Convair and operated by the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s. It was the world's first practical bomber to exceed Mach 2, tasked with high-altitude, ultra-high-speed penetration missions to evade Soviet radar networks during the Cold War.

It is equipped with four J79 turbojet engines, achieving a top speed of Mach 2.1, and features a tailless delta wing (triangular wing) suited for high-speed flight. Its slim fuselage, with a crew of three (pilot, bombardier-navigator, and defensive systems officer) seated in a single file, is a distinctive characteristic.

A major feature is the attachment of large armament and fuel containers (pods) beneath the fuselage. After reaching the target from high altitude, operations envisioned jettisoning the pod—nuclear weapon and all—to enable even faster withdrawal.

Due to technological advancements that improved the performance of air defense missiles, necessitating a reevaluation of the "high-altitude high-speed flight" strategy itself, as well as the aircraft's high maintenance costs, all units were retired in 1970.

XB-70