Is a dark star a real thing?

Maverick famously featured an SR-72 “Darkstar.” While no such jet is known to exist, there have been hints that a follow-up aircraft to the SR-71 might be flying—or at least in the planning stages.

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Is the Mach 10 Darkstar a real plane?

Lockheed's legendary advanced development division, Skunk Works, had worked with producers to create the fictional “Darkstar” hypersonic aircraft flown by the film's star Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.

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Is the Mach 10 plane in Top Gun real?

The Answer To How Fast Is Mach 10 Is Tricky

In the Top Gun sequel's opening scene, Maverick pilots an experimental aircraft that doesn't exist in real life.

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Is the Darkstar scene in Top Gun real?

Darkstar is movie fiction, the spokesperson explained, saying, “Darkstar is a hyper-realistic aircraft concept designed specifically for Top Gun: Maverick.

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Can the Darkstar actually fly?

Of course, the SR-72 Darkstar is also fake. The movie plane shares its name with the RQ-3 Darkstar, a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drone that Lockheed Martin developed in the 1990s. The real Darkstar was a slow-moving spy platform that flew at less than 5 percent of the movie plane's speed.

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50 BEST AVIATION MOMENTS EVER CAUGHT ON CAMERA

33 related questions found

Did Tom Cruise hit Mach 10?

In fact, if you've seen the film, you know that Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise, of course) does achieve the previously unthinkable when he hits Mach 10 in the opening sequence of the film, working as a test pilot for the Navy.

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Is Top Gun a real thing?

Yes. Top Gun is an actual school in the United States Navy. We know it throughout the U.S. Navy fleet as the Naval Fighter Weapons School. In this article, you'll learn about the real Top Gun and not just what was depicted in the movies.

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Did Tom Cruise fly the Darkstar?

In the new Top Gun film, Cruise flies a hypersonic plane called the Darkstar. This fictional aircraft may have been inspired by plans for a hypersonic military plane called the SR-72, or "Son of Blackbird."

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What is the highest Mach ever reached?

Dynamic pressure during the flight was 1,050 psf (0.50 bar). It reached Mach 9.68, 6,755 mph (10,870 km/h) at 109,440 ft (33,357 m), and further tested the ability of the vehicle to withstand the heat loads involved.

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Is The Darkstar the fastest plane?

Called the Darkstar, the plane touched 10 Mach, which makes it the fastest aircraft in the world, even though fictional.

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What would happen if you eject at Mach 10?

Maverick Probably Couldn't Survive Ejecting At Mach 10

The relative weight and density of air outside the craft would kill the pilot instantly.

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What is the fastest jet ever?

The fastest fighter jet ever created was the NASA/USAF X-15. It was an experimental aircraft that resembled more of a rocket with wings but managed to reach a record 4,520mph. The fastest fighter jet in the world today is the MiG-25 Foxbat, with a top speed of 2,190mph, half the speed of the X-15.

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How did Maverick survive Mach 10?

At the beginning the movie, which racked up $1.45 billion worldwide, Maverick ejects from a hypersonic fighter plane while speeding along at Mach 10.5. He survives without injury, which is great, but it's solely due to movie magic. “At that air speed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm.

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Is The Darkstar a drone?

The Museum's Dark Star is Air Vehicle (A/V) #3. It never flew. It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. During the 1990s, the U.S. Air Force showed renewed interest in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).

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Was The Darkstar CGI?

It was Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that inspired Skunk Works designers to create the hypersonic Darkstar. At the same time, Darkstar in the film is not computer graphics. Skunk Works has built a full-size prototype of the aircraft, which is why it looks so realistic.

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How fast can Darkstar fly?

“Top Gun: Maverick” features one of the best edge-of-your-seat action sequences of the year as Tom Cruise's Maverick takes the supersonic Darkstar aircraft on an unauthorized test flight, pushing it to reach a speed of Mach 10.

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What Mach has humans reached?

In the air, the record belongs to the US Air Force's X-15 jet, which reached speeds of Mach 6.72. Translation? 4520 miles per hour.

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What is the fastest Mach a human has gone?

The winner of our top 10 – the X-15! Number 1: North American X-15 This aircraft has the current world record for the fastest manned aircraft. Its maximum speed was Mach 6.70 (about 7,200 km/h) which it attained on the 3rd of October 1967 thanks to its pilot William J. “Pete” Knight.

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Which Mach is the speed of light?

Answer and Explanation: The speed of light is Mach 874,030. This is because the speed of light in air is 874,030 times faster than the speed of sound in air.

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Is Top Gun 2 realistic?

Is the flying in Top Gun: Maverick realistic? "A lot of the flying, ninety percent of it, was realistic," says former Top Gun pilot and instructor Andy "Grand" Mariner. "It wasn't the crazy stuff from the first [movie].

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Is the jet in Top Gun real?

The enemy aircraft in Top Gun is referred to as the “MiG-28.” However, this model does not actually exist in real life. The film did use a real plane²—the Northrop F-5—that was painted black to portray the fictional aircraft.

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Why wasn t Tom Cruise allowed to fly?

The F/A-18 Super Hornet Requires An Advanced Pilot

While Tom Cruise did really fly in Top Gun: Maverick with certain aircraft, confirming his exceptional pilot skills, the F/A-18 Super Hornets are not the kind of plane just anyone can jump into and take off.

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Who is the best fighter pilot in the world?

A new book examines the life of the WWII German ace. Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erich Hartmann was exceedingly good at aerial combat.

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Can Tom Cruise fly a jet?

The Hollywood actor, who is a trained pilot, pilots a P-51 propeller-driven fighter plane and a couple of helicopters in the movie. Yes, Tom Cruise can fly a plane. He has held a pilot license since 1994. Cruise got his private pilot's license in 1994 and then obtained his commercial license in 1998. ...

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How much do Top Gun pilots make?

How much do Top Gun Flight Academy employees earn on average in the United States? Top Gun Flight Academy pays an average salary of $4,222,140 and salaries range from a low of $3,719,081 to a high of $4,793,522.

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