What Is the Fastest Airplane in the U.S. Air Force?
Story by Brent M. Eastwood • 2h ago
Fastest Airplane in the U.S. Air Force? You Might Be Suprised: Hazard a guess on which airplane is the fastest in the U.S. Air Force? No, it’s not the F-35 or F-22.
F-15EX
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The fastest aircraft, if you don’t count the Space Force’s X-37B spacecraft that can fly at speeds between MACH 16 and MACH 25, is the F-15E Strike Eagle. The F-15E can hit between MACH 2.4 and 2.5 or about 1,875 miles per hour.
By comparison, the F-35’s top speed is MACH 1.6 and the F-22’s is a tad slower than the F-15E at MACH 2.2.
What Is the Fastest Airplane in the U.S. Air Force? Meet the F-15E
What makes the F-15E reach such speeds? Start with the engines. The F-15E is propelled by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 after-burning turbofan engines. These have advanced digital technology to enable MACH 2.4 to 2.5. With these sophisticated engines, pilots can go from idle power to maximum afterburner in under four seconds. This allows for high performance and maneuverability – qualities that fighter pilots prefer. These engines put out 50,000 pounds of thrust or 25,000 pounds from each F100-PW-220 engine. That is a 40 percent increase over the previous engine control system. The F100-PW-229 engines provide 58,000 pounds of thrust or 29,000 pounds from each. The engines enable a range of 2,762 miles with external fuel tanks plus a ceiling of 60,000 feet.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/what-is-the-fastest-airplane-in-the-u-s-air-force/ar-AA164PM4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=34d2504aff3d42deab74c4f860c46c6b
