SR-72 Top Gun Maverick
defenseuptodate.com – If you watch the movie Top Gun: Maverick, an airplane called the SR-72 Darkstar will appear, although only for film, the plane piloted by Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was actually designed by Skunk Work. One of the secret divisions of Lockheed Martin.
According to Lockheed Martin, the production team behind Top Gun: Maverick contacted the Skunk Works division for help with the SR-72 concept. The Skunk Works is a division of Lockheed Martin that works on top-secret aircraft programs. Founded by legendary aeronautical engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson.
Skunk Works has established itself as the most important and influential aviation design agency of the modern era. The agency is responsible for the U-2 spy plane, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Top Gun team made a logical choice. However, the SR-72 “Darkstar” hypersonic aircraft was intended as a follow-up to the SR-71, which was also being developed by Skunk Works. Both are high-speed manned strategic reconnaissance jets.
SR-72 Darkstar Top Speed
The difference is that while the SR-71 has a top speed of Mach 3.3 (or 2,193 miles per hour), the SR-72 in the film is in hypersonic territory. The aircraft is capable of flying up to Mach 10, or 7,672 miles per hour. Hypersonic speed is anything that flies at over 3,000 miles per hour, or over Mach 5.
Skunk Work actually came up with the SR-72 aircraft design and not for the film. The aircraft is designed to be unmanned and also fly at hypersonic speeds. This design was first announced in 2016.
So the SR-72 in the film actually almost exists in the real world. Although there is no Pentagon contract to build a real-world SR-72 yet. So far, development of the aircraft is an internal Lockheed Martin effort. So it’s possible to build but it’s also possible to stop at the concept. Unfortunately if it does get made he won’t have a seat for Tom Cruise.