Did Maverick Fly a Mach-10 airplane that is real?

By Maya Carlin

During Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise hit Mach 10 in the SR-72 Darkstar. That plane might even up being real in some format:

Aviation buffs and military experts alike revere the unprecedented capabilities of an airframe produced more than forty-five years ago. As of 2022, the SR-71 Blackbird holds the world record it set in 1976 as the fastest manned airframe on the planet.

 The newer and fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22 Raptor can’t even claim this achievement. This long-retired fighter may finally meet its match, however, with its potential successor the SR-72.

As Lockheed Martin’s Mach 6.0 Blackbird 2.0, the “Darkstar” may just be a theory today but may actually take to the skies over the next decade.

When the blockbuster Tom Cruise film Top Gun: Maverick took to the screens last year, manufacturing giant Lockheed Martin hinted that the Darkstar SR-72 may already be in the works. 

Video Above: Air Force 6th-Gen Stealth Fighters Control Attack Drones