Pete "Maverick" Mitchell becomes the fastest man alive as he travels faster than Mach 10, a speed that has never been achieved in real life.
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell flies the experimental Darkstar jet past Mach 10 in Top Gun: Maverick—but exactly how fast was Tom Cruise's character traveling? Top Gun 2 was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning $127 million domestically during its opening weekend ($156 million including Memorial Day). That means that not only did Cruise's iconic character Maverick break flight records, but the film itself broke Cruise's own box office records.
Top Gun 2 starts the adrenaline kick early with former TOPGUN instructor Maverick piloting the Darkstar, an experimental aircraft likely inspired by real-world jets. The Lockheed Martin SR-71, nicknamed Blackbird, was in use during the late 1960s through the 1980s and was capable of outpacing enemy missiles, reaching Mach 3.2. Because Lockheed were consultants for the film, it's likely the Darkstar was actually based on a combination of experimental jets, including the SR-72, a successor to the Blackbird currently in development. The company is expected to begin test flights with the SR-72 by 2025, with speeds up to Mach 6; roughly twice as fast as its predecessor.
During the first act of the often-delayed Top Gun 2, Maverick takes the Darkstar out on a test flight with the intention of reaching Mach 9. Upon news that Rear Admiral Cain was on-route to shut the program down, Maverick leaves with the intention of showing how fast the Darkstar can really go. He eventually pushes the jet to Mach 10, but pushes the Darkstar even further, reaching Mach 10.2 before the craft spirals out of control and breaks apart. "Mach" is a ratio in fluid dynamics that represents an object's speed in comparison to the speed of sound. Mach 1, therefore, represents the actual speed of sound, which is 760 mph at sea level. Multiplying Mach 10.2 by the speed of sound (at sea level) would mean that Maverick was traveling roughly 7,826 mph.
It's not entirely that simple, however, as the speed of sound deviates due to altitude, temperature, and air density. While the speed of sound is 760 mph at sea level, it's actually closer to 660 mph at 55,000 ft. In Top Gun 2 Maverick is flying an experimental aircraft that doesn't exist in real life, however, there are things that are comparable. Both the SR-71 and the rumored SR-72 could reach altitudes of over 80,000ft, where the speed of sound is lower than it is at sea level.
The Darkstar is likely to reach the same heights as the SR-72. While there is limited data on the speed of sound at altitudes greater than 60,000 ft. (with the exception of jets actually dropped from space) the differences in temperature between 40,000 and 60,000 ft. are seemingly negligible. The differences at 80,000 feet should be minimal as well, meaning that Maverick's projected top speed (Mach 10.2), if he were to fly the Darkstar beyond 60,000 ft., is around 6,732 mph. This would theoretically allow the pilot to travel the width of the U.S. in under 25 minutes.
In Top Gun 2 Maverick reaches speeds that no manned flight is even close to achieving. The X-15 and pilot William J. Knight set the world record for the fastest manned aircraft all the way back in 1967, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 6.7. Top Gun: Maverick repeat's the original film's Peter Mitchell trait of being unable to resist the need for speed as he pushes the "Darkstar" further than Mach 10, reaching hypersonic speed and resulting in the aircraft being destroyed. However, Maverick showed the aircraft's capability beforehand, making the mission an overall success and Maverick the fastest man alive.
