How Fast Is Mach 10? (Top Gun’s Maverick Speed Explained)

Hold onto your helmets, because we’re about to break the sound barrier (and then some)! Remember that scene in Top Gun: Maverick where Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell pushes the experimental Darkstar jet beyond Mach 10? It was a heart-stopping moment in the movie, but how fast is Mach 10 in the real world?

Unlike the fictional Darkstar, the fastest jet ever built, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, could only reach speeds of around Mach 3.2. However, the Darkstar might be inspired by the next-generation SR-72, currently under development, which is expected to reach Mach 6. Still, Mach 10 is a whole new level of speed!

Mach, by the way, isn’t just a cool movie term. It’s a unit of speed that compares an object’s speed to the speed of sound at a specific altitude and temperature. Mach 1 equals the speed of sound, which is about 760 mph at sea level. So, Mach 10 translates to a mind-blowing 7,826 mph!

Now, the movie portrays Maverick pushing the limits of human endurance at these extreme speeds. While the film takes some liberties, the reality is that such speeds might still be a ways off for manned flight due to the immense G-forces involved.

But even without Maverick in the cockpit, the concept of Mach 10 travel is incredibly exciting. This blog post will dive deeper into the science behind hypersonic speeds, explore potential applications (both military and civilian), and discuss the challenges we need to overcome to make Mach 10 a reality.

What Is Top Gun: Maverick About?

Top Gun: Maverick follows Tom Cruise reprising his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from 1986’s Top Gun. The film opens on Maverick’s efforts to protect his prototype program, Darkstar, from being discontinued after the Air Force decides to invest in unmanned drones. Desperate to save the program, Maverick goes rogue and attempts to break the speed limit, resulting in the destruction of the plane.

Fortunately, Maverick’s old friend, Tom Kazansky, who now commands the US Pacific fleets, intervenes and saves Maverick from termination. As a consequence, Maverick is assigned a new task that seems nearly impossible: to train a group of young and elite soldiers tasked with destroying an unsanctioned uranium plant.

Throughout the training process, Maverick encounters ghosts of his past, especially when he meets Bradley Bradshaw, the son of his late friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Despite Maverick’s attempts to dissuade Bradley from joining the newly graduated team of Top Guns, Bradley insists on participating.

How Fast Is Mach 10?

Mach is a unit commonly used in aviation to describe an object’s speed relative to sound. Mach 10 is a feat that has been previously accomplished by a manless aircraft called X-43A, developed by NASA as an experimental aircraft to test hypersonic speeds. Mach 10 is approximately a speed of 3.43 kilometers per second or 12,348 kilometers per hour, which translates to 7,680 miles per hour.

Practically achieving Mach 10 speed for humans is impossible due to the sheer amount of G-force involved. G-force is a term used in aviation to describe the stress experienced by pilots. On average, a human being can only withstand 4 to 6 G-force for a brief amount of time before experiencing adverse effects. However, pilots undergo vigorous training to withstand a higher number of G-forces. On average, trained pilots can endure up to 9 G-force for a short amount of time. Anything higher or sustained for a longer period can affect internal organs or even cause a person to go unconscious.

The speed at which Maverick flies the Darkstar in Top Gun: Maverick is Mach 10, which would subject him to approximately 34 G-force, rendering it practically impossible for a human to survive such forces as it would severely damage their body from the inside. Furthermore, it was also shown that Maverick ejects from the Darkstar going at the speed of Mach 10.3, and in a real-life scenario, that would result in immediate death due to the air density outside.

The real-life SR-72 is currently under development and is expected to fly sometime in 2023, but the aircraft wouldn’t be able to match the Mach 10 speed, not even close. The SR-71 had a top speed of Mach 3.3, and its successor could reach the speed of Mach 6.

Could The Human Body Survive Mach 10?

It Has Never Truly Been Tested

Tom Cruise’s character’s feat of Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick is one scientifically improbable stunt out of many featured in the film. That said, is it possible for the human body to be able to withstand such acceleration? The most likely answer is a resounding no. Mach 10 speed has never been achieved by a manned aircraft, though, so it has never been tested. Mach 10 has, however, been achieved by a spacecraft – on November 16, 2004, NASA launched the X-43A, an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, and was able to reach real Mach 10 while being pushed into the atmosphere. But that was an unmanned craft.

The problem with humans withstanding such a speed has to do with the acceleration needed to reach it, and the resultant G-force. A normal human could withstand up to around 4-6Gs. Real fighter pilots, on the other hand, are able to take a whopping 9Gs for a second or two, but that only comes with extensive training. Astronauts only experience around 3G during a rocket launch, which is hard enough to imagine for anyone who has been on a realistic launch simulator ride. So, while Tom Cruise’s fictional character may have been able to achieve Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick, it’s unlikely that a real human would be able to withstand such acceleration and deceleration.