US 'Mach 10' Hypersonic Fighter Jet... To Appear in 'Top Gun' Sequel [Reading Science]

The hypersonic fighter jet "Darkstar" in the movie 'Top Gun: Maverick'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The 'Mach 10' hypersonic fighter jet being developed by the United States makes a brief appearance in a movie. The sequel to the 1986 film 'Top Gun' is set to be released in Korea on the 22nd, featuring the SR-72, an advanced hypersonic fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin, flying at an incredible speed of Mach 10.

According to space-specialized media 'Space.com' on the 7th (local time), in the movie 'Top Gun: Maverick,' the lead character Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, is hired as an Air Force test pilot and assigned to test fly the latest hypersonic fighter jet named 'Dark Star.' However, forces skeptical of its practicality attempt to cut the budget and cancel the Dark Star program. Maverick rebels by flying the supersonic fighter jet toward the command center during training. In this process, the silhouette of the supersonic fighter jet and the interior of the cockpit are partially revealed. The setting also presents the jet flying at an incredible speed of Mach 10.

This 'sleek' advanced hypersonic fighter jet was confirmed to be the SR-72 developed by Lockheed Martin. The SR-72 is still under development and has not yet conducted its first flight. Official flight tests are expected to take place next year, with deployment anticipated from 2030. Although the film production company had revealed the silhouette through trailers, allowing some speculation, they had not confirmed whether the SR-72 would specifically appear.

However, during the filming process, Lockheed Martin's SR-72 development division, 'Skunk Works,' reportedly collaborated with the production company Paramount Pictures by adjusting the color and size of the SR-72 to assist with computer-generated flight scenes. James Taiclet, CEO of Lockheed Martin, acknowledged in an interview with a media outlet, "The Skunk Works team helped realize the fictional fighter jet during the production of 'Top Gun: Maverick.'" He also posted on his social media account, stating, "Engineers from Skunk Works collaborated with the Top Gun: Maverick production team to help bring future technology to the big screen."

The SR-72, a hypersonic fighter jet being developed by the American company Lockheed Martin.

The SR-72 is the successor to the legendary high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 was known as 'the fastest plane in human history,' reaching speeds of Mach 3 and a top speed of Mach 3.3. Due to high operating costs, all units have been retired.

However, the supersonic fighter jet in the movie is not expected to be a direct representation of the real SR-72. Ananda Costa, spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, said, "The 'Dark Star' in the movie is a supersonic fighter jet specially designed for the film and is purely a product of imagination."

In addition, the movie features the nostalgic F-14A Tomcat, which appeared in the original Top Gun. It also showcases the current mainstays of the U.S. aircraft carrier fleet, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the stealth-capable F-35 Lightning II, and the P-51 Mustang. The Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57 Felon appears as an adversary aircraft. The film was already released in the U.S. on the 27th of last month and will premiere in Korea on the 22nd. Tom Cruise is expected to visit Korea on the 18th to personally promote the film.