The 2025 ranking of the fastest aircraft in the world: here are the ten seven of the sky among both civil transport aircraft and military combat aircraft.
What is the fastest plane in the world? Every day, something like 26 thousand planes fly in the world, with almost 5 billion passengers estimated in 2024, a sharp increase compared to 3.5 billion in 2023.
These data highlight an upward trend in the number of people who choose the plane as a means of transport, with forecasts indicating a continuous increase in the coming years: 7 billion by 2025, with all due respect to those who would like a decrease in flights due to their environmental impact.
Returning to the original question, planes have become faster over the years thanks to a combination of technological advances, aerodynamic improvements and innovations in materials and engines.
Just think of the “revolution” of the Concorde - active between 1969 and 2003 -, capable in the 70s of reaching Mach 2 (over 2,100 km/h) thus halving transatlantic flight times. Now engineers aim to exceed Mach 5 (over 6,000 km/h) thanks to scramjet and hypersonic engines.
Let’s see in detail the 2025 ranking of the 10 fastest planes in the world both for civil transport and for the military sector.
The 10 fastest civilian aircraft in the world
The fastest commercial or civilian aircraft in the world is the Tupolev Tu-144, a Russian aircraft used between 1975 and 1978 capable of traveling at 2,300 km/h and defined as a sort of Soviet answer to the Concorde, in use until 2003 and capable of reaching 2,180 km/h.
The Tupolev Tu-144 was the first supersonic passenger aircraft in history, developed by the former Soviet Union but had a very short career - about three years - due to technical and safety problems.
Among the aircraft in operation, the fastest in the world is the Cessna Citation X+, a private jet in use since 2012 and which is known for its speed - about 1,154 km/h - and for its high performance.
Here in detail is the 2025 ranking of the 10 fastest civil aircraft in the world.
| Aircraft name | Speed | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tupolev Tu-144 | 2,300 km/h | Passengers | Not in use |
| Concorde | 2,180 km/h | Passengers | Not in use |
| Boom Supersonic Overture | 2,100 km/h | Commercial | In planning |
| Bombardier Global 8000 | 1,160 km/h | Private jet | Soon in use |
| Cessna Citation X+ | 1,154 km/h | Private jet | In use |
| Gulfstream G700 | 1,150 km/h | Private jet | In use |
| Dassault Falcon 7X | 1,060 km/h | Private jet | In use |
| Boeing 747-8i | 1,050 km/h | Passengers | In use |
| Airbus A380 | 1,050 km/h | Passengers | In use |
| Boeing 787 Dreamliner | 1,020 km/h | Passengers | In use |
As you can see from this special ranking, the fastest passenger aircraft in the world currently in use is the Boeing 747-8i, while the Airbus A380 takes the prize for the largest aircraft in the world.
The 10 fastest military aircraft in the world
Due to their characteristics, military or combat aircraft are generally faster than civilian aircraft, with recent events accelerating the various projects for increasingly efficient and sophisticated aircraft.
The fastest military aircraft in use in the world is the Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound, a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 2.83 (3,057 km/h).
The US, on the other hand, can count on the McDonnell Douglas F-15E and above all on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, an advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jet in service with the US Air Force since 2005. Although it is not the fastest aircraft in the world, its maximum speed of Mach 2.25 (2,414 km/h) makes it a formidable force in air combat.
Here is the detailed 2025 ranking of the 10 fastest military aircraft in the world.
| Aircraft Name | Speed | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | 3,540 km/h | Reconnaissance aircraft | Not in use |
| North American XB-70 Valkyrie | 3,270 km/h | Bomber | Not in use |
| Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound | 3,057 km/h | Interceptor aircraft | In use |
| Sukhoi Su-35S | 2,778 km/h | Multi-role fighter | In use |
| McDonnell Douglas F-15E | 2,650 km/h | Fighter bomber | In use |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | 2,499 km/h | Interceptor fighter | In use |
| Eurofighter Typhoon | 2,400 km/h | Multi-role fighter | In use |
| Martin F-22 Raptor | 2,414 km/h | Passenger | In use |
| Dassault Rafale | 2,222 km/h | Multi-role fighter | In use |
| Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II | 1,975 km/h | Multi-role fighter | In use |
Considering aircraft no longer in use, the fastest military aircraft in history was the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a U.S. strategic reconnaissance aircraft in operation from 1966 to 1998.
Out of the ranking is the North American X-15, an experimental rocket-powered aircraft from the 1960s that holds the world speed record for a manned aircraft (about 7,274 km/h).
Excluding Russia, the fastest European military aircraft is the Eurofighter Typhoon - used by several European air forces -, while France can also count on the Dassault Rafale.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Qual è l’aereo più veloce al mondo? La classifica 2025
