What's the fastest aircraft in the world?

1. X-43 (Unmanned) Mach 9.8 110,000 feet - this is the fastest aircraft

2. X-15 (manned) Mach 6.72 354,200 feet - this is second fastest aircraft

3. SR-71 Blackbird (YF-12) Mach 3.2+ 85,000+ feet - third fastest aircraft in the world, and the fastest airplane in the world.

The fastest spacecraft are the Apollo 10 craft which reached Mach 37.6 upon re-entry and the Helios satellite obriting the sun travels at Mach 227.3.

The speed of a space shuttle in orbit is about 17,580 miles an hour.

That is the space shuttle, it is classified as an aircraft and while in orbit it can exceed 16,000mph. Or, like most other said, it would be the SR-71 blackbird who's top speed is still classified. Their pilots were considered astronauts As well because of the altitudes they flew at.

Hypersonic UAV's go about 10 times the speed of sound. The fastest manned was the x-15 at 6 times the speed of sound. The fastest ramjet is the Blackbird at 3.5-3.6 times the speed of sound. Fastest turbojet-Mig-25? Fastest prop plane is something like 535-585 mph. Space shuttle 25 times the speed of sound. Things nasa sends to outside of solarsystem could get to be something like .1 times the speed of light if they put the money into it.

For Communter aircraft I beleive it is the Citation X but the new Hawker 4000 is very fast as well.

i don't know what the fastest aircraft is but i know there are aircraft with scramjet engines and they are really fast. scramjets are the most powerful engines right now. they blow fuel up instead of buring it like in turbofan engines. planes with scramjets can reach speeds up to more than mach 5

Currently flying....probably would be the space shuttle.

blue angel