If, however, the bullet leaves the muzzle at a speed slower than the speed of sound, it’s subsonic. If the bullet exceeds the speed of sound, thereby breaking the sound barrier, it’s supersonic. When you ask, “What is subsonic ammo?” the answer is simple. These powder gases are the primary source of a firearm’s report (the sound of the gunshot.) To learn more about speed versus temperature, click here for a great blog about why air is hot when you fly fast and why there’s no such thing as “cooling air” once you’ve achieved Mach 1.When you fire a cartridge, the propellant charge burns, generating high-pressure expanding gases that drive the bullet through the barrel. While it’s challenging to imagine what happens to an aircraft at such temperatures, here are two examples: aluminum will melt at approximately 1,200° F or 648° C and steel will melt at approximately 2,500° F or 1,371° C. As a result, hypersonic aircraft must go to extreme measures for heat protection (such as the tiles and blankets protecting the space shuttle). At speeds above Mach 5, most metals will melt or become so soft that they can’t be used for any type of structure. The reason for the distinction between supersonic and hypersonic is due to temperature changes. (It slows down to supersonic speeds as it re-enters the lower part of the earth’s atmosphere.) Most recently, China launched its experimental “waverider” Starry Sky-2 hypersonic aircraft, which soared at about Mach-5.5 for 400 seconds (after being carried by a rocket to an altitude of 18 miles or 30km). It also helped inform the Space Shuttle, which flies at hypersonic speeds while in the earth’s upper atmosphere. The X-15 flew from 1958 to 1969 and provided insights that later contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs. The hypersonic X-15, a joint venture that NASA conducted with the Air Force, the Navy, and North American Aviation, Inc., flew at Mach 6.7.

HypersonicĪt this speed, an aircraft is traveling faster than Mach 5. Nicknamed the “Flying Footlocker,” it was retired in 2013. For example, the F-4 Phantom II first took to the skies in 1960 and exceeded Mach 2. Many types of military aircraft are also capable of supersonic flight.

During this time, the shuttle accelerates from Mach 1 to Mach 5. Rockets, such as the Space Shuttle, fly at supersonic speeds immediately after liftoff and for about 45 seconds until about two minutes after launch. Boom’s Overture will fly comfortably in the supersonic regime at Mach 1.7. Generally, supersonic speeds range from Mach 1.2 to Mach 5. SupersonicĪt this speed, the entire aircraft is experiencing supersonic airflow and traveling at speeds faster than Mach 1. Click here to watch the shock wave formation on a Boeing 737 in transonic flight. In some cases, you can even see the shadow of the shocks on the upper wing. There are even transonic flows on both of the subsonic commercial airliner examples mentioned above. The line between subsonic and transonic is blurry. There are a handful of aircraft that fly deep in the transonic regime, including the Cessna Citation X and the Gulfstream G650. At some places on the aircraft the speed will exceed Mach 1, while at others it will be less than Mach 1. TransonicĪt this speed, an aircraft is approaching the speed of sound but hasn’t yet reached and surpassed Mach 1. Examples include the F-100 Super Sabre, which was developed in the 1950s and flown by the U.S. Most older military jets also fall into the subsonic category. Subsonic aircraft include everything that flies slowly, including all general aviation aircraft, such as the Cessna 172, ultralights, and even paragliders.Ĭommercial aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus 330, and smaller regional jets that have less than 100 seats, are subsonic as well. SubsonicĪt this speed, an aircraft is traveling slower than the speed of sound - less than about Mach 0.8. Mach 1 is the speed of sound.įour general categories define the speed of flight: subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic. Typically, we measure the speed of an aircraft by its Mach number, which is a velocity relative to the speed of sound (approximately 770 mph or 1,239 kmh at sea level). How fast can you fly - exactly? Here’s a look at how the aerospace industry categorizes the speeds of flight and the type of aircraft capable of achieving those speeds. Not only is it a thrill to imagine traveling at supersonic speeds or even hypersonic speeds, it’s also tempting to imagine arriving at your destination faster. Flying at high speeds is a dream that millions of people around the world share.

Supersonic vs subsonic