Speed has always been one of the biggest advantages in warfare. From the early days of jet engines to Cold War arms races, nations pushed aircraft to fly faster and higher than ever thought possible.

From experimental rocket planes to Cold War spy jets, the fastest aircraft in history pushed far beyond what engineers once thought possible. I focus here on ten record-setters whose top speeds, ...

A Cessna 172 can typically cruise at around 140 mph (225 kph). Most commercial airliners fly fast enough at altitude that speed is measured in how close the aircraft's speed is to the speed of sound.

Image Credit: William Pretrina - P-38 Lighting, CC BY-SA 2.0/Wiki Commons. When you think about World War II, you probably picture tanks crawling through Europe or ships battling it out in the Pacific ...