x 43 x yachts

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

X-Yachts X43 review: fast passage making in comfort

• Theo Stocker
• August 25, 2023

X-Yachts’ latest model, the X43 promises to be a fast passage-making cruising boat that’s fun and engaging to sail but won’t scare your socks off. Theo Stocker went to find out how well the X43 toes the line

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

You know the stars have aligned when you get Force 4-5 and bright sunshine, as well as a boat, crew, photographer and RIB all in the right place at the right time. Conditions could not have been better for testing the Mark 2 version of the hugely successful X-Yachts X43. This was going to be fun.

We were lucky to have Pieter, the proud new owner of Lexi aboard, and as we motored down the river, he told me why he’d chosen this boat. ‘I previously owned a mass-produced 38ft family cruiser, which was great, but I wanted something a bit bigger and with three teenage children who really enjoy sailing, we needed more for them to get involved with on the boat. We wanted something that was really engaging to sail. I looked at Grand Soleil, Arcona and X-Yachts. I liked the X46 and my wife liked the X40, so we settled on the X43, and we’re both happy it’s the right size to have gone for.’

While Grand Soleil and Arcona are more on a par with the X-Performance range numbers wise, there are relatively few direct comparators to the X43 – perhaps a Dehler 42, or the slightly heavier and older Sweden Yacht 42. In short, this ‘Pure-X’ boat ploughs something of its own furrow between cruiser/racers and more dedicated cruisers.

It’s clear to the see the appeal of a proper sailing boat with plenty of canvas and single rudder steering for decent performance, combined with a reassuring amount of ballast and the creature comforts of deep-fill mattresses, microwave and coffee machine.

The wide cockpit makes sail handling and manoeuvres easy, but can feel a little exposed. Photo: Richard Langdon

More than just skin deep

Now, cosmetic surgery comes in all shapes and sizes. When it comes to boat models, design updates are often pretty superficial – a chin-tuck here, some filler there – new windows, extra cushion fabric options, and maybe a tweak or two to the deck layout. Far from a simple facelift, however, the new X43 has undergone a full-scale transformation of its rear end.

Everything forward of the shrouds remains unchanged from the original 2016 model, but from the shrouds aft, it’s a completely new hull. The boat is no beamier than the Mark 1, but that beam is carried all the way aft to supercharge its form stability with a stern fully 50cm wider. Drag-inducing wetted surface area has been reduced by lifting the rounded hull chines up and out of the water. This boat then has, in theory, both better light wind performance and better strong wind performance, but I’d have to take X-Yachts’ word for it on the light wind stuff.

First impressions were good. The test boat, fresh out of the wrapper, looked stylish, slick and neat. The S-shaped stem adds support for the Code-Zero tack near the base of the fixed carbon bowsprit; the tack point at the end is for asymmetric spinnakers that don’t require high luff tension.

A wider stern and higher chines give more stability when heeled and less drag in light airs. Photo: Richard Langdon

The broader stern, coupled with some extra space taken from the aft sidedecks, creates an enormously spacious cockpit, but with two table options to provide bracing. Add in the new higher soft hull chines aft, and she starts to look a lot more fleet of foot than the Mk 1.

Hidden from sight, the deep single rudder has been updated to make it both more powerful and slightly less balanced to provide better feel on the helm. Countless other small tweaks – larger hull windows, raised helm seats to keep your backside dry, a moulded recess for the self-tacking jib track (covered if not fitted) – contribute to a thorough refinement of an already highly successful model with more than 100 built since 2016.

Chainplates are neatly hidden within the moulded toerails, and stanchions are neatly fitted. Photo: Richard Langdon

This is only the second model designed by the in-house design team since the retirement of X-Yachts co-founder and lead designer, Niels Jeppesen, but it remains every inch an X-Yacht.

Shifting gears

A brisk Force 4 barreled up the Solent from the south east, and built through the day. With wind and tide together, the seas were flat, but as the tide turned, the chop would build. Full canvas was set to see how and when we would need to start shifting down the gears.

It took us a moment or two to get settled down – jib car positions, mainsheet traveller, halyard tensions, vang, outhaul and backstay all helped balance the power from a fairly generous sailplan. It was reassuring to feel through the wheel when the boat was, and wasn’t, properly in her stride, which is hard to replicate with a twin-rudder boat.

ockpit coamings offer a comfortable and secure seat for crew, with good views forwards from the wheel. Photo: Richard Langdon

In 14 knots true wind, we found that sailing at 32º-34º the speed settled around 7 knots, topping out at 7.2 knots with just over 20 knots across the deck. Pinching 5º higher saw the speed drop to 6.5 knots. That’s not bad going for a boat this comfortable. With the true wind speed creeping up to Force 5 (17-18 knots) and 30º of heel, it was finally time to put a reef in. Unsurprisingly, with a more sensible sail plan, she sat up to 20-25º, the helm eased and the speed climbed.

Where a pure performance boat might punish inattention, a good cruising boat should be a little more forgiving. Munching sandwiches and chatting over lunch on one of the beats, I wasn’t watching the telltales closely. It was easy to sail by feel and the boat didn’t stray from 28-32º to the wind, though pinching saw the speed down at 6.5 knots. While a bit of concentration found us the missing half-knot plus, the boat had happily sailed on in the right direction.

Coachroof jib tracks give a tight sheeting angle, with lines neatly ducted back to the cockpit. Photo: Richard Langdon

Prudence prevails

Our top reaching speed under plain sails was 8.2 knots, which was surpassed once the Code Zero was up on a broad reach, lifting us to a comfortable 8.5-9 knots, with the occasional foray above 10 knots in the gusts. Had we been racing, an asymmetric spinnaker might have been risked for some more double-digit speeds, but that’s not how she’d be sailed when cruising, and with both sailmaker and owner looking on, prudence prevailed.

While out there, I tried to overpress the boat, bearing away with the sails pinned in hard. The amount of grip from the single rudder was impressive, and she didn’t let go, even as the helm loaded up in complaint. Only at close to 45º of heel did the boat start to overpower the rudder, though never out of control. A slight luff and an ease on the sheets had her back at heel.

While not a planing hull, this boat will exceed hull speed under Code Zero or asymmetric. Photo: Richard Langdon

Similarly, when overpressed with the Code Zero up, I was always able to force the bow back downwind to bring the boat more upright without needing to ease the sheets. This is in part thanks to the boat’s significant form stability, and her impressive ballast ratio of 40%; the cast iron keel with lead bulb at the bottom of it makes for a very low centre of gravity.

While a racing boat crew would see this as speed potential, for a cruising boat, it buys you a safety margin in bad weather and more stable, solid cruising in good weather. The boat tested had two reefs in the North Sails Norlam Xi main and a 106% genoa. Light wind sailing wasn’t something we got the chance to try on our test, but reports of the hull concept first trialled on the flagship X56 suggest that this hull is easily driven in the light stuff too, for which the owner had specified both large asymmetric and symmetric running spinnakers.

Little details also make a big difference, and I liked having the ability to furl away the stack pack sail cover and appreciated the clips fitted either side of the gooseneck to allow the lazyjacks to be hooked back when not in use. There were mast steps to reach the top of the stack pack, which is high as the boom has been kept above head height for crew in the cockpit.

Under engine, 2,200 revs got us to 7 knots in flat water, and 6.5 at 2,000rpm, with a Yanmar 45hp motor and saildrive transmission fitted with a three-bladed folding prop, upgraded from the two-bladed folding standard. Access to the engine is excellent from the front, as well as via large removable moulded panels on both sides in the aft cabins. The compartment also houses the 24-litre calorifier.

Once on a beat, the X43 will just want to keep going without asking too much of the crew. Photo: Richard Langdon

Sleek and functional

On deck, the layout is clean and functional. At the helm, large composite wheels are mounted with Jefa steering on pedestals with chartplotters, autopilot, and bowthruster control. A lifting foot chock for the helm was easy to deploy single-handed. Mainsheet winches can be reached from behind the wheel but are more comfortably used when sitting astride or ahead of the wheels.

While there’s no stern seat, the helm seat on the tail end of the coaming is comfortable under way. Numbers were visible on the coachroof mounted B&G Triton 2 displays, though to see the chartplotters you have to stand up; a pedestal repeater visible when seated would be nice.

Deck hardware and controls are good. The T-sheeted mainsheet worked well with high-spec blocks eliminating friction under load, and the 50ST Harken Performa winches were more than up to the job, with the port coachroof and starboard mainsheet winches being powered. The hydraulic backstay tensioner controlled the 2-spreader keel-stepped aluminium John Mast spar.

Two opening hatches each side and a large deck hatch ensure good ventilation in the stylish saloon, finished in Nordic oak. Photo: Richard Langdon

Neat touches include the chainplates being hidden below panels in the moulded bulwarks, and the cleverly routed ducting for most lines on deck.

The cockpit’s additional width is enormous. While there are bracing chocks on the centreline, for cruising one of the two removable table options would make the cockpit feel more secure. The bathing platform is optional too, though I can’t see many owners going without it, especially as it folds level with the cockpit sole so as not to interupt the clean lines and open feel.

Stowage on deck is good. In the three-cabin version we tested there’s a sole-depth cockpit locker extending aft under the coaming for long items, plus two hull-depth lazarette lockers. Between them sits a large gas locker with space for two big bottles of gas – an unusual arrangement that works well.

If you go for the two-cabin version, the cockpit locker becomes a huge hull-depth space that can be accessed through the aft heads.

Stowage abounds in the galley, and there’s a microwave in the overhead locker. Photo: Richard Langdon

At the bow, there’s a good deep anchor locker abaft the below-deck headsail furler, with a watertight bulkhead between it and the cavernous hull-depth forepeak locker. This is also a watertight compartment, but it can be drained into the main bilges via a seacock in the forward cabin. Little details like this and the absence of rough edges in out of the way places reveals the quality of build.

Practically elegant

Practicality continues as you head below, noticing as you do that the companionway hatch doors fold back into recesses, hiding rope bins for the halyard tails.

Below, it’s a sensible, practical layout – L-shaped galley to port, heads to starboard, C-shaped saloon seating and an aft-facing chart table against the forward heads bulkhead. The galley, including the microwave in the overhead lockers, includes good amounts of stowage above, behind and below the work surfaces, a top-opening fridge and an upright pantry locker abaft the three-burner gas cooker.

The heads, to starboard, would be a generous space on the two-cabin version, but here it has been split into two; the door opens to the sink and lockers, with a door aft for the starboard cabin, and a door forwards into the toilet and shower compartment. It’s slightly odd access to the aft cabin, but otherwise makes excellent use of space. It’s a shame there’s no wet locker, but a removable wet hanging rail is an option in the shower.

Tick the option for the en suite owner’s heads if you would like more privacy in the forward cabin. Photo: Richard Langdon

Solid and silent

The chart table is small but functional and would fit a leisure folio chart. There’s a bookshelf and switch panel above it, but on this boat no instrument displays were fitted. On the two-cabin version this becomes a full-size forward facing nav station. I’d have liked a couple more handholds around the bottom of the companionway for moving around below while heeled.

In the saloon, the elegant table is surrounded by C-shaped seating and folds out to serve the straight starboard settee, supported by a fixed base housing the obligatory bottle stowage. Both settees are long enough to make decent sea-berths. Tanks are beneath the seats, with 340 litres of water to port and 200 litres of diesel to starboard, which keeps weight central, though limits saloon stowage to the inboard ends of the C-shaped seating and the overhead lockers.

This is more than compensated for with the stowage beneath the double bed in the forward cabin, the base of which hinges on gas struts to reveal four large bins below, as well as the overhead lockers and the upright locker to starboard. You’d get even more if you don’t opt for the en suite heads on the port side, though I’d be reluctant to sacrifice that in the owner’s cabin.

In the aft cabins, this boat had the option of pipe-cot sea berths above and outboard of the generous double berths, in place of longitudinal shelves. Whether they’re regularly used as sea berths or not, they’d make extremely useful stowage in which to dump kit bags or children. Horizontal grained Nordic oak joinery and bulkheads, coupled with a moulded headlining throughout gives the boat a crisp, clean feel, with removable panels for maintenance access.

Part of the reason the boat sails so well is its stiffness. The hull is vacuum-infused, post-cured epoxy laminate over a foam core, while the deck is hand laid-up polyester resin over a foam core. As with boats of this calibre, bulkheads are bonded in, and there’s also a steel frame taking the keel loads with additional reinforcement from carbon box sections. Under way in chop, there wasn’t a single squeak or rattle – this is a beautifully built boat with the performance to back it up.

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This boat is undeniably fun to sail; engaging on the helm, responsive to being sailed well and reassuring in a blow. If you are after a racing machine, there are other performance cruisers that are faster, including from the X-Yachts Performance range. Similarly, the X-Yachts Cruising range offers a more sedate boat that would be better suited to blue-water cruising. But the Pure X range has found a niche in the market for fast cruisers. There were a couple of tiny niggles: the slightly odd access to the aft cabin through the heads might grow on me, but I wasn’t sure, and I’d have liked a wet locker somewhere on board; I thought it could do with a couple more handholds around the galley and the bottom of the companionway. But that’s nit-picking. This is a boat pretty devoid of hidden gremlins. Craftsmanship is top-notch throughout in both finish and construction, making a very stiff boat with a fresh, modern look. The design developments over the Mark 1 appear to have made a materially better boat with more power, more feel on the helm, and more stability.

2023 X-Yachts X-43

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

First look: X43 – second generation

• Toby Heppell
• August 11, 2021

Replacing the popular X43 will be a new second generation of the yacht from X-Yachts. Toby Hodges takes a look at the plans

Mark 2 versions of a good yacht are often a lot better than the original, with many small changes that improve ergonomics and collectively make life on board easier and more comfortable.

X-Yachts’ replacement for the X43 in its Pure X range goes a stage further, with new hull and deck shapes and therefore promises to be an outstanding yacht.

Along with the X60, this was the first model launched in the line back in 2016 and has proved extremely successful, with more than 100 boats sold.

The new design incorporates many of the detailed improvements that have gradually been introduced on other models in the range. It also has more space in the aft cabins, better ventilation throughout and will sail faster, especially in light airs.

The new hull shape has maximum beam further aft and stern sections are wider, with soft chines. A redesigned deck gives the coachroof and coamings a sleeker style, while a modified sprayhood shape improves forward visibility.

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A taller rig, plus a slightly longer integrated bowsprit fitted as standard, allow larger asymmetric and Code sails to be set. These changes will boost light airs performance and are offset by the additional stability the revised hull shape provides.

There’s also an optional, even taller, carbon mast. A choice of three keels is offered – torpedo bulbs with 2.2m or 2.5m draughts, or a shallow L-bulb with 1.85m draught.

The additional beam aft also improves cockpit space. At the companionway the hinged doors and integrated rope stowage first seen on the X40 are fitted.

These offer a neat solution to the perennial problem of stowing washboards and keeping lines in the pit area tidy.

In addition to the new design giving wider bunks in the aft cabins, the cockpit sole has also been raised slightly, which increases clearance over the berths.

Second generation X43 specifications

LOA: 13.24m 43ft 5in Hull length: 12.67m 41ft 7in LWL: 11.33m 37ft 2in Beam: 3.99m 13ft 1in Draught: 1.85m, 2.2m or 2.5m 6ft 1in, 7ft 2in or 8ft 2in Displacement: 9,400kg 20,700lb Ballast 3,700kg 8,160lb Base price: €344,000 ex VAT Builder: x-yachts.com

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The X-43 is no longer in production. To see an overview of the current range please visit the Yachts page. You can also visit the overview of Previous X-Yachts Models .

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X-43 Standard

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 3rd April 2020

X-43's main features

X-43's main dimensions, x-43's rig and sails, x-43's performances, x-43's auxiliary engine, x-43's accommodations and layout.

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X-Yachts X-43 - Opinions As A Performance Live-Aboard Cruiser?

• Thread starter Laser310
• Start date 12 Jul 2020
• 12 Jul 2020

Well-known member

I did a search, as I am sure it has been discussed.., but I could not get any results. Within this generation of X-yachts, I have only ever been on the X-40 - I liked it, but it is a bit small (for me) as a live-aboard with wife and children/friends as occasional guests. It seems like the X-43 is pretty similar.., just a bit bigger. I am guessing it has similar sailing characteristics..? I've raced quite a bit on the XP-44,and it's very nice, but they are ~2X the cost. I also like Arcona's but they are somewhat rare on the 2nd hand market, and typically more expensive than comparable X-yachts. Cruising grounds would be northern Europe, and the Med.  

KompetentKrew

I've owned only dinghies and one-design keel boats up to 33ft - mostly without any accommodations. I am a racing navigator, and also do many deliveries - I've sailed on quite a few boats. Mostly they are very nice and larger than what I am contemplating- Gunboats, many Swans, some Oysters.., As I mentioned, I have been on the X-40, and I have also sailed a lot on an XP-44. I think the X-Yachts in general are quite a bit better than an AWB - certainly the AWB typically does not have the galvanized keel grid of the X-40 and 43. The 44 has a composite grid - to be lighter - but it still looks pretty good. The only boat that one might call an AWB that I know of with the grid is the Salona - the 41, don't know about other salonas. To me, it's really important that the keel stays on - I think there is no comparison of X-Yachts with say Beneteau, Hanse, Dehler, Bavaria.., and so on  

This all surely turns on budget and what available but curious as to why an Arcona might be more ?  

ashtead said: This all surely turns on budget and what available but curious as to why an Arcona might be more ? Click to expand...

These boats are well regarded but not particularly numerous in the U.K. - hence to get more info and owner views might be worth contacting / joining the X Yachts UK Owners Association  

Active member

My 2 cents. IMO these types of cruiser racers rarely make for a good cruiser- too much sail area, easily overpowered, very light so parking in a marina and a crosswind is always fun , all the lines led into the front of the cockpit to help the kids trip up, the traveller right in the middle of where you sit. Small tanks for water and fuel etc etc If you want a racing boat, get a racing boat. If you want to cruise, get a cruiser.  

STILA 44 sailing yacht for sale | De Valk Yacht broker Nice boys at Monnickendam, too.  

kof said: My 2 cents. IMO these types of cruiser racers rarely make for a good cruiser- too much sail area, easily overpowered, very light so parking in a marina and a crosswind is always fun , all the lines led into the front of the cockpit to help the kids trip up, the traveller right in the middle of where you sit. Small tanks for water and fuel etc etc If you want a racing boat, get a racing boat. If you want to cruise, get a cruiser. Click to expand...

KompetentKrew said: STILA 44 sailing yacht for sale | De Valk Yacht broker Nice boys at Monnickendam, too. Click to expand...

• 13 Jul 2020

Laser_310 said: i agree about the traveler - mostly because having the mainsheet in the cockpit cane be dangerous. putting the traveler in front of the companionway is an acceptable compromise for a cruising boat - lose a little upwind performance for a good measure of safety. the other factors you mention i can deal with - sail area in particular. you can always reef.., and it's nice to have it when you need it. the thing about "performance" boats is they don't need as much diesel - because they sail more; upwind, because they can.., in light air, because they have more easily driven hulls and the sail power... Click to expand...

BabySharkDooDooDooDooDoo

The X34/37/40/43 generation of X boats and Arcona are quite different from a 40.7 Higher ballast ratios, through deck jib furlers, recessed mounting of spray hood, better internal fit out, etc.  

Little Grebe said: The X34/37/40/43 generation of X boats and Arcona are quite different from a 40.7 Higher ballast ratios, through deck jib furlers, recessed mounting of spray hood, better internal fit out, etc. Click to expand...

I will admit to not being disinterested as I own a boat from one of the brands being discussed here (and a .7 series First some time back) However I see features like having a decent sail plan with the efficient sail handing equipment as a positive thing rather than making for a poor choice. No doubt other boats have greater fuel and water tankage but my boat has an endurance of around 50 hours under motor which is sufficient for my needs.  

I like a fast cruising boat but it needs to be stiff under sail as has been mentioned. Have cruised on a First 42s7 with the heavier lead keel (std was cast iron) and it proved a great boat to sail especially in the Med. Not all X-Yachts are designed as cruiser racers - here's a cruising 42 footer: 2009 X-Yachts Xc 42 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale -  

E39mad said: I like a fast cruising boat but it needs to be stiff under sail as has been mentioned. Have cruised on a First 42s7 with the heavier lead keel (std was cast iron) and it proved a great boat to sail especially in the Med. Not all X-Yachts are designed as cruiser racers - here's a cruising 42 footer: 2009 X-Yachts Xc 42 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale - Click to expand...

A live-aboard especially with kids has to do many things well and sailing ability whilst important may not be as critical as you think. A fuller underwater section should mean that it copes well with all the extra weight that you put on board and is more likely to float to it's designed waterline. A shallower draft will allow you into harbours (particularly Northern Europe) that others cannot get into or closer to the beach to drop the kids off or anchor in more sheltered water. It's all a compromise - just need to find the boat which best suits your priorities. Personally I'd like a lifting keel, fewer cabins than most and more storage. Not many choices when you narrow that down.  

E39mad said: A live-aboard especially with kids Click to expand...

E39mad said: Personally I'd like a lifting keel, fewer cabins than most and more storage. Not many choices when you narrow that down. Click to expand...

I see the forum's normal distrust of anything fast is alive and well! From the sound of it, you're a little like me in that even when not racing the satisfaction of sailing a good boat well is worth just as much as a bit more comfort in harbour. My dad had a Dufour 40 and I thought that to be about perfect in terms of the comfort/ performance compromise for longish term cruising. The 44 of the same era was also a fabulous boat, but well under your budget so probably a bit long in the tooth for your search. With a budget of £200k and a preference for fast boats, have you considered the Pogos? The 1250 is a similar size... Or is that a step too far down the performance road? Boats like the Elan E5 are a step back towards comfort from Pogo, but if you're looking at X-Yachts you may have opinions of the build quality. Certainly a fun search!  

flaming said: have you considered the Pogos? The 1250 is a similar size Click to expand...

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California yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker in vicious showdown, cali yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker drops pants for rude salute, 95 3/13/2024 8:09 am pt.

A California yacht owner's vicious beef with a dock worker has reached death-threat levels -- and their exchange was caught on camera and included a nude, and very rude, gesture!

Check out the clip ... it all unfolds when San Diego entrepreneur Ajay Thakore swings by the swanky Marriott Marquis Marina in his rare $4.5M Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 yacht to pick up one of his employees -- but things boil over when dock worker Joseph Holt tells him he can't be there.

Thakore, the CEO of medical advertising firm Doctor Multimedia, flips out on Holt big time ... and starts spewing threats like, "I will kill you, you know I will kill you, I will kill."

And it doesn't stop there -- as Thakore's pulling out of the harbor, he drops trou to make a full frontal salute in Holt's direction. Stay classy, San Diego!

Holt's only retaliation was flipping the bird, and he later told CBS8 that was all he could do to keep his cool and avoid escalating the situation.

Holt says parts of the altercation were not captured on camera, and he adds ... Thakore not only threatened to kill him, but also claimed to have connections who could totally mess up his life.

Holt also says Thakore pulled out $100 bills and tossed them at him, even chucking some in the water.

BTW, Thakore's done some backpedaling since the ugly exchange -- he now says, "The interaction that occurred yesterday was regrettable. What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

FWIW ... One of Thakore’s employees claims the whole thing began because other dock workers blocked him from boarding the yacht.

Oh, and if that fancy Lambo yacht looks familiar -- it's the same one Chuck Liddell recently tumbled off just last month. Now it's famous AND infamous!

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The Fastest Fighter Jet in History: The NASA X-43

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When it comes to the question of the fastest fighter jet , you can choose to compare only those fighter jets that are still in service, or you can consider every last jet fighter that's ever graced the skies — and we've chosen to go with the latter.

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The X-43, an experimental aircraft, holds the distinction of being not only the fastest fighter jet but the fastest aircraft ever built period, having achieved a top speed of Mach 9.6.

As part of a $230 million Hyper-X program, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) developed the X-43 to explore hypersonic flight . In doing so, the U.S. agency shattered speed records and pushed the limits of aerospace engineering.

Technical Difficulties

Because of the X-43's design, NASA had to release it from a B-52 for it to fly. Once airborne, however, the flights were short-lived .

NASA destroyed the first jet in 2001 when it malfunctioned during a test. In 2004, each of the remaining two jets flew for just 10 seconds (achieving Mach 6.8 and then Mach 9.6, respectively) during test flights, then crashed into the ocean after 10 minutes of gliding.

Technically Disqualified?

Some argue the X-43 doesn't count as a fighter jet, given it was an experimental, unmanned aircraft focused on speed rather than dogfighting.

However, given the project's federal backing and the military implications of what it achieved, others consider this supersonic aircraft to be the fastest fighter jet of all time.

2. North American X-15

The X-15, a joint project between NASA and the United States Air Force (USAF), was another groundbreaking aircraft in the pursuit of speed and a predecessor to the X-43. Capable of reaching speeds over Mach 6, the rocket-powered jet was in development during the 1950s and '60s.

Fastest Flight in a Manned Aircraft

Like the X-43, the X-15 had to hitch a ride into the sky on a B-52, but unlike the X-43, it was a manned aircraft. In 1967, pilot Pete Knight made history by flying Mach 6.72, or 6.72 times the speed of sound, in the X-15, marking the fastest flight in a manned aircraft ever recorded.

An Honorable Retirement

The high-speed aircraft underwent 199 test flights before NASA and the USAF retired the X-15 in 1968 . A famous USAF photo from the 1960s shows an X-15 flying over Edwards Air Force Base during a supersonic flight.

3. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

No discussion of fast fighter jets would be complete without mentioning the legendary SR-71 Blackbird.

Developed during the Cold War era, this reconnaissance aircraft boasted a top speed of Mach 3.30 at more than 16 miles (85,000 feet or 25,908 meters) above the earth. Because of the danger of a sudden loss in cabin pressure, the Blackbird's crew members wore pressure suits similar to astronaut suits.

The U.S. military had needed a fighter jet that could out-maneuver interceptors and other surface-to-air missile systems, and in the Blackbird the USAF found the speed it was looking for.

The aircraft's sleek, all-black profile and unmatched speed capabilities earned it a reputation as the pinnacle of aerospace technology and a symbol of American air superiority.

4. Bell X-2 Starbuster

In the early days of supersonic flight, the Bell X-2 Starbuster emerged as a pioneering aircraft, leading the way for future jets, including the X-43 and the X-15.

The X-2 was the result of a 1945 collaboration between Bell Aircraft Corporation, the USAF and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).

Glory and Tragedy

In 1956, Capt. Milburn G. "Mel" Apt broke the sound barrier when he reached a top speed of Mach 3.20 in the X-2, making him the first person to fly faster than Mach 3.

Unfortunately, after setting this record, the jet went into a tumble. Although Apt jettisoned the escape capsule in which he was riding, he was unable to deploy his parachute before the capsule crashed.

5. Lockheed YF-12

The USAF developed the Lockheed YF-12 as a prototype interceptor in the 1960s because it needed a jet that could fly at a high altitude while also defending military assets from an enemy's supersonic bombers.

Lockheed and the military made three of these aircraft, and at least one of them reached a maximum speed of Mach 3.20 during testing.

Unfortunately, the USAF ultimately ran out of funding for the YF-12 program, instead diverting funds to other needs related to the Vietnam War. Although the U.S. never put this jet fighter into full production, the performance of this impressive aircraft led to the development of other high-speed military aircraft.

The only surviving plane is on display at the National Museum of the USAF in Ohio.

6. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat

The Soviet Union developed the MiG-25, also known by its NATO code name "Foxbat," during the Cold War . A formidable interceptor aircraft, known for its blistering high speeds, the MiG-25 had a top speed of Mach 2.83 and entered service in 1970.

Enemy Intel

When the Soviet fighter pilot Victor Belenko defected to Japan in 1976, he flew there in a MiG-25. As a result, the U.S. military was able to gain a wealth of information on the Foxbat.

The Soviet Union had designed the fighter jet to counter the threat of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. Equipped with advanced radar systems and four air-to-air missiles, the MiG-25 posed a significant challenge to Western air forces.

A Prolonged Legacy

The Soviet Union stopped producing MiG-25s decades ago, but that didn't stop them from playing a part in subsequent global conflicts. For example, Iraq flew MiG-25 aircraft during the Iran-Iraq War and the Persian Gulf War.

7. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 Foxhound

Building upon the legacy of the MiG-25, the MiG-3, or "Foxhound," emerged as a successor for intercepting and engaging high-speed targets. With a maximum speed of Mach 2.83, this fighter jet first appeared in the skies in 1975, and the Russian air force, called VVS, still uses it.

Featuring a classic fighter jet silhouette, the MiG-31 is a formidable adversary in aerial combat. While a pilot controls the airspeed and altitude, a weapon system officer (WSO) focuses on operating the radar and deploying weapons.

In comparison to the MiG-25, the Foxhound features enhanced radar capabilities and improved avionics, making it able to fly fast with good stability at low altitudes — something its predecessor couldn't do nearly as well.

This article was created in conjunction with AI technology, then was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.

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