It is confirmed that Lockheed Martin's SR-72 appeared in the opening of the newly-released movie Top Gun: Maverick. 

Last month, news about a secret experimental spy being in the works at Lockheed Martin resurfaced with speculations about it appearing on the latest Tom Cruise movie. 

The CEO of Lockheed Corporation, James Taiclet, confirmed that Skunk Works advanced projects division worked with Top Gun: Maverick's producers to come up with a fictional spy plane that was revealed in a LinkedIn post. 

The Darkstar

In the movie, Maverick works at the Air Force as a test pilot who wants to drive the latest hypersonic plane, the Darkstar. However, the program's budget was cut but Maveric being himself, disobeyed orders and made an unauthorize dash to the Darkstar and flew it. 

The Real SR-72

In the real world, the SR-72 hasn't taken its first flight yet, but it is due next year. However, we still haven't seen what's happening behind closed doors in the aerospace industry, and we'll only probably see more when it's time for the testing. 

What we know so far is that it will feature an advanced propulsion system around a turbine-based combined cycle with a dual-mode ramjet that could fly at 4,600 miles per hour. 

Luckily, Lockheed Martin worked with the movie Top Gun: Maverick to work on the adaptation of the hypersonic SR-72 plane. Of course, there were a few modifications done to it to make it look cooler on the big screen. You can even see the Lockheed Martin's logon on the pilot's stick. 

There are differences between the Darkstar and the real SR-72 that are worth noting. For one, the one in the movie features two inward-tilting tail fins instead of just one. 

Furthermore, the fictional Darkstar has no forward visibility while the real SR-72 will be configured as an unpiloted aircraft. There could be a demo plane with a space for a single pilot, though. 

So far, the SR-72 is being built as a hypersonic aircraft demonstrator, which means it is open whether it will be greenlighted for full production. Should it be approved for official production, the aircraft will probably be in the Air Force by 2030s.  

Also Read: NASA Gives Lockheed Martin the Contract to Build MAV and Retrieve Mars' First Samples from Perseverance

Don't Get Your Hopes Up Just Yet

Could the Darkstar on the Top Gun: Maverick movie really look like the SR-72? Don't get your hopes up just yet. 

According to Lockheed's Ananda Costa, "It's important to note that Darkstar is a hyper-realistic aircraft concept designed specifically for the movie and is otherwise fictitious. I hope you also spotted the Skunk on the vertical tail of the vehicle." 

Related Article: Lockheed Martin Spacecraft Set to Go on a 12-Year Journey to Study Trojan Asteroids Near Jupiter

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Written by April Fowell