Speed

Just how fast is Mach 2?

Air & orbit

Mach 2

DISTANCE IN ONE SECOND

Mach 2

Mach depends on sound speed.

2,470 km/hSpeed

686 m in 1 s

Concorde

Concorde was a supersonic passenger airliner developed by British and French manufacturers that could travel faster than the speed of sound.

2,160 km/hCruising speed

600 m in 1 s

Each track shows distance covered in the same second. The small illustrations identify the movers; their sizes are schematic.

A little perspective

Mach 2 is about 1.14 times the cruising speed of Concorde.

Measurements, assumptions & sources +

Mach 2

Speed: 2,470 km/h; definition.

Mach depends on sound speed. Here Mach 1 is 343 m/s in dry air at 20 °C.

NIST — SI conversion factors

Concorde

Cruising speed: 2,160 km/h; specified.

British Airways’ Concorde specification: 62.1 m long, 25.5 m span, 11.3 m high, 185 t maximum takeoff mass and about 2,160 km/h cruise. Operating mass and speed varied.

British Airways — Celebrating Concorde

The marked cruising speed is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

Measurement details

Why these numbers?

Compare Mach 2 with the cruising speed of Concorde. The notes below explain how each value was chosen.

Mach 2

2,470 km/h

Speed · definition

Mach depends on sound speed. Here Mach 1 is 343 m/s in dry air at 20 °C.

Concorde

2,160 km/h

Cruising speed · specified

British Airways’ Concorde specification: 62.1 m long, 25.5 m span, 11.3 m high, 185 t maximum takeoff mass and about 2,160 km/h cruise. Operating mass and speed varied.

Comparing: Speed ↔ Cruising speed
Relative size: Mach 2 is about 1.14 times the cruising speed of Concorde. Mach 2 is approximately 14.3% greater than the cruising speed of Concorde.