F-18 jet breaks speed of sound before huge sonic boom in extraordinary close up footage

An F-18 jet broke the speed of sound before a huge sonic boom. And it was captured in some extraordinary close-up footage.

The American fighter jet broke the sound barrier as it tore past an aircraft carrier.

You can watch the incredible moment with the fantastic noise here:

People are gathered by the water and at first it seems impossible to see just what they are looking at or for.

But then there’s suddenly what looks like a brief flash of light on the horizon.

Then, and try not to blink or you’ll miss it, the jet fighter speeds towards the carrier and absolutely blasts past the onlookers at an amazing speed.

This happened back in 2013 at a US military air show, with many onlookers wearing uniforms as their jaws drop at the impressive sight.

But what’s probably most remarkable about this speedy jet is that for a good length of time the plane itself doesn’t appear to make any sound.

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Now this is where it gets cool - it doesn’t make noise at first because it’s travelling faster than the speed of sound itself.

The F-18 is travelling so fast that it's outrunning the sound of its own approach, and it's not until the fighter is flying right by the carrier that anyone on board can hear a thing about it - or capture the noise in the video.

Fortunately, everyone was set and ready to see it, and got to witness the iconic sonic boom which is produced by planes travelling faster than the speed of sound.

I mean you’d be gutted if you’d look down to check your watch and missed the whole thing, only hearing it when it’s too late to spot it zooming past.

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When a plane breaks the sound barrier like this, waves of pressure follow behind it as though it's following in the wake of a boat going through the water and that sound wave passing by is the 'boom' you can hear.

While land vehicles can break the sound barrier, it's planes that stand the best bet of going at such speeds, and people watching the amazing footage have been impressed and astonished by it.

Some have said that as impressive as the video is, the footage doesn't do it justice as a person 'can't even imagine how loud and massive' one is, saying a sonic boom can cause a whole house to shake.

Topics: Science, Technology

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_