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Still, other aircraft designs like the XF-108 Rapier benefitted from a blisteringly high Mach 3 speed, a colossal amount of fuel, and very long-range armaments — but existed on paper only.

The XF-108 was expected to be able to reach altitudes of 80,000 feet, which would have made the Rapier one of the highest-flying aircraft ever built.

The Rapier family has been in service with the United Kingdom for 49 years, with the original Rapiers entering limited service in 1973 and achieving full operating capability by 1975.