62,000 FEET PER MINUTE RATE OF CLIMB!
Jesus, that's 11.7 MILES straight up in just 60 seconds! Or 704 MPH vertical climb. If that's a fact that thing should be able to shatter every time to climb record in the books.
Rate of climb isn't well defined.
I could (and have, on many occasions) climb an F-14 (a dinosaur compared with the Raptor) from sea level to 40,000' in about 40 seconds, if I started at 400 KIAS. That matches the 60,000 feet per minute, but we're talking apples and, maybe, oranges, perhaps, grapefruit, when climb rates are given. You have to know the entry speed and altitude, and the final speed and altitude.
As you go up in altitude, all airplanes lose thrust. Airplanes with sophisticated intake systems (F-14, F-15, SR-71) gain thrust with increasing airspeed, so managing the climb speed and mach number matter with those airplanes. Specific excess power varies with airspeed, but the Ps curves, which are both complex, and classified, vary by airplane design, by airspeed, drag count, atmospheric conditions and other parameters.
So, for example, at 35,000', because of gains in thrust due to inlet efficiency, an F-14 will climb better at 1.4 IMN than it will at 0.9 IMN, even though the drag is much higher at higher mach. This isn't true for a Boeing, or for many fighters, but it's true when inlet design affects thrust.
The Streak Eagle is a stunt plane. Stripped of paint, weapons, weapons racks, sensors, and loaded with just enough fuel to make the climb, it was flown on the coldest day they could get in Saint Louis (atmospherics matter, cold air makes more thrust).
Very cool climb records.
Zero tactical relevance.
It's like taking my Mercedes, stripping out the interior, leaving only a racing seat in it, removing all the interior insulation and trim, all the electronics, and the entire dashboard, and taking everything out of the trunk, including insulation, and then putting 5 gallons in it and taking it to the strip - yep, goes a lot faster, but not really able to carry 4 people on the Autobahn at high speed any more...so, comparing that stunt version of my car against, say the BMW 750 that still has its interior isn't really a fair comparison... And that's what the Streak Eagle was: a stunt plane to set a record.
And yes, the British Electric Lightning was built for a mission of defending England by a rapid climb and high speed intercept of incoming bombers during the Cold War. It couldn't go far. It couldn't turn to save its life, and didn't have much of a radar, but it sure was fast for a short time after takeoff!
Again: so what? It was no good in establishing air superiority. It couldn't deliver air-ground weapons. It would lose a dogfight to nearly every contemporary fighter. It was like watching a Big-block Chevelle with a supercharger and skinny front drag tires. It did one thing really well... but it only did one thing...
