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How many Gs are fatal?

Changes in speed are expressed in multiples of gravitational acceleration, or 'G'. Most of us can withstand up to 4-6G. Fighter pilots can manage up to about 9G for a second or two. But sustained G-forces of even 6G would be fatal.



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Just as gravity pushes you down against the Earth, inertia pushes you back against your seat. We experience higher or lower g forces when we are rapidly changing speeds or directions. Normal humans can withstand no more than 9 g's, and even that for only a few seconds.

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While commercial flights exert only very minimal positive and negative G-forces on passengers, several orders of magnitude greater are the G-forces experienced by astronauts, fighter pilots and stunt pilots. These types of pilots can experience brief periods of extreme forces of nine and 10 Gs.

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Could The Human Body Survive Mach 10? Tom Cruise's character's feat of Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick is one scientifically improbable stunt out of many featured in the film. That being said, is it possible for the human body to be able to withstand such acceleration? The most likely answer is a resounding no.

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A g-force is a measure of acceleration. 1G is the acceleration we feel due to the force of gravity. It's what keeps our feet firmly planted on the ground. Gravity is measured in metres per second squared, or m/s2.

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100 mph is about 45 m/s, so the accelleration would be a little under 0.5g. 100 km/h is about 28 m/s, so the accelleration would be a little under 0.3g.

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The fastest fighter jet ever created was the NASA/USAF X-15. It was an experimental aircraft that resembled more of a rocket with wings but managed to reach a record 4,520mph. The fastest fighter jet in the world today is the MiG-25 Foxbat, with a top speed of 2,190mph, half the speed of the X-15.

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