followed it into service could fly little faster. The first jet aircraft designed from the outset for supersonic flight was the British Fairey Delta 2. On March 10, 1956 it became the first aircraft to fly faster than 1,000 miles per hour, heralding an era of "fast jets" typically limited to a speed of Mach 2.2 by the engineering materials available. As jets became faster, their armament changed from guns to missiles. Avionics systems became more complex with radar, fire-control and other systems. Aircraft became larger and more expensive, and so were required to do more to make them economical. All this profoundly affected the nature of military strategy during the Cold War. See also Environmental impact of aviation Jet set Jet lag References History of aviation Historical eras Jet airliners 20th century