A number of new techniques developed during and just after World War II were able to dramatically reduce the magnitude of wave drag, and by the early 1950s the latest fighter aircraft could reach supersonic speeds.
Niz novih tehnika razvijenih tijekom i neposredno nakon Drugog svjetskog rata doveli su do drastičnog smanjenja veličine valnog otpora, a do ranih 1950-ih najnoviji borbeni zrakoplov mogli su doći do nadzvučnih brzina.