EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Aerospace startup Hermeus in Atlanta has flown its Quarterhorse Mk 1 aircraft as part of its effort to develop operational hypersonic flight capabilities.
The uncrewed aircraft, developed in just over a year, completed a test campaign focused on validating high-speed takeoff and landing operations, which were made more complex by the aircraft’s configuration, which is optimized for high-Mach flight.
"Mk 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft," said Hermeus CEO and Co-Founder AJ Piplica. "We’ve proven the viability of our iterative development approach. But this is just the start."
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The test campaign evaluated aerodynamics, stability, control, and the performance of key subsystems, including propulsion, avionics, flight software, fuel systems, thermal management, and telemetry. According to Hermeus, the flight provided data that will inform the next aircraft in its development pipeline.
"The real-world flight data from Mk 1 provides significant technical value that we’re rolling into our next aircraft," said Co-Founder and President Skyler Shuford. "The team accomplished this milestone on a challenging timeline while operating within the broader aerospace ecosystem."
Major General Scott Cain, Commander of the Air Force Test Center, noted the broader significance of the work: "Industry partnerships continue to have an important role in the development and test of disruptive and innovative capabilities for our warfighters. The promise of routine hypersonic flight is an exciting capability for the joint team."
Hermeus is pursuing an iterative, hardware-rich development strategy that emphasizes building and testing full-scale prototypes annually. The next platform, Quarterhorse Mk 2, is the size of an F-16 and is designed to de-risk uncrewed supersonic flight. It is expected to fly later this year.
