Hermeus unveiled a full-scale concept mockup of its hypersonic jet, Quarterhorse, developed with a $60 million U.S. Air Force contract under the Strategic Financing (StratFI) program.
The Quarterhorse aims to fly at Mach 5 (over 3,000 mph), potentially reducing New York to Paris flight times to 90 minutes, and could serve as Air Force One or for military and passenger transport.
Its propulsion system utilizes a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine, combining repurposed GE J85 turbofans with Hermeus's proprietary ramjet technology.
Hermeus plans an "iterative, hardware-rich" development approach, aiming for flight tests of working prototypes as early as next year, with the goal of creating the world's fastest reusable aircraft.
Engineers have unveiled a full-scale concept mockup of a hypersonic jet, which could be developed in the future to serve as Air Force One.
The airplane—dubbed Quarterhorse—is being developed by Atlanta-based startup Hermeus, which revealed the mockup Thursday during an exclusive event at an undisclosed location attended by company executives, investors, and the U.S. Air Force.
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Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.
