In 2024, Hermeus built their first aircraft and completed its ground test campaign. They opened a new test facility – set to become a national asset for high-Mach and hypersonic propulsion testing, and quickly brought it online with F100 engine tests. They expanded ther Los Angeles footprint, grew the team across both coasts, and increased revenue 5x year over year.
In 2025, Quarterhorse Mk 1’s first flight is imminent, and Mk 2 is on track to become the world’s first supersonic uncrewed aircraft later this year.
Chimera II will power Quarterhorse Mk 2. They will swap that J85 turbojet out in favor of a much larger and more powerful Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan. The F100 used for the F-15 and F-16 over the years. The F100 will provide Chimera II with nearly six times more thrust under turbofan power, at almost 30,000 pounds.
Hermeus intends to field Quarterhorse Mk 2, powered by Chimera II.
Once Quarterhorse is mature, Hermeus will build Darkhorse for military applications with the U.S. Air Force. Darkhorse will potentially be powered by not one, but two F100-based Chimera II engines allowing for significantly larger payloads and speeds above Mach 5.
Hermeus predicts its operational Chimera-powered hypersonic aircraft will cost as little as $100 million per jet. Single use fast hypersonic missilesare estimated to cost as much as $106 million each. A reusable hypersonic jet will be far better.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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