Hermeus

Not to be confused with Hermes or Hermus.
Hermeus
Company typePrivate
IndustryAerospace
Founded2018
FounderAJ Piplica (CEO)
Skyler Shuford (COO)
Glenn Case (CTO)
Mike Smayda (CPO)
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Number of locations
2
Websitehermeus.com

Hermeus Corporation is an American startup company designing a Hypersonic airliner.

History

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The company was founded in 2018[1] with initial funding led by Khosla Ventures.[2]

In March 2022, the company raised a $100 million series B investment round led by Sam Altman.[3] Other investors included Founders Fund, In-Q-Tel, and existing investors Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners, and Bling Capital.

Products

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The aircraft under development is planned to fly at Mach 5 with a range of 4,600 miles (7,400 km).[4] The company claims to have designed, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in only 9 months.[5] In August 2020, Hermeus received a $1.5 million contract from the United States Air Force to develop their proposed aircraft and function as a possible Air Force One.[6]

They are building the supersonic Quarterhorse Mk 2 with an advanced engine based on the Pratt & Whitney F100. Quarterhorse Mk 2 is expected to hit speeds greater than Mach 2.5.

Design

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The engine adds a precooler to a standard F100. The precooler lowers the temperature of incoming air.

The next generation Chimera engine includes a ramjet. It will power the Quarterhorse Mk 3, which will reach speeds close to Mach.Until reaching sufficient speed, Chimera routes incoming air around the turbojet and the ramjet takes over.

Versions

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Quarterhorse

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Hermeus is initially focused on the Quarterhorse design program:[7][8]

The Quarterhorse development schedule has four stages:

  • MK 0: A non-flying prototype to validate all major aircraft subsystems in a real-world environment.
  • Mk 1: The first flyable version of Quarterhorse.
  • Mk 2: Scheduled for 2025, Mk 2 will be powered by a precooled Pratt & Whitney F100 engine, enabling supersonic flight.
  • Mk 3: In 2026, Mk 3 will incorporate Hermeus' Chimera II propulsion system, which includes a modified F100 engine. This version aims to achieve speeds faster than Mach 3.3.

Darkhorse

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Next comes Darkhorse, an uncrewed hypersonic military intended for mass production. After Darkhorse, the plan is create Halcyon, a hypersonic passenger jet.[7]

Hermeus' approach involves building one test vehicle per year, seeking hypersonic flight.

Chimera

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Chimera is a pre-cooled, full-range, air-breathing, turbine combined cycle (TBCC) hypersonic engine combining a pre-cooled turbine with a ramjet. At low speeds Chimera operates as a turbine, while at higher speeds the engine transitions to ramjet mode. The precooler helps bridge the gap between these modes increasing the performance of the turbine.[7]

Testing

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In 2021, Hermeus secured $60 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force and from venture capital sources to support the Quarterhorse flight test program. A non-flying Quarterhorse MK 0 prototype will be used to validate systems including electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, aviaonics, steerinng and propulsion.[9] In August of 2024, Hermeus completed low-speed taxi tests.[10] The testing was completed in 37 days from the time the MK 0 prototype arrived at the test facility.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hermeus wins seed funding for hypersonic aircraft, with former Blue Origin president as adviser". GeekWire. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  2. ^ Berger, Eric (13 May 2019). "Hermeus announces plan to build the fastest aircraft in the world". Ars Technica. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  3. ^ Sheetz, Michael (2022-03-10). "Hypersonic aircraft start-up Hermeus raises $100 million to finish prototype, build out fleet". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  4. ^ "Hermeus | Hypersonic Aircraft Startup | Atlanta". Hermeus. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Aug 06, 2020". Hermeus. August 6, 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. ^ Niles, Russ (6 September 2020). "Air Force Eying Supersonic Air Force One". AVweb. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Wang, Brian (2024-08-08). "Precooled F-100 Engine Combined with Ramjet for Hypersonic Drone and Jets". next BIG future. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  8. ^ "Quarterhorse |High-Speed Flight Test Aircraft". Hermeus.com. n.d. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. ^ Hermeus begins testing the Quarterhorse Mk 0 prototype. Journal Military. n.d. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Hermeus Marks Progress With Quarterhorse Taxi Testing". aviationweek.com/. August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Hermeus Completes Testing of Quarterhorse Mk 0 Vehicle. Hermeus. n.d. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via YouTube.
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