Wikipedia

Hermeus

(Redirected from Quarterhorse aircraft)
Not to be confused with Hermes or Hermus.

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

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

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 jet intended for mass production. After Darkhorse, the plan is to 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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