Hermeus

2024 in 24 seconds. More details on a few of the milestones below ⬇️ In March, we unveiled Quarterhorse Mk 1 to the world. Designed, built, and integrated in just seven months – Quarterhorse will demonstrate remote high-speed takeoff and landing. We also announced details around our next aircraft, Mk 2, which will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100 and fly at supersonic speeds. In May, we completed initial Pratt & Whitney F100 pre-cooler testing. Our proprietary precooler increases the max speed of the turbine engine by lowering the temperature of incoming air. The data collected from these tests inform how the F100 handles the Hermeus precooler under a variety of loads and will lead into future testing with heated air, simulating high-Mach flight conditions. In September, we broke ground on a new test facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Nicknamed "HEAT", the facility will advance U.S. capability to more effectively test and field hypersonic technology. In December, we completed ground testing at Edwards Air Force Base. This milestone marks the successful integrated testing of all vehicle subsystems as well as the software and hardware in our Flight Deck from which Quarterhorse will be remotely piloted. Up next: first flight. 

From all of us at Hermeus, wishing you and yours a joyful holiday season!

Ground testing at Edwards Air Force Base complete – first flight up next. The ground test campaign was completed in just 21 days and culminated in 130-knot taxi tests with full afterburner. Prior to reaching these taxi speeds, end-to-end testing between the Flight Deck and the aircraft validated redundant RF links and addressed potential electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems.   The team also conducted extensive human-machine interface (HMI) testing to optimize pilot inputs for Quarterhorse. Ensuring pilots receive the precise information needed for effective remote operation presented a unique challenge, requiring meticulous refinement of inputs to enhance situational awareness and decision-making. The first flight of Quarterhorse will mark a pivotal milestone for Hermeus and offer insights to inform the development of future aircraft. Quarterhorse Mk 1 was purpose-built for a single mission: takeoff and landing. Key areas of learning include evaluating the effectiveness of control surfaces in flight, assessing performance and handling at high angles of attack, testing maneuverability under high wing loading, and validating control gains and filters within the flight software.

Hermeus has been named one of TechCrunch's most disruptive startups of 2024! Hypersonic technology is set to revolutionize both defense and commercial industries, and we’re just getting started. Read more from TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/gC_VxBFm

Quarterhorse is the first step on our journey to radically accelerate air travel. Listen to Skyler Shuford break down our goals with the first Quarterhorse model, Mk 1, and check out the whole video from Freethink here: https://lnkd.in/eyCwYjVP.  

The legendary lakebeds of Edwards Air Force Base

November is National Aviation History Month where we celebrate the incredible milestones that have shaped the world of aviation. There are countless stories to share of our industry’s exciting history – here are five:    1. The first transatlantic flight, achieved by the US Navy in 1919 used a Curtiss NC-4 flying boat. The flight took approximately 24 days to complete, making multiple stops along the way across the Atlantic Ocean and had the support of naval ships stationed along the route to assist in navigation and emergencies.    2. Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic on May 20, 1927. On the 5th anniversary of his flight, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make the same journey.
   3. In 1947, the Bell X-1 jet plane, piloted by USAF Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager, became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier.    4. The X-15 was the first piloted aircraft to reach hypersonic speeds, or more than five times the speed of sound. William J. Knight flew the X-15 to a record-breaking speed of Mach 6.7 at an altitude of 102,100 feet in 1967.
   5. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth's surface per hour. #AviationHistoryMonth

Now Hiring: A Senior Avionics Electrical Engineer to take charge of designing and testing custom electrical systems for both ground test and flight applications. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/e7-s5sV8.

Now Hiring: A Principal GNC Engineer responsible for the integration, testing, validation and verification of Navigation instrumentation and GNSS components. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eGtRMZNF. 

Flying at 5x the speed of sound will make transoceanic flights feel regional. Check out AJ Piplica's in-depth interview with Evan Baehr on Freethink’s latest video → https://lnkd.in/eChFKbm3