Hermeus' prototype Quarterhorse Mk 1 flies for the first time
The US aviation company Hermeus wants to build hypersonic airplanes. The Quarterhorse Mk 1 prototype has completed its maiden flight.
Hermeus Quarterhorse Mk1
(Image: Hermeus)
It may not be sounding again any time soon, but it is flying: The Quarterhorse Mk 1 aircraft has flown for the first time, according to the US aviation company Hermeus. The final version of the aircraft is expected to reach several times the speed of sound.
The unmanned prototype completed a stable flight and landed without incident. The maiden flight took place on May 21 at Edwards Air Force Base in the US state of California, as Hermeus has only just announced. However, the aircraft did not take off and land on a conventional runway, but on a dry salt lake on the Edwards site.
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The main aim of the test was to allow the aircraft to take off and land. The aircraft only has very small wings as it is designed for high speeds. According to Hermeus, take-offs and landings are therefore a particular challenge. The flight test was preceded by cab tests in December last year, during which the Mk 1 was sometimes traveling at 240 km/h.
Quarterhorse Mk 1 is 12.2 meters long and has a wingspan of 3.6 meters. It is powered by a TBCC engine, an abbreviation of Turbine Based Combined Cycle. This is a combination of a turbojet and a ramjet engine. It is based on the J85 engine from General Electric and can be operated both as a conventional jet engine and as a ramjet engine.
Hermeus wants to fly faster than the SR-71
Hermeus' goal is to develop a hypersonic aircraft that flies faster than Mach 3.36, the record speed achieved by the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in 1976. Hermeus is taking an unusual approach to development: it is building prototypes in a short space of time – "one aircraft per year" –, each for a specific purpose: The Mk 0 prototype, completed in early 2024, was not airworthy and was only used for ground tests. Mk 1 can fly, but in the subsonic range.
Quarterhorse Mk 2 is currently under construction at the company's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. This aircraft, which will be roughly the same size as a General Dynamics F-16 fighter jet, is set to break the sound barrier and reach Mach 3. The maiden flight is due to take place this year. Its successor, the Quarterhorse Mk 3, planned for 2026, is expected to reach Mach 5.
Hermeus plans to launch two hypersonic aircraft on the market: the Darkhorse unmanned aerial vehicle for the military and the Halcyon commercial aircraft. Both are expected to reach five times the speed of sound.
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Hermeus is not the only aviation company developing supersonic aircraft. The US company Boom Supersonic, for example, has built a prototype that broke the sound barrier earlier this year. A supersonic passenger aircraft should be ready for use in 2029. The Talon-A unmanned aerial vehicle from US aviation company Stratolaunch flew faster than Mach 5 in May.
(wpl)
