Hermeus

Hermeus Corporation is an American startup company from Atlanta, Georgia focused on the development of commercial hypersonic airliners.

History

The company was founded in 2018[1] and received an initial round of funding led by Khosla Ventures.[2] In March 2021, the company signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for research and development of high-speed aircraft.[3] Later in 2021, the company signed a contract with the United States Air Force, securing full funding for development of its Quarterhorse hypersonic jet.[4]

On November 17th, 2022, Hermeus' Chimera turboramjet engine performed a successful transition from turbojet mode to ramjet mode in a simulated hypersonic flight.[5] According to Hermeus, this test is considered notable for demonstrating the speed and efficiency with which the Chimera engine was developed (21 months with a budget of $18 million).

Aircraft
Artist depiction of the Halcyon aircraft in flight.

Hermeus' flagship airliner, Halcyon, is under development and planned to fly at Mach 5 with a range of 4,600 miles (7,400 km).[6] The company claims to have designed, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in the span of 9 months.[7] In August 2020, Hermeus received a $1.5 million contract from the United States Air Force to develop their proposed aircraft to enter and serve the American presidential fleet in the future and function as a possible Air Force One.[8]

The first aircraft being built is a remotely piloted prototype called Quarterhorse,[9] which as of early 2022 was projected to be flown in 2023.

Chimera engine

The Chimera engine is a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) turboramjet engine, and is planned by Hermeus to power the Quarterhorse aircraft. Chimera uses a precooler to enhance performance in the extreme conditions that hypersonic aircraft operate in.[10]

Hermeus announced on December 20, 2022 that the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan was selected to be integrated into its larger hypersonic engine, the Chimera II. This upgraded version of the Chimera engine will be used to power the Darkhorse, a hypersonic uncrewed aerial system that is designed for defense and intelligence customers.[11]

See also

Notes

    References
    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. "PRESS RELEASE: NASA SAA". Hermeus. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
    4. "PRESS RELEASE: Funded to Flight". Hermeus. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
    5. "Hermeus Completes Hypersonic Engine Milestone". Hermeus. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
    6. "Hermeus | Hypersonic Aircraft Startup | Atlanta". Hermeus. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
    7. "Aug 06, 2020". Hermeus. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
    8. Niles, Russ (6 September 2020). "Air Force Eying Supersonic Air Force One". AVweb. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
    9. Selinger, Marc. "Raytheon invests in hypersonic aircraft firm Hermeus". Janes.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
    10. Hypersonic milestone completed by Hermeus
    11. "Hermeus will integrate Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan into Chimera II hypersonic engine". Globalair.com. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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