Latest news with #AJPiplica
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Watch moment hypersonic jet ‘Quarterhorse' makes first flight in big step towards trips from London to NYC in 90 mins
THIS is the incredible moment hypersonic jet "Quarterhorse" makes its first flight in a big step towards trips from London to New York taking just 90 minutes. The amazing uncrewed Quarterhorse MK 1 took flight over Edwards Air Force Base in California. 6 6 The MK 1 is roughly the size of an F-16 military Fighting Falcon and powered by a General Electric J85 engine. With its low aspect ratio wings, high wing loading, low thrust-to-weight ratio, the jet was captured nailing its maiden flight with smooth takeoff and landing. Unbelievable footage shows the tin can-like structure being driven onto the gargantuan runway - ready for the test takeoff. It's soon shown darting down the runway by itself at incredible speed. The MK 1 has a very pointy nose which begins to lift into the air as the aircraft takes flight. It then has a very smooth landing back onto the site. Hermeus' CEO and co-founder AJ Piplica said: "MK 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft. "I'm incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. We've proven the viability of our iterative development approach. But this is just the start." Hermeus was built in just 204 days, with the Quarterhorse MK 2 already in the works for a late 2025 flight. Hermeus' president and co-founder Skyler Shuford said: "The real-world flight data from MK 1 provides significant technical value that we're rolling into our next aircraft." At Edwards Air Force Bases, the MK 1's propulsion, fuel system, hydraulics, and bespoke Flight Deck remote piloting setup were made to be perfect, with aspirations for future journeys with passengers. General Scott Cain, Air Force Test Center commander, said: "Industry partnerships continue to have an important role in the development and test of disruptive and innovative capabilities for our warfighters." The MK 1 looks make vast improvements to the MK 2 which will be five times faster than the speed of sound - expected to reach Mach 2.5, or 1918mph. Such speed would see the aircraft fly from London to New York City in less than two hours. Hermeus has selected Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida as its new engine test facility, taking it one step closer to launching hypersonic commercial flights. The High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test Facility broke ground last month and is set to be the largest and most advanced Hermeus test site. It is hoped that once production on The Quarterhorse has started, the jet will be "used as a platform for commercial testing and development efforts," Hermeus said. The HEAT facility will support flight modelling by continually providing the conditions needed for hyper-supersonic and low-hypersonic flight. A series of engines and propulsion systems will undergo tests in Jacksonville including the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine and Hermeus' proprietary hypersonic Chimera engine. It will be a key hub for hypersonic technology for both the Department of Defense and commercial parties. The Jacksonville facility is also set to serve as the base for the company's commercial high-Mach flight test services starting in 2026. 6 6
Business Wire
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Hermeus Flies Quarterhorse Mk 1 at Edwards Air Force Base
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hermeus, a venture capital-backed aerospace and defense technology company specializing in high-speed aircraft, announced today the flight of its Quarterhorse Mk 1 aircraft. This milestone is a significant step in Hermeus' development of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft. With this flight, Hermeus demonstrated a rapid development pace, advancing Hermeus' mission to operationalize hypersonic technologies. 'Mk 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft,' said Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica. Share 'Mk 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft,' said AJ Piplica, CEO and Co-Founder of Hermeus. 'I'm incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. We've proven the viability of our iterative development approach. But this is just the start. We have much more to do as the bar rises for the next iteration.' Quarterhorse Mk 1 went from clean sheet to flight-ready in a little over a year. The primary focus of the test campaign was validate high-speed takeoff and landing of a large uncrewed aircraft. The aircraft's unique configuration — driven by high-speed flight — makes basic operations of takeoff and landing distinctly challenging. 'Industry partnerships continue to have an important role in the development and test of disruptive and innovative capabilities for our warfighters,' commented Major General Scott Cain, Commander of Air Force Test Center. 'The promise of routine hypersonic flight is an exciting capability for the joint team.' Data from the campaign has validated design and performance models, including aerodynamics, stability and control. Testing also validated performance of vehicle subsystems including propulsion, fuel systems, hydraulics, power, thermal management, avionics, flight software, telemetry, flight termination and command and control. 'The real-world flight data from Mk 1 provides significant technical value that we're rolling into our next aircraft,' said President and Co-Founder Skyler Shuford. 'Moreover, the team has accomplished this milestone on a challenging timeline while operating within the overall aerospace ecosystem — all to support rebuilding America's lost capability to quickly develop brand-new, full-scale jets.' Quarterhorse Mk 1 is the first in a series of uncrewed aircraft on Hermeus' iterative development roadmap. The approach emphasizes 'hardware richness' – building multiple prototypes in quick succession, allowing the team to take well-managed technical risk. The team is actively reviewing data and integrating lessons learned into Hermeus' next iteration, Quarterhorse Mk 2, currently being manufactured at Hermeus' headquarters in Atlanta. The scale of an F-16, Quarterhorse Mk 2 is a high-Mach aircraft designed to de-risk uncrewed supersonic flight. It is on-track to fly late this year. Hermeus is a venture capital-backed aerospace and defense technology company founded to radically accelerate aviation. In the near-term, the business is focused on building high-speed products that sustainably deliver asymmetric advantage to the Department of Defense and allied partners. Utilizing an iterative development approach to aircraft, Hermeus' high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft aim to deliver capabilities at a pace not seen in the U.S. since the 1950s.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hermeus Flies Quarterhorse Mk 1 at Edwards Air Force Base
Quarterhorse Mk 1 flight redefines U.S. aircraft development pace and unlocks next steps toward hypersonic aircraft. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., May 27, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hermeus, a venture capital-backed aerospace and defense technology company specializing in high-speed aircraft, announced today the flight of its Quarterhorse Mk 1 aircraft. This milestone is a significant step in Hermeus' development of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft. With this flight, Hermeus demonstrated a rapid development pace, advancing Hermeus' mission to operationalize hypersonic technologies. "Mk 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft," said AJ Piplica, CEO and Co-Founder of Hermeus. "I'm incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. We've proven the viability of our iterative development approach. But this is just the start. We have much more to do as the bar rises for the next iteration." Quarterhorse Mk 1 went from clean sheet to flight-ready in a little over a year. The primary focus of the test campaign was validate high-speed takeoff and landing of a large uncrewed aircraft. The aircraft's unique configuration — driven by high-speed flight — makes basic operations of takeoff and landing distinctly challenging. "Industry partnerships continue to have an important role in the development and test of disruptive and innovative capabilities for our warfighters," commented Major General Scott Cain, Commander of Air Force Test Center. "The promise of routine hypersonic flight is an exciting capability for the joint team." Data from the campaign has validated design and performance models, including aerodynamics, stability and control. Testing also validated performance of vehicle subsystems including propulsion, fuel systems, hydraulics, power, thermal management, avionics, flight software, telemetry, flight termination and command and control. "The real-world flight data from Mk 1 provides significant technical value that we're rolling into our next aircraft," said President and Co-Founder Skyler Shuford. "Moreover, the team has accomplished this milestone on a challenging timeline while operating within the overall aerospace ecosystem — all to support rebuilding America's lost capability to quickly develop brand-new, full-scale jets." Quarterhorse Mk 1 is the first in a series of uncrewed aircraft on Hermeus' iterative development roadmap. The approach emphasizes 'hardware richness' – building multiple prototypes in quick succession, allowing the team to take well-managed technical risk. The team is actively reviewing data and integrating lessons learned into Hermeus' next iteration, Quarterhorse Mk 2, currently being manufactured at Hermeus' headquarters in Atlanta. The scale of an F-16, Quarterhorse Mk 2 is a high-Mach aircraft designed to de-risk uncrewed supersonic flight. It is on-track to fly late this year. Hermeus is a venture capital-backed aerospace and defense technology company founded to radically accelerate aviation. In the near-term, the business is focused on building high-speed products that sustainably deliver asymmetric advantage to the Department of Defense and allied partners. Utilizing an iterative development approach to aircraft, Hermeus' high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft aim to deliver capabilities at a pace not seen in the U.S. since the 1950s. View source version on Contacts Melissa Price, Griffin Communications Groupmelissaprice@
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hermeus notches first flight of Quarterhorse high-speed aircraft
Hermeus, a venture capital-backed firm building high-speed aircraft, flew its Quarterhorse vehicle for the first time last week at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the company said. The aircraft, dubbed Mk 1, is the second iteration of the Quarterhorse high-speed test platform and the first to take flight. Its May 21 flight test brings Hermeus a step closer to its goal of flying the autonomous, reusable vehicle at near-Mach 5 speeds by 2026. 'We've proven the viability of our iterative development approach,' Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica said in a statement Tuesday. 'But this is just the start. We have much more to do as the bar rises for the next iteration.' Hermeus had planned to fly Quarterhorse in 2023 and then pushed that date to last summer before eventually hitting the milestone this month. Still, the company touted its ability to go from a clean-sheet design to a flight-ready system in just over a year. The first flight test focused on validating Quarterhorse's ability to take off and land, which is a particular challenge for high-speed systems. Hermeus is feeding data from the first flight into its second test vehicle, Mk 2, which is currently being built at the firm's headquarters in Atlanta. That aircraft is slated to fly by the end of the year and reach supersonic speeds. It will also enable 'novel operational defense capabilities,' the company said. This early work will push Hermeus toward its larger goal of supplying high-speed platforms to both defense and commercial customers. The company plans to build one aircraft per year — an approach it hopes will position it to address the challenges that come with operationalizing a hypersonic aircraft. 'The company's approach emphasizes 'hardware richness' — building multiple prototypes in quick succession, allowing the team to take well-managed technical risk,' Hermeus said. 'While driving technical progress towards high-speed flight, this approach simultaneously enables Hermeus to rapidly develop its team and talent.' Hypersonic aircraft fly and maneuver at speeds of Mach 5 or higher. The Defense Department has several major programs to develop and field hypersonic weapons and vehicles — including the Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile and the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon — and is interested in potentially using Quarterhorse to help test hypersonic technology. Along with funding from private investors, Hermeus received early backing from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which awarded the company a $1.5 million contract in 2020, followed by another $60 million deal the following year. The Defense Innovation Unit also chose the firm for its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program, which aims to increase flight test support for Pentagon programs. Piplica previously told Defense News he expects Quarterhorse to start supporting DOD test events in 2026, around when its Mk 3 vehicle rolls off the line.
