Hermeus hypersonic aircraft project

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arstechnica.com

Hermeus announces plan to build the fastest aircraft in the world

"We want to do engineering, not science."
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com

A new aerospace company has entered the race to provide supersonic commercial air travel. On Monday, a US-based company named Hermeus announced plans to develop an aircraft that will travel at speeds of up to Mach 5. Such an aircraft would cut travel time from New York to Paris from more than 7 hours to 1.5 hours.

Hermeus said it has raised an initial round of funding led by Khosla Ventures, but it declined to specify the amount. This funding will allow Hermeus to develop a propulsion demonstrator and other initial technologies needed to make its supersonic aircraft a reality, Skyler Shuford, the company's chief operating officer, told Ars.
.....
Shuford said it will rely mostly on existing technology and materials. "We aren't getting into anything too miraculous," Shuford said. "We want to do engineering, not science."

Primary materials will include titanium, and the propulsion system will be powered by a turbine-based, combined-cycle engine. Over the next five years, the company plans to work toward a demonstrator vehicle that travels at Mach 5, before developing aircraft for commercial service eight to 10 years from now, Shuford said.
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Pretty nebulous right now, which is why I didn't post this in Projects. The usual insanely ambitious timeline that they will fail to meet, while blowing through multiple rounds of VC funding.
 

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Drooped wingtips suggest they're looking at compression lift, again?
 
Droop is also used to keep the wingtips inside the shock-wave at speed. And in both hypersonic and supersonic flight 'down' droop seems to be more stable than up-swoop.

Randy
 
1599060007096.png
IMAGE CREDIT: HERMEUS
ORIGINAL CAPTION: The US Air Force is evaluating a possible hypersonic presidential jet

www.bbc.com

Rival powers jockey for the lead in hypersonic aircraft

The US, China and Russia are pouring money into aircraft that can fly at five times the speed of sound.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

Hypersonic leaders

If this combination works the vision of paying passengers on a hypersonic flight might become a reality within 15 years.

The potential for hypersonic travel to let VIPs arrive with maximum impact has been spotted by the US Air Force unit that deals with presidential jets.

It has commissioned Atlanta-based hypersonic start-up Hermeus to evaluate a Mach 5 transport design carrying up to 20 passengers.

It means that in the future, the president of the United States might one day join a very select band of Mach 5 travellers.
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www.hermeus.com

Aug 06, 2020 | Hermeus

www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com

Hermeus Wins Air Force Investment After Demonstrating Mach 5 Engine



ATLANTA, GA - Hermeus Corporation, the aerospace company developing Mach 5 commercial aircraft, has partnered with the U.S. Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate to work toward hypersonic travel for the Department of Defense. This award comes under an Other Transaction For Prototype Agreement Direct to Phase II contract through AFWERX after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February 2020.



The effort is focused on rapidly assessing modifications to Hermeus Mach 5 aircraft to support the Presidential and Executive Airlift fleet. Early integration of unique Air Force requirements for high-speed mobility and evaluation of interfaces between high-speed aircraft and existing communications, airport, and air traffic control infrastructure lays the groundwork for a seamless transition to service. Additionally, Hermeus will prepare test plans to reduce technical risk associated with these modifications to support Air Force requirements.



Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential and Executive Airlift commented on the program: "Leaps in capability are vital as we work to complicate the calculus of our adversaries. By leveraging commercial investment to drive new technologies into the Air Force, we are able to maximize our payback on Department of Defense investments. The Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate is proud to support Hermeus in making this game-changing capability a reality as we look to recapitalize the fleet in the future."

Preceding the award, the Hermeus team designed from scratch, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype, in only 9 months. The test campaign both served as risk reduction for Hermeus' turbine-based combined cycle engine architecture and illustrates the team's ability to execute with schedule and funding efficiency. "Using our pre-cooler technology, we've taken an off-the-shelf gas turbine engine and operated it at flight speed conditions faster than the famed SR-71. In addition, we've pushed the ramjet mode to Mach 4-5 conditions, demonstrating full-range hypersonic air-breathing propulsion capability," said Glenn Case, Hermeus’ CTO.
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www.hermeus.com

Aug 06, 2020 | Hermeus

www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com

Hermeus Wins Air Force Investment After Demonstrating Mach 5 Engine

ATLANTA, GA - Hermeus Corporation, the aerospace company developing Mach 5 commercial aircraft, has partnered with the U.S. Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate to work toward hypersonic travel for the Department of Defense. This award comes under an Other Transaction For Prototype Agreement Direct to Phase II contract through AFWERX after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February 2020.

The effort is focused on rapidly assessing modifications to Hermeus Mach 5 aircraft to support the Presidential and Executive Airlift fleet. Early integration of unique Air Force requirements for high-speed mobility and evaluation of interfaces between high-speed aircraft and existing communications, airport, and air traffic control infrastructure lays the groundwork for a seamless transition to service. Additionally, Hermeus will prepare test plans to reduce technical risk associated with these modifications to support Air Force requirements.

Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential and Executive Airlift commented on the program: "Leaps in capability are vital as we work to complicate the calculus of our adversaries. By leveraging commercial investment to drive new technologies into the Air Force, we are able to maximize our payback on Department of Defense investments. The Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate is proud to support Hermeus in making this game-changing capability a reality as we look to recapitalize the fleet in the future."

Preceding the award, the Hermeus team designed from scratch, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype, in only 9 months. The test campaign both served as risk reduction for Hermeus' turbine-based combined cycle engine architecture and illustrates the team's ability to execute with schedule and funding efficiency. "Using our pre-cooler technology, we've taken an off-the-shelf gas turbine engine and operated it at flight speed conditions faster than the famed SR-71. In addition, we've pushed the ramjet mode to Mach 4-5 conditions, demonstrating full-range hypersonic air-breathing propulsion capability," said Glenn Case, Hermeus’ CTO.
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Grey Havoc said:
From back in November:
blueskypit.com

A Supersonic Air Force One? - Blue Sky News

Carnegie Mellon University grads involved in project to develop presidential jet faster than the speed of sound
blueskypit.com blueskypit.com
“The United States Air Force is constantly looking for technological opportunities to disrupt the balance of our adversaries,” said Brigadier Gen. Ryan Britton, program executive officer for the Presidential & Executive Airlift Directorate, in a statement. “Boom is an example of the American ingenuity that drives the economy forward through technological advances.”

Along with Boom, the federal government contracted with startups Exosonic and Hermeus to develop supersonic aircraft for VIP transport, as well.
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60 million are just funds to help Hermeus flies their small scale autonomous demonstrator. Their engines have already been sourced (used) and as they claim, tested. Their goal is to explore as ruthlessly as possible the Mach 3 to 5 segment of their intended regime.
I don't see that as irrelevant or surrealistic when company like Kratos can claim they will offer complex autonomous UAS for one tenth of a third of that amount.

August 5, 2021

Hermeus, the aerospace company developing Mach 5 aircraft, announced today the signing of a $60 million U.S. Air Force partnership for flight testing its first aircraft, Quarterhorse. Quarterhorse will validate the company's proprietary turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine, based around the GE J85 turbojet engine, and is the first in a line of autonomous high-speed aircraft. By the end of the flight test campaign, Quarterhorse will be the fastest reusable aircraft in the world and the first of its kind to fly a TBCC engine.
[...]
Some may argue that it is impossible to flight test a TBCC engine across the full flight envelope for less than $100 million. However, Hermeus is taking a different approach than traditional high-speed flight test programs. Hermeus will be leveraging autonomous and reusable systems, ruthlessly focused requirements, and a hardware-rich program. These three strategies allow the team to push the envelope, sometimes strategically to the point of failure in flight test, which accelerates learning while simultaneously improving the safety of flight test crew and the public. Pushing more risk to flight allows Hermeus to move through the engineering lifecycle quickly, reducing programmatic costs. When exploring beyond the speeds that airbreathing aircraft have flown before, learning must come through testing in the real world.
Click to expand...

www.hermeus.com

PRESS RELEASE: Funded to Flight | Hermeus

Hermeus announced today the signing of a $60 million U.S. Air Force partnership for flight testing its first aircraft, Quarterhorse.
www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com

View: https://vimeo.com/545657945?from=outro-embed

Inward inlets have been around for more than a decade now. Although there is no known aircraft flying such, their flight regime is pretty conservative with the configuration. They are not offering to build something truly unique or unprecedented as pushing the boundaries beyond comprehension.
 
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TomcatViP said:
60 million are just funds to help Hermeus flies their small scale autonomous demonstrator. Their engines have already been sourced (used) and as they claim, tested. Their goal is to explore as roughly as possible the Mach 3 to 5 segment of their intended regime.
I don't see that as irrelevant or surrealistic when company like Kratos can claim they will offer complex autonomous UAS for one tenth of a third of that amount.

August 5, 2021

Hermeus, the aerospace company developing Mach 5 aircraft, announced today the signing of a $60 million U.S. Air Force partnership for flight testing its first aircraft, Quarterhorse. Quarterhorse will validate the company's proprietary turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine, based around the GE J85 turbojet engine, and is the first in a line of autonomous high-speed aircraft. By the end of the flight test campaign, Quarterhorse will be the fastest reusable aircraft in the world and the first of its kind to fly a TBCC engine.
[...]
Some may argue that it is impossible to flight test a TBCC engine across the full flight envelope for less than $100 million. However, Hermeus is taking a different approach than traditional high-speed flight test programs. Hermeus will be leveraging autonomous and reusable systems, ruthlessly focused requirements, and a hardware-rich program. These three strategies allow the team to push the envelope, sometimes strategically to the point of failure in flight test, which accelerates learning while simultaneously improving the safety of flight test crew and the public. Pushing more risk to flight allows Hermeus to move through the engineering lifecycle quickly, reducing programmatic costs. When exploring beyond the speeds that airbreathing aircraft have flown before, learning must come through testing in the real world.
Click to expand...

www.hermeus.com

PRESS RELEASE: Funded to Flight | Hermeus

Hermeus announced today the signing of a $60 million U.S. Air Force partnership for flight testing its first aircraft, Quarterhorse.
www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com

View: https://vimeo.com/545657945?from=outro-embed

Inward inlets have been around for more than a decade now. Although there is no known aircraft flying such, their flight regime is pretty conservative with the configuration. They are not offering to build something truly unique or unprecedented as pushing the boundaries beyond comprehension.
Click to expand...
 
Kool-aid is good, those days.

Ok, we know how to fly above Mach 4 on airbreathing engines since, what - April 17, 1958 ? the day Lockheed X-7A-5 hit Mach 4.31 using a Marquardt RJ43 ramjet borrowed from a BOMARC missile.

Then MIPCC and SERJ indeed offer path toward Mach 4 since the 60's at least.

The real deal unfortunately is to build a business jet to fly at these speeds. A commercially viable one. After Aerion Mach 1.6 bizjet failed miserably.
Yeah. And the sonic boom. And heat barrier.

Somebody should ask the question loud and clear: is supersonic / hypersonic atmospheric airbreathing flight economically viable ? with the sonic boom a major nuisance ?

I wonder if the right way to do it wouldn't be to use MIPCC turbofans for quiet take off and landing, with MIPCC to rush toward Mach 4; and then lit a goddam rocket and do the trip the ballistic-suborbital way, shooting into space if not in orbit.
NOT flying horizontally below 100 000 feet.

The neat thing with rocket / ballistic / suborbital / space flight is that once out and away from the atmosphere, there is no sonic boom to rattle unfortunate people below the flight path all trip long.

The Air Force has big plans for starship

The Air Force has big plans for starship
forum.nasaspaceflight.com forum.nasaspaceflight.com

The Air Force has big plans for starship

The Air Force has big plans for starship
forum.nasaspaceflight.com forum.nasaspaceflight.com

(excuse the blatant self-quoting of my little self at another forum)
 
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@jeffb : Hermeus's project was similarly discussed here. But since they are committed to manufacturing and at least small scale production, we would definitely need a dedicated thread IMO.
 
I don't doubt they can build a demonstrator up to Mach 10 - been there, done that: X-43, X-51, hypersonic missiles proliferation.

But building a piloted vehicle ? and a commercial, large one ? Not sure at all about the business case.
 
Archibald said:
I don't doubt they can build a demonstrator up to Mach 10 - been there, done that: X-43, X-51, hypersonic missiles proliferation.

But building a piloted vehicle ? and a commercial, large one ? Not sure at all about the business case.
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It reminds me of the syndrome in which every damn telescope and space probe is supposed to find extraterrestrial life or the origins of life, totally sidelining its real aims and achievements. Reporters have an irresistible compulsion to claim that absolutely every hypersonic project is going to lead directly to an airliner that flies in a circuit from New York to London to Sydney to Tokyo to Los Angeles and then arrives back in New York before it departs in the first place.
 
Rhinocrates said:
Archibald said:
I don't doubt they can build a demonstrator up to Mach 10 - been there, done that: X-43, X-51, hypersonic missiles proliferation.

But building a piloted vehicle ? and a commercial, large one ? Not sure at all about the business case.
Click to expand...
It reminds me of the syndrome in which every damn telescope and space probe is supposed to find extraterrestrial life or the origins of life, totally sidelining its real aims and achievements. Reporters have an irresistible compulsion to claim that absolutely every hypersonic project is going to lead to an airliner that flies in a circuit from New York to London to Sydney to Tokyo to Los Angeles and then arrives back in New York before it departs in the first place.
Click to expand...

Amen to that !
 
Rhinocrates said:
Archibald said:
I don't doubt they can build a demonstrator up to Mach 10 - been there, done that: X-43, X-51, hypersonic missiles proliferation.

But building a piloted vehicle ? and a commercial, large one ? Not sure at all about the business case.
Click to expand...
It reminds me of the syndrome in which every damn telescope and space probe is supposed to find extraterrestrial life or the origins of life, totally sidelining its real aims and achievements. Reporters have an irresistible compulsion to claim that absolutely every hypersonic project is going to lead directly to an airliner that flies in a circuit from New York to London to Sydney to Tokyo to Los Angeles and then arrives back in New York before it departs in the first place.
Click to expand...
I fear this dumbing-down is entirely intentional.
 
I haven’t noticed anyone post this:

Air Force awards contract to Hermeus


WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – In an effort to accelerate the commercial development of hypersonic aircraft and propulsion systems, the U.S. Air Force is investing in the Hermeus Corporation – a U.S. based aerospace company – via a $60 million jointly funded contract that was awarded July 30.

Currently, the company is developing a hypersonic aircraft capable of flying at five times the speed of sound. At this speed a flight from New York to Paris would only take 90 minutes, compared to the seven and a half hours it typically takes today.

The contract is being funded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and various venture capital sources.

The engagement with Hermeus is part of a larger effort led by the directorate to fuel the burgeoning commercial resurgence of high speed passenger travel, and has been dubbed the “Vector Initiative”.

The initiative aims to partner with commercial sector leaders to accelerate their development and, as a byproduct, advance enabling technologies that could provide the Air Force options for a variety of missions.

AFWERX, an AFRL Technology Directorate – responsible for expanding technology, talent, and transition partnerships for rapid and affordable commercial and military capability – has been an integral part of the initiative’s ability to reach out to industry, and helped make the joint funding effort possible, via its Strategic Financing (StratFI) program. The program is designed to connect Airmen, DoD acquisition offices, and private investors to facilitate the delivery of strategic capabilities for the Air Force. The Hermeus contract will be the first time that the StratFI program has been used.

“We are transforming the Air and Space Force into an early-stage ‘investor’ that leverages private capital, accelerates commercialization of technology and grows the number of companies partnering with the Department of the Air Force,” said Col. Nathan Diller, AFWERX director. “It has been great working with the team to help identify innovative companies with advanced capabilities.”

“One of our goals in supporting companies like Hermeus, is to expand the Defense Industrial Base for both aircraft manufacture, and hypersonic propulsion development,” added Brig. Gen. Jason Lindsey, the Program Executive Officer for Presidential & Executive Airlift. “Ultimately we want to have options within the commercial aircraft marketplace for platforms that can be modified for enduring Air Force missions such as senior leader transport, as well as mobility, ISR, and possibly other mission sets.”

The contract establishes a number of objectives for Hermeus to meet within three years, to include the following:

1) Increase in the understanding of enabling technology and mission capabilities for reusable hypersonic aircraft.
2) Scale and flight test a reusable hypersonic propulsion system.
3) Develop, build and test 3 of Hermeus’ Quarterhorse concept aircraft.
4) Provide a payload integration guide for future hypersonic flight testing with Quarterhorse.
5) Provide wargaming inputs for use in Air Force strategic analysis tools.

“When it comes to technology, we often hear the term ‘game-changing,’” said Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “However hypersonic aircraft and propulsion systems are truly game-changing, and will revolutionize how we travel, just as automobiles did in the last century. We are excited to be part of this effort, and to help propel this important technology.”

Following the three year period of performance, the Air Force will evaluate Hermeus’ progress, maturity of the hypersonic technology, and alignment with Air Force priorities.

“This contract award marks a continuation of an excellent partnership with the Hermeus team,” said Capt. Mark Kite, the Vector Initiative’s action officer, “Hermeus is well poised to develop future commercial products that have military application and we look forward to partnering with future companies that exhibit similar opportunities for the Air Force.”

www.aflcmc.af.mil

Air Force awards contract to Hermeus

In an effort to accelerate the commercial development of hypersonic aircraft and propulsion systems, the U.S. Air Force is investing in the Hermeus Corporation – a U.S. based aerospace company – via a
www.aflcmc.af.mil
 
No doubt there are also significant challenges involved in maturing this technology, especially at the kind of price point that has been suggested for the initial development phase. In contrast, Lockheed Martin said it would cost around $1 billionto develop a fighter-sized combined-cycle demonstrator. Regardless, developing high-speed technologies, let alone hypersonic ones, traditionally requires considerable amounts of money.



Clearly, however, the Air Force has confidence in the proposals from Hermeus and it will be interesting to see the next developments in this cutting-edge program.
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www.thedrive.com

Air Force Throws Millions At Startup Trying To Build Reusable Hypersonic Aircraft

The Air Force wants Hermeus Corporation to prove the concept for a high-speed transport, and maybe more.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
 
August 12, 2021

HERMEUS ACTIVATES HYPERSONIC ENGINE TEST SITE​

We refer to this test facility simply as “Site 27” because it sits adjacent to retired runway number 27 at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

The current engine on the test stand is the GE J85-21 turbojet which will be the core of our larger hypersonic engine. Senior Propulsion Engineer, Lisa Berry, has been leading the first engine test campaign and running multiple engine tests per day.

“At Site 27, we‘ve completed 50 engine runs within 4 weeks,” Lisa said. “These exercises help anchor a key piece of the predictive models for our Mach 5 propulsion system with real data.”

www.hermeus.com

BLOG: Test Site 27 | Hermeus

Hermeus activates hypersonic engine test site and goes from an open field to engine fire within 33 days.
www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com
 
"Hermeus Goes Full Throttle At Unveil Of Quarterhorse Prototype"
www.hermeus.com

BLOG: Quarterhorse Unveil | Hermeus

Hermeus goes full-throttle at unveil of Quarterhorse prototype
www.hermeus.com www.hermeus.com
While this Quarterhorse prototype was not designed to fly, it is much more than just a showpiece. Building this vehicle was an exercise in multidisciplinary design, manufacturing, and the integration of complete systems.
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That unveiling looked too slick.

I thought I was watching a commercial for AMERICAN PSYCHO II.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1466464384012668947
View: https://twitter.com/hermeuscorp/status/1466464384012668947

h004.jpg
Quarterhorse is the first of several high-speed aircraft we're building.

It's designed to be as small as possible – while being able to touch Mach 5 and be reusable.

h005.jpg
There will be NO people onboard. Quarterhorse is remotely piloted and semi-autonomous.

Quarterhorse is named after the American Quarter Horse which is known for its speed in sprinting short distances and being brought out onto the frontiers of the American West.

The aircraft we unveiled in Nov. 2021 is a full-scale prototype but not designed to fly. The first flight-ready Quarterhorse is being built and will fly in 2023.

h001.jpg
Quarterhorse is about 40' in length. It will fly up to 95,000 ft.

h002.jpg
Quarterhorse uses our proprietary turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine.

It's kind of a hybrid – it uses a standard turbojet engine for takeoff and then transitions into a ramjet at higher speeds – around Mach 3.

h003.jpg
The unique looking inlet of the vehicle is designed to efficiently compress the air flow entering the propulsion system.

One of the challenges of this design was making it work through all phases of flight – from stand-still on the ground, through transonic, and up to Mach 5.
h006.jpg
At the end of its test campaign, Quarterhorse will be the fastest reusable airbreathing aircraft in the world – surpassing the long-held record of the SR-71 from back in 1976.
 
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aonestudio said:
The aircraft we unveiled in Nov. 2021 is a full-scale prototype but not designed to fly. The first flight-ready Quarterhorse is being built and will fly in 2023.
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Ummm.

e02e5ffb5f980cd8262cf7f0ae00a4a9_press-x-to-doubt-memes-memesuper-la-noire-doubt-meme_419-238.png
 
I second this skepticism... let's hope that quarter horse is not a tricky pony... (runs for cover).
 

Hermeus Secures $100 Million for Hypersonic Development​


by Kerry Lynch

- March 10, 2022, 12:49 PM

Startup hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus is seeing its plans continue to take root, securing a $100 million Series B funding round that will be used to complete Quarterhorse, a remotely piloted small-size vehicle. The funding follows partnerships with the U.S. Air Force and NASA on research surrounding the development of hypersonic aircraft[...]

Powered by Hermeus’s turbine-based combined cycle engines, based on the GE J85, Quarterhorse is anticipated to fly in 2023, testing speeds of between Mach 3 and Mach In addition to completing Quarterhorse, Hermeus said the funding will provide resources for flight operations and enable the company to step up work on its next aircraft, Darkhorse. The company plans to take lessons learned from the uncrewed hypersonic Darkhorse to move forward on a commercial aircraft, Halycon.
Click to expand...

www.ainonline.com

Hermeus Secures $100 Million for Hypersonic Development | AIN

Hermeus's latest round of funding will be used to complete its Quarterhorse remotely piloted hypersonic vehicle.
www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com
 

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