Fast-tracking the hypersonic era, Hermeus has rolled out the next prototype of its program, to create a family of aircraft that can fly beyond Mach 5. The Quarterhorse Mk 1 is scheduled to fly later this year, testing its high-speed takeoffs and landings.
The Mk 1 is the latest in the company's Mk 0 prototype, which made its first taxi tests last November. To illustrate the approach that Hermeus is taking toward creating hypersonic aircraft, each of the four prototypes under development are aimed primarily at testing one major phase of flight.
When I say that the Mk 0 made taxi tests, that was all the air frame was designed to do. This year's Mk 1 won't go hypersonic because it isn't remotely capable of such a thing. That's not surprising, because, while it can fly and has the profile of a hypersonic glide vehicle, it's powered by a lightweight GE J85 jet engine that can generate a mere 3,500 lb of thrust.
This means that when the uncrewed Mk 1 begins its tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California, its job will be to see how the Quarterhorse design can handle high-speed takeoffs and landings. It will also test its subsystems, ground station, operations, and human factors.
By the time these are completed, the Mk 2 will be ready to test the technology at supersonic speeds up to Mach 3 using the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine.
"The most unique and important aspect of our approach to developing a hypersonic aircraft is our rate of iteration – designing, building, and flying an aircraft in less than a year, every year," said Hermeus CEO and co-founder AJ Piplica. "It’s a pace that hasn’t been seen in the aircraft world for half a century. This approach has been proven successful in delivering massive improvements in the capabilities of rockets, satellites, and small drones. We’re now bringing that power of iteration speed to aircraft. It’s a capability that is absolutely necessary for solving the challenges of operationalizing hypersonic aircraft."
Source: Hermeus
