Hypersonic Fighters and AI Drones: The Future of Military Aviation with Hermeus

Sunday - June 2 2024, 01:26 UTC - 5 months ago

Hermeus is a startup aiming to develop an ultrafast, hypersonic jet by integrating hardware-rich, iterative development with modern computing and autonomy. They have already tested a ramjet engine in a wind tunnel at mach 3.3 and completed their first hypersonic ground test prototype in just 37 days. DIU has awarded them a multi-year contract to mature their hypersonic technology, and the company is also developing Darkhorse – an uncrewed hypersonic aircraft for military use. Combining Hermeus' hypersonic fighters with AI drones and swarm drone controls from companies like Shield AI and Anduril could be a game-changer for military aviation.

Hermeus is being hailed as the Lockheed Skunkworks for this generation. This ambitious aviation startup has set its sights on developing an ultrafast, mach 5+ hypersonic jet in record time. With their innovative approach and impressive progress already made, Hermeus is poised to revolutionize military aviation.

Founded in 2018, Hermeus aims to develop a hypersonic aircraft quickly and cost-effectively by integrating hardware-rich, iterative development with modern computing and autonomy. Their approach has been validated through the successful design, build, and testing of their first combined turbojet-ramjet engine. Now, the company is scaling up with their first flight vehicle program, Quarterhorse, and developing Darkhorse – an uncrewed hypersonic aircraft designed for military use.

In the coming months, Hermeus is aiming to take their first subsonic flight, followed by a Mach 2.5 flight next year, and a hypersonic flight before 2030. This rapid progress is made possible by their innovative ramjet engine, which can operate up to Mach 5 and was built in just a few months for less than $8 million. Such speed in development could finally lead to the elusive working hypersonic fighters that have long been desired by the military.

However, Hermeus is not alone in its quest for advanced military aviation capabilities. Nextbigfuture believes that combining Hermeus' hypersonic fighters with AI drones and swarm drone controls created by Shield AI and Anduril could be a game-changer. These next generation companies may eventually merge, further enhancing their capabilities.

Hermeus has recently completed testing of their full system hypersonic ground Mk0 test plane. This complete system was built in just 6 months and tested in a mere 37 days. Acting as a 'dynamic iron bird,' the prototype validated all major aircraft subsystems in a real-world environment – a significant feat for such a short timeframe. However, to reach hypersonic speeds, Hermeus needs to build successive airframes to hold their powerful engines.

In recognition of their impressive progress, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded Hermeus a multi-year contract to mature their hypersonic technology. This partnership is part of DIU's Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) initiative, which aims to expand the Department of Defense's high-speed flight test capacity using commercial flight test capabilities. Through this contract, Hermeus will demonstrate key enabling technologies for hypersonic aircraft, including propulsion integration, thermal management, power generation, and hypersonic mission system capabilities. The ultimate goal is to transition the world's fastest aircraft into an operational flight test capability for hypersonic capability experimentation and validation.

In an era of rapid technological advancement, Hermeus is leading the charge in developing cutting-edge hypersonic aircraft for military use. With their revolutionary approach and inspiring progress, Hermeus is well on its way to becoming the Lockheed Skunkworks of this generation.