Hermeus Signs Hypersonic Aircraft Contract with Defense Innovation Unit for Hypersonic Aircraft Risk Reduction

Hermeus has been awarded a contract by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to mature hypersonic aircraft subsystem and mission system technology. Hermeus will utilize its commercial high-speed flight test prototype, Quarterhorse, to support technical maturation and risk reduction for future hypersonic aircraft. The contract is part of DIU’s Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) initiative, which aims to utilize commercial flight test capabilities to expand the Department of Defense’s high-speed flight test capacity.

The multi-year award will feature Hermeus’ iterative approach to technology maturation and aircraft development. Through this contract, Hermeus will demonstrate key enabling technologies for hypersonic aircraft in relevant environments preparing them for introduction into future programs. These technologies include propulsion and propulsion integration; thermal management; power generation; and hypersonic mission system capabilities. This effort will transition the world’s fastest aircraft to an operational flight test capability for hypersonic capability experimentation, and validation.

“This contract with DIU expands our engagement with the Department of Defense, accelerating the development of future hypersonic aircraft,” commented Hermeus CEO and co-founder, AJ Piplica. “We’re excited to transition Quarterhorse to deliver high-speed flight test as a service and leverage it to mature the key technologies for Darkhorse. This contract is a key element of our bridge across the valley of death on the way to a future operational hypersonic aircraft.”