Quarterhorse Mk 1 puts Hermeus on route to hypersonic flight

Hermeus designed, built, and integrated Quarterhorse Mk 1 in seven months, and is the company’s second fully-integrated vehicle in the past year, following Quarterhorse Mk 0 which completed its test campaign in November 2023.

Quarterhorse Mk 1 is an uncrewed, remotely piloted aircraft powered by a GE J85 engine with a primary mission to demonstrate high-speed take-off and landing. Flight tests will take place at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

According to Hermeus, the coming months will see the vehicle undergo tests across its subsystems, ground station, operations, and human factors to prepare it for flight test later this year. 

“Moving into the integrated test program is the culmination of a huge team effort,” Hermeus VP of Test, Don Kaderbek said in a statement. “As we begin the journey to first flight, we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the aircraft’s performance while simultaneously examining the effectiveness of our test procedures, safety culture, and interdisciplinary team collaboration.”