American startup aiming to go hypersonic completes momentous first flight of high-speed aircraft

The Quarterhorse Mk 1 has completed its first flight, kicking off the next phase in Hermeus’ bold plan to build hypersonic aircraft at record speed.

Hermeus, a startup based in Atlanta, Georgia, is working to develop ultra-fast planes faster and more affordably than ever before.

Their ultimate goal? To break the Mach 3.3 airspeed record held by the legendary SR-71 Blackbird.

This latest flight shows they’re off to a flying start – literally.

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Quarterhorse Mk 1 flew uncrewed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, about a year after development began.

It’s designed to take off and land remotely, and that’s exactly what it did in its debut flight.

The sleek, high-speed aircraft is powered by a classic fighter jet engine.

However, Hermeus is using it in a whole new way.

It’s all part of a step-by-step plan to make hypersonic aircraft a reality.

Of course, it’s not the only company with this goal in mind. In fact, a Texas aerospace firm recently had a successful test flight of its hypersonic rocket engine.

Before the flight, Mk 1 completed ground tests on the base’s famous dry lakebed.

Engineers tested everything from taxiing at 150MPH to how the aircraft responds to control inputs.

The focus was on proving that remote takeoff and landing could be done reliably.

This is harder than it may seem, as the plane that’s built for speed rather than ease of handling.

That’s what makes Quarterhorse Mk 1 so tricky, as it has short wings, a heavy frame, and doesn’t glide well.

All of which means that it needs to land fast and precisely.

But it pulled it off, proving that Hermeus’ design and control systems are working as planned.

This flight is just the beginning, as Hermeus has four aircraft planned in total.

The Mk 0 was for ground testing only, while the Mk 1, now successfully flown, is focused on mastering remote-controlled takeoff and landing.

Meanwhile, the Mk 2 will go supersonic later this year, and the Mk 3 will attempt to smash speed records using a special engine that shifts from jet mode to ramjet mode mid-flight.

The Mk 2 is already under construction in Atlanta and will be powered by the same engine used in the F-16.

It will also be paired with a high-tech cooling system to boost performance.

Eventually, the team’s Chimera engine will combine both turbine and ramjet technology to push their aircraft past Mach 4.

Any plane that travels at a speed of Mach 5 or higher is considered a hypersonic aircraft, so the company is well on its way to making that dream a reality.

Of course, even if it achieves its goal, it’s still unlikely you’ll see hypersonic aircraft in the US anytime soon, given how even supersonic flights are not (yet) legal.

After all, while making flights much shorter may seem awesome, you probably don’t want to live near the airport, due to all the sonic booms.

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