Hermes’ hypersonic Quarterhorse jet might just be the jet of the future, possibly retiring even Lockheed Martin’s jet of the future – the hypersonic SR-72 – before it sees the light of day.
US Tests Top SECRET Hypersonic Aircraft to Beat SR-72
The Quarterhorse has broken new ground and the United States Air Force is more than impressed. So much so that they’ve awarded the start-up company a $60-million contract to flight-test the Quarterhorse.
The Quarterhorse is estimated to travel Mach 5 speeds – five times the speed of sound – on a single go and is based on the Turbine-Based Combined Cycle – TBCC – engine, which combines a supersonic turbojet engine with a scramjet, which is simply a supersonic combustion ramjet engine.
This engine configuration means the Quarterhorse would perform effortlessly well at whatever speeds – be it the relatively low commercial airline speeds of today or at hypersonic speeds that would leave even fighter jets in the dust.
