Hypersonic Engine Test Milestone @Hermeus

Hermeus We've demonstrated turbojet to ramjet transition within our engine, Chimera. This is one of the most important technological feats to making operational hypersonic flight a reality.

Chimera is a turbine-based combined cycle engine (TBCC) – which basically means it’s a hybrid between a turbojet and a ramjet. The ability to switch between these two modes allows our first aircraft, Quarterhorse, to take off from a regular runway and then accelerate up to high-Mach speeds.

Our TBCC engine is unique in the field of hypersonics. Most hypersonic platforms are powered by a rocket engine. But this approach makes reusability much harder and inherently more dangerous for passenger flight.

By making a full-range air-breathing hypersonic engine that does not require a rocket to accelerate, Hermeus is setting the stage for operational hypersonic flight – meaning aircraft that can be rapidly re-used.

An additional benefit of this engine design is that it accommodates existing transportation infrastructure. Our aircraft are designed to be operational at traditional airports.

This is important not just for hypersonic testing, but critical given Hermeus’ goal of radically accelerating passenger travel through hypersonic flight.

With mode transition successfully demonstrated, the Hermeus team is now racing to manufacture the first Quarterhorse aircraft that will begin flight testing in late 2023.

updated 3 years ago

Hypersonic Engine Test Milestone

Hermeus 2022-11-17 | We've demonstrated turbojet to ramjet transition within our engine, Chimera. This is one of the most important technological feats to making operational hypersonic flight a reality.

Chimera is a turbine-based combined cycle engine (TBCC) – which basically means it’s a hybrid between a turbojet and a ramjet. The ability to switch between these two modes allows our first aircraft, Quarterhorse, to take off from a regular runway and then accelerate up to high-Mach speeds.

Our TBCC engine is unique in the field of hypersonics. Most hypersonic platforms are powered by a rocket engine. But this approach makes reusability much harder and inherently more dangerous for passenger flight.

By making a full-range air-breathing hypersonic engine that does not require a rocket to accelerate, Hermeus is setting the stage for operational hypersonic flight – meaning aircraft that can be rapidly re-used.

An additional benefit of this engine design is that it accommodates existing transportation infrastructure. Our aircraft are designed to be operational at traditional airports.

This is important not just for hypersonic testing, but critical given Hermeus’ goal of radically accelerating passenger travel through hypersonic flight.

With mode transition successfully demonstrated, the Hermeus team is now racing to manufacture the first Quarterhorse aircraft that will begin flight testing in late 2023.

Hermeus Brings “HEAT” Facility Online

Hermeus 2025-01-08 | In just three months, Hermeus has brought online the first phase of a facility that will address the critical shortage of hypersonic test infrastructure in the U.S. – paving the way for the faster delivery of hypersonic technology.

HEAT will serve as an asset for military and commercial engine testing, boosting the efficiency and affordability of supersonic and hypersonic test infrastructure.

The HEAT facility is being developed incrementally, with future phases introducing continuous high-Mach vitiated airflow to enable more flight-like hypersonic testing conditions on the ground.

The Pratt & Whitney F100 engine currently being tested will be used in Hermeus’ next aircraft, Quarterhorse Mk 2, which will fly at supersonic speeds. The F100 engine will also be used as the core of Hermeus’ Chimera engine, a turbine-based combined cycle engine capable of reaching Mach 5, hypersonic speeds.

Quarterhorse Mk 1 Completes Ground Testing at Edwards

Hermeus 2024-12-17 | Ground testing at Edwards Air Force Base complete – first flight up next.

The ground test campaign was completed in just 21 days and culminated in 130-knot taxi tests with full afterburner.

Prior to reaching these taxi speeds, end-to-end testing between the Flight Deck and the aircraft validated redundant RF links and addressed potential electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems.

The team also conducted extensive human-machine interface (HMI) testing to optimize pilot inputs for Quarterhorse. Ensuring pilots receive the precise information needed for effective remote operation presented a unique challenge, requiring meticulous refinement of inputs to enhance situational awareness and decision-making.

The first flight of Quarterhorse will mark a pivotal milestone for Hermeus and offer insights to inform the development of future aircraft.

Quarterhorse Mk 1 was purpose-built for a single mission: takeoff and landing.

Key areas of learning include evaluating the effectiveness of control surfaces in flight, assessing performance and handling at high angles of attack, testing maneuverability under high wing loading, and validating control gains and filters within the flight software.

Welcome Ken Venner – Hermeus COO

Hermeus 2024-10-24 | We are very excited to Welcome Ken Venner to Hermeus as our COO! The former SpaceX, Sierra Space, & Broadcom Chief Information Officer brings decades of deep tech leadership to the rapidly growing Hermeus team.

In his role, Venner will be responsible for leading the IT, Security, Facilities, Supply Chain, and Safety organizations within Hermeus. Venner’s deep experience in leading technical teams through massive scaling will be critical as Hermeus rapidly expands its capabilities.

The Hermeus Podcast – Hermeus in LA

Hermeus 2024-10-08 | Our LA office is growing! It’s home to a lot of our hardcore engineering work as well as smaller, highly complex component and subassembly builds.

Listen in as Daniel Budenstein, Neel Dutta, Francis Moscal, and Tatum Hardy discuss what it's like to work at our LA office and how it compares to HQ back in Atlanta.

00:00 - 03:10 - Welcome to the LA Office
03:10 - 08:01 - LA office vs. Atlanta office: key differences
08:01 - 09:28 - A Day in the LA Office
09:28 - 21:40 - Hermeus vs. other aerospace companies: what sets Hermeus apart
21:40 - 34:16 - Segment: This or That?
34:16 - Hermeus frequently asked questions

Hermeus Breaks Ground on Hypersonic Engine and Flight Test Facility | Highlights

Hermeus 2024-09-12 | Our new engine and flight test facility HEAT will accelerate US hypersonic development, offering increased testing cadence for not only Hermeus, but the DoD and larger defense industrial base.

Check out this short video with highlights from our groundbreaking ceremony in Jacksonville. More info on the test site below:

Hermeus has selected Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida for its hypersonic engine test facility. Named HEAT (High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test Facility), this facility will be Hermeus’ largest and most technologically advanced test site to date and become a national asset for hypersonic testing. The site will also be the initial base for Hermeus’ high-Mach flight test capabilities starting in 2026, expanding cadence and affordability of the nation’s flight test infrastructure.

We announced our plans for the new facility at a groundbreaking ceremony at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville. Hermeus executives and employees were joined by U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL- 04), U.S. Congressman John Rutherford (FL-05), State Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-Jacksonville), Mayor Donna Deegan, Florida Department of Commerce officials, JAXUSA officials, and other community leaders.

The HEAT facility will provide continuous high flow rate, high enthalpy and low-pressure conditions required for high-supersonic and low-hypersonic flight modeling. This capability will make the facility an important asset to more effectively test and field various hypersonic technologies – not only for Hermeus but also for the Department of Defense and its commercial partners.

Hermeus will test a variety of engines and propulsion subsystems at HEAT – from the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine to Hermeus’ proprietary hypersonic Chimera engine. The facility will be built in phases with initial sea-level static engine tests starting before the end of 2024. Future phases of the facility will introduce continuous high-Mach vitiated air flow to simulate more flight-like high-Mach testing conditions on the ground.

“The United States is lacking in the capability to rapidly and economically test air-breathing hypersonic engines,” said AJ Piplica, Hermeus Co-Founder and CEO. “The few test facilities available have years-long waitlists and are prohibitively expensive. The commercially operated testing services that we will offer at our HEAT facility are more economical and responsive to dynamic test requirements and are better suited to match the ever-changing needs of the warfighter.”

Additionally, Cecil Airport will serve as the initial base for Hermeus’ commercial high-Mach flight test service. Hermeus’ autonomous Quarterhorse aircraft will depart from Cecil, ferry into the Eastern Range to conduct flight test operations, then return and land at Cecil. Services are expected to begin in 2026, quickly scaling capacity to a weekly test cadence to meet the demand signal of multiple government and commercial customers.

Hermeus expects to invest $135 million in the project and create more than 100 jobs over the course of the decade.

As a former Naval Air Station, Cecil Airport has significant test infrastructure already in place, including multiple test cells and an aircraft hush house which Hermeus will inherit and build upon. Additionally, its location in Jacksonville, FL offers a strong aerospace workforce, access to airspace for hypersonic flight test, and proximity to Hermeus’ headquarters in Atlanta, GA.

Hermeus F100 Engine Testing [4K]

Hermeus 2024-05-14 | Hermeus has begun testing our proprietary precooler technology with the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine. This video highlights some of our favorite camera angles from testing.

What's a precooler and why are we testing it? The Hermeus precooler increases the max speed of the turbine engine by lowering the temperature of incoming air. This is the first major propulsion milestone for our next aircraft, Quarterhorse Mk 2, which will utilize this engine configuration and fly at supersonic speeds.

The precooler is part of our larger turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine. Our TBCC engine, named Chimera, is a full-range, air-breathing hypersonic engine combining a turbine with a ramjet. At low speeds Chimera operates in turbine mode with the F100 engine, while at higher speeds the engine transitions to ramjet mode. The precooler helps bridge the gap between these two modes of operations by increasing the performance of the turbine.

More information can be found here: hermeus.com/press-release-precooler-f100

Special Guest: Art Turbo Tomassetti – The Hermeus Podcast 24

Hermeus 2024-04-09 | Test pilot Art "Turbo" Tomassetti was one of only a handful of pilots to fly the X-35 – which was of course, the precursor to the F-35. Famously, he flew "Mission X" which consisted of a short takeoff, level supersonic flight, and a vertical landing, which had not been accomplished before in a single flight. Turbo shares this story and more with members of the Hermeus Flight Test team.

00:00 – Introductions
02:47 – Difference between test pilots and pilots
08:17 – The allure of X-planes and first flights
14:49 – The F-35 "Hat Trick" and "Mission X" flights
22:36 – Preparation for a flight test mission
30:00 – The X-35 vs the X-32
34:37 – The challenges Hermeus is tackling
39:04 – Autonomous flight and pilots
43:58 – What is an aircraft you wished you has flown?
48:43 – Turbo, what are you up to today?

We Are Hermeus

Hermeus 2024-02-21 | Hermeus is an aerospace and defense technology company developing hypersonic aircraft quickly and cost-effectively by combining a hardware-rich, iterative approach with modern computing and autonomy. We're on a mission to operationalize hypersonic aircraft.

In addition to the company's long-term vision of hypersonic passenger travel with Halcyon, Hermeus is developing an uncrewed hypersonic aircraft (Darkhorse) to deliver unique asymmetric capabilities to the warfighter and a smaller high-speed aircraft (Quarterhorse) for commercial flight test services.

State of the Company | 2023 Year in Review and What’s Next

Hermeus 2024-01-17 | 2023 was another year of major growth and critical milestones at Hermeus.

We completed wind tunnel testing of Quarterhorse, received our first two F100 engines, signed a multi-year contract with the Defense Innovation Unit, built our first fully-integrated vehicle, and then completed its deployed test campaign in just 37 days.

Next up is flight. Quarterhorse Mk 1 is actively being built in the factory.

Meanwhile, the propulsion team is hard at work on both Chimera and Chimera II development.

Hypersonic aircraft will solve critical national security challenges and ultimately change the world forever by connecting people faster than ever before.

What we're building is massively impactful, urgently needed, and incredibly hard. That's what makes this endeavor so special.

Hermeus Completes Testing of Quarterhorse Mk 0 Vehicle

Hermeus 2024-01-04 | Hermeus has completed testing of its first fully-integrated vehicle, Quarterhorse Mk 0. This non-flying prototype acted as a ‘dynamic iron bird’ for the company by validating all major aircraft subsystems in a real-world environment.

Mk 0 is the first of four aircraft in the Quarterhorse program, which will culminate in a vehicle capable of surpassing the all-time airspeed record held by the SR-71. Each aircraft will progressively increase in complexity allowing Hermeus to distribute program risk across multiple vehicles and accelerate learning.

The impressive speed at which Quarterhorse Mk 0 came together is noteworthy. The vehicle was designed and constructed within six months, and all test objectives were completed in just 37 days of deployed testing.

Among the objectives completed were:
- Demonstrating remote command and control taxiing
- Evaluating radio frequency (RF) latency and ground handling qualities of the integrated systems
- Demonstrating proper state of vehicle and Flight Deck during lost link
- Demonstrating human factor evaluations and pilot-in-the-loop steering & controls

Testing took place at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Hermeus made the deliberate decision to perform these ground test operations on an Air Force base, allowing the team to interface directly with Air Force range and regulatory authorities.

“This was the first time our Flight Test team had an opportunity to work in a deployed test campaign with external stakeholders,” said Hermeus Vice President of Test, Don Kaderbek. “The more the team works together and establishes their battle rhythm, the smoother flight testing will go.”

The development and testing of Quarterhorse Mk 0 epitomizes Hermeus core tenets of hardware richness and rapid real world testing.

“Leveraging rapid and iterative design is how Hermeus will accelerate aircraft development on timelines that are relevant to our customers,” commented Hermeus CEO and co-founder, AJ Piplica. “Test campaigns measured in days instead of months or years, represent the pace required to mature hypersonic technology and field transformative aircraft.”

Hermeus’ first flight vehicle, Quarterhorse Mk 1, is actively being built and scheduled to fly in 2024.

Airplanes and Hot Takes – The Hermeus Podcast

Hermeus 2023-12-28 | The Hermeus Flight Test team hops on the podcast to judge, drool over, and poke fun at famous aircraft. We've got an Air Force test pilot, a Navy test pilot, and a flight test engineer from the Royal Air Force – their knowledge runs deep and their opinions are strong!

PODCAST GUESTS
AJ Piplica – Founder, CEO
Don "Krash" Kaderbek – VP of Test
Pat "Vanna" Svatek – Director of Propulsion Test
Mick "Ramjet" Mansfield – Director of Flight Test

The Flight Test team is hiring! hermeus.com/careers

Real Engineering – The Hermeus Podcast 22

Hermeus 2023-09-20 | @RealEngineering is probably our favorite channel on YouTube. They unpack some of the world's most epic engineering challenges with clarity and depth. It was a pleasure to have the channel's creator Brian McManus and his colleague Graham Haerther on the podcast to chat about the art of science communication and the future of YouTube and digital media. And yes, there just might be a forthcoming Real Engineering video about Hermeus and hypersonic flight...

The Dream Team Assembles! – The Hermeus Podcast 21

Hermeus 2023-08-21 | From Skunk Works, Blue Origin, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency – our board of advisors create a dream team of aerospace wisdom. In this episode we're joined by members of our Board of Advisors to chat about the Hermeus early days and the progress we've made.

Rob Meyerson, Rob Weiss, and Keith Masback were some of Hermeus earliest supporters. They bring together a wealth of knowledge from the aerospace world and we are privileged to have them as our advisors.

Defense Tech, Startups, and More with John Coogan – The Hermeus Podcast 20

Hermeus 2023-07-19 | Thrilled to host special guest @JohnCooganPlus on the podcast. John's working on a video about us and took an hour to hop on the pod to chat about running startups, starting a YouTube Channel, and of course, fast airplanes!

00:04 – President for a day? Bring back the SR-71
01:47 – Technical recruiting in the early days of a startup
02:50 – John's background: Soylent and Lucy
06:40 – Lessons learned from building two companies
10:18 – Defense Tech and Founders Fund
15:15 – Is there a key indicator for startup success?
17:44 – Authenticity, communications, brand, and social media
28:02 – Different types of "risks" in venture-backed startups
36:55 – Skunk Works – what made them so special?
41:54 – John's impressions of Hermeus

Uninterrupted F100 Test Footage (two angles)

Hermeus 2023-06-23 | That’s it. That’s the video.

This is one of our Pratt & Whitney F100 engines being tested at Edwards Air Force Base. The F100 is an incredible engine that powers the F-15 and F-16 and has logged over 30 million flight hours. It puts out greater than 29,000 lbs of thrust.

Why is Hermeus testing it? This engine will be integrated into our larger, hypersonic, turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system. Think of a TBCC as a hybrid between a turbine engine and a ramjet engine. The turbine is used for slower speeds (the F100 here) and then once we’re at higher speeds our proprietary ramjet kicks in.

We've demonstrated this with our Chimera engine, check it out: youtu.be/-dykzl9Kaf4

But here's what's exciting, the F100 is significantly larger and more powerful than the J85 turbojet that's in Chimera. We're calling this larger engine, you guessed it, Chimera II.

Chimera II will be used in our hypersonic unmanned aircraft Darkhorse. More info can be found here: hermeus.com/press-release-f100-arrival

Startups 🤝 DoD (Special Guest Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote) – The Hermeus Podcast 19

Hermeus 2023-06-20 | Lieutenant General Clint Hinote's 35-year career in the Air Force has taken him from inside the cockpit of an F-117 to inside the Pentagon. He has most recently been focused on how to best leverage innovative technology to fortify national security. Freshly retired, we were honored to have him join us for a chat about how startups and the Department of Defense can better work together.

00:51 – Lt. Gen. Clint “Q” Hinote introduction
09:14 – The Future Force
17:11 – What startups wanting to work with the DoD should know
27:23 – Relationship with Venture Capital, entrepreneurs, and the DoD
29:27 – How can the DoD signal to Venture Capital what they need?
38:25 – aligning timelines between the startup, the VCs, and the customer
41:27 – Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution
44:33 – The Defense Department is not a market, it’s a customer
47:37 – Building relationships and trust while working with the government
50:12 – Learning, iterating, risk-taking
54:55 – NASA getting contracting right with COTS program
01:07:18 – Balancing what we’re asking the military to do now and what we’re asking them to do in the future
01:11:07 – “Purple thinking”: branches of the military working together

Dynamic Duo – Get to Know Don Kaderbek and Pat Svatek on the Hermeus Test Team

Hermeus 2023-06-08 | Flight testers Don Kaderbek and Pat Svatek have worked together at Gulfstream, SpaceX, Relativity Space, and now we’re thrilled to have them at Hermeus.

Not only do they bring deep testing experience – their rapport creates a one-of-a-kind synergy on the test team.

Come join them → jobs.lever.co/hermeus

Hypersonic Fever! With Chris Combs and Alex Hollings - The Hermeus Podcast 18

Hermeus 2023-05-25 | Oh do we have a treat for you! We're joined by a couple hypersonic "influencers", Dr. Chris Combs of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Alex Hollings, the Editor in Chief of Sandboxx News, for a spirited, engaging, and occasionally controversial conversation about the state of hypersonics in the world today.

00:00 - Intros
03:06 - What is hypersonics? What is hype and what is reality?
08:58 - Hypersonic planes vs hypersonic weapons
13:07 - What are the most interesting problems in hypersonics?
18:50 - Airplanes are objectively cool
22:00 - Airplane development timelines
24:57 - Testing and developing complex air and spacecraft
37:43 - NASA vs SpaceX development approach
55:27 - Assessing risk and how failure breeds success
58:02 - Perceptions vs reality
01:00:15 - Scramjet, boost-glide, and ramjet hypersonic flight
01:01:42 - Highly coupled systems
01:03:43 - The hardest thing about hypersonics: people
01:10:02 - Alex Hollings on Hermeus and Defense reporting
01:14:41 - Wrap up and where to find Chris and Alex

Hermeus in the Cloud (AWS) - The Hermeus Podcast 17

Hermeus 2023-05-12 | In this episode of the podcast we bring on a couple all-stars from our Amazon Web Services team to discuss how we approach software development, high performance compute, data storage, and security. Naturally, the conversation gets into some AI and ML speculation and sci-fi movie talk.

PODCAST GUESTS:
Nandu Shah: VP of Information, Hermeus
Jay Naves: Sr. Solutions Architect, AWS
Scott Dieckhaus: Aerospace World Wide Solutions Leader, AWS
Scott McCutchen: Senior DevOps Engineer, Hermeus

Building a Career at Hermeus

Hermeus 2023-03-23 | Hypersonics is hard – but anything worth doing is.

We're building hypersonic aircraft to radically accelerate the future of aviation.

Come fly with us → hermeus.com/careers

Atoms vs Bits | SXSW Panel

Hermeus 2023-03-12 | Hypersonics, space, nuclear, carbon capture... Complex hardware is making a comeback and creating an exciting future!

Hermeus Founder and COO Skyler Shuford is joined by Darby Dunn of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Casey Handmer of Terraform Industries, and space industry expert Lauren Lyons to discuss how hardware companies will change the world by 2050.

What is Hard Tech? - The Hermeus Podcast 16

Hermeus 2023-03-07 | We call ourselves a "hard tech" company. Not only because we're so hardware focused but also because of the magnitude of the challenge we're facing in building hypersonic aircraft. In this episode we talk about what makes a company a hard tech company and why we're all drawn to jobs making hardware.

In this podcast:

Marty Berman: Director of Content & Marketing
Skyler Shuford: Founder and COO
Nandu Shah: VP of Information
Glenn Case: Founder and CTO

If you're at SXSW this year, see Skyler on stage for the Atoms vs Bits panel! He'll be chatting with Darby Dunn, Lauren Lyons, and Casey Handmer about all things "hard tech".

More information here: schedule.sxsw.com/2023/events/PP128759

All Things Additive (3D Printing) - The Hermeus Podcast 15

Hermeus 2023-02-08 | If it isn't obvious how excited we are about additive manufacturing – just listen to 10 minutes of this episode. 3D printing allows us to iterate quickly, minimize waste, and have more control over our supply chain. In this episode we talk about all these things and speculate about the promising future of additive.

PODCAST GUESTS
Glenn Case – Founder, CTO
Sam Kelly – Additive Manufacturing Engineer
Matt Karesh – Technical Business Development Manager, Velo3D
Jordan Fisher – Senior Propulsion Engineer

00:00 - Intros
01:02 - What is additive manufacturing?
07:30 - What makes VELO3d different?
12:20 - The future of additive
21:15 - The issues with 3D printing
24:52 - How additive has changed how engineers work
31:55 - Simplifying the supply chain
35:39 - Made in the USA

Quarterhorse to Flight - The Hermeus Podcast 14

Hermeus 2023-01-24 | This year at Hermeus is all about building Quarterhorse and getting to first flight! In this episode we chat about what it's going to take to build and test such a unique airplane.

State of the Company | 2022

Hermeus 2022-12-08 | As 2022 wraps up we wanted to highlight progress made in the year and the roadmap ahead.

Hermeus founders AJ Piplica, Glenn Case, Skyler Shuford, and Mike Smayda present the 'State of the Company'.

The year started strong with a $100 million series B funding round. We've grown our world class team to nearly 100 employees and massively built out our facilities to support our leading edge manufacturing capabilities.

This confluence of people and hardware has led us to some major technical milestones. We demonstrated turbojet to ramjet mode transition with our engine, Chimera, and finalized the design for our first vehicle, QUARTERHORSE. Quarterhorse will reach Mach 4+ speeds and fly in 2024.

We also now have our first peek at DARKHORSE, an uncrewed aerial system that will serve defense and intelligence customers. Darkhorse will have multi-mission flexibility, full reusability, and be capable of sustained hypersonic flight – a capacity no country in the world has.

We're developing each of these platforms with our sights set on making commercial hypersonic flight a reality with HALCYON, a passenger aircraft capable of traveling 125 transatlantic routes at Mach 5 speeds. That's New York to London in 90 minutes.

We're incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished so far, and excited about what's to come.

Live Founders AMA | Dec. 1 2022

Hermeus 2022-12-02 | Join us for live questions with our Founders Glenn Case, Mike Smayda, and Skyler Shuford.

Manufacturing - The Hermeus Podcast 13

Hermeus 2022-10-14 | This episode is for the builders. Those who manipulate metal, contort composites, and revel in riveting. Hear from the manufacturing team at Hermeus about how we get stuff built.

Podcast Guests:
Glenn Case – Founder, CTO
Christ Stavran – Lead Aerospace Technician
Ellen Londergan – Manager of Manufacturing Engineering
Tonio Martinez – VP of Production

01:25 – Manufacturing backgrounds
08:48 – The coolest thing you've ever made
14:15 – The coolest thing you're working on now
22:41 – What you're looking forward to building at Hermeus
29:39 – Is 3D printing the future of manufacturing?
39:24 – Cutting-edge manufacturing techniques
48:16 – Why we love vertical integration
55:30 – Engineers talking about Disney's Imagineers

A Sneak Peek Inside the Flight Deck

Hermeus 2022-10-12 | No one will be onboard our first aircraft Quarterhorse. Instead, pilots will fly the aircraft remotely from the Flight Deck. This video is a little teaser into what we're building.

The Flight Deck has been designed from the ground up to support off-grid stand-alone operations in austere environments.

It supports a pilot, payload operator, four operational analysts, and multiple jump-seats for observers.

The dedicated high-performance computing center, HPCC, has an isolated climate control zone to insure all flight-critical equipment is protected. This HPCC delivers a dual-redundant cloud-based computing and power architecture that meets the current DoD RPA CONOPS and leverages cutting-edge rapid prototyping and AI/ML technologies.

What we’re sharing today is merely a sneak peek. We’re continuing to refine the flight software, install the communication dishes, and add the finishing touches to the interior.

Startups and National Security - The Hermeus Podcast 12

Hermeus 2022-09-12 | Venture-backed startups have never been more important to our national security. In this defense-focused episode we dive into what it’s like working with the Department of Defense (DoD) and how to accelerate public-private partnerships in such a complicated field.

PODCAST GUESTS
Dan Kliman – Director for National Security Strategy
Sarah Mineiro – Principal, The Potomac Advocates
AJ Piplica – Founder, CEO
Zach Shore – VP, Growth

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startups-and-national-security/id1606553480?i=1000579232729
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5HAVihfaxDdUKPOa5LLkcL?si=f4c24326d45447ef

A full transcript of the episode is available on our blog: hermeus.com/blog-startups-and-national-security.

Women Engineering the Future - The Hermeus Podcast 11

Hermeus 2022-09-01 | In this episode we’re thrilled to host Ana Kraft, CEO of Xena Workwear! Ana joins three leaders at Hermeus to discuss career advice, role models, entrepreneurship, and navigating a career in a male-dominated field.

PODCAST GUESTS
Ana Kraft - CEO, Xena Workwear
Natalie Brown - Director of People
Danielle Mitrak - Head of Quarterhorse Engineering
Ellen Londergan - Manager of Manufacturing Engineering

Listen wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hermeus-podcast/id1606553480?uo=4
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0Kp55VqLkiSGTEuPg6pBpk

Meet Tonio Martinez, VP of Production at Hermeus

Hermeus 2022-08-25 | Tonio has an epic resume: Boeing Phantom Works, SpaceX, Apple, and Divergent. His unique work experience and excitement for hypersonics makes him a great new addition to our team.

Big Swing Investing - The Hermeus Podcast 10

Hermeus 2022-08-15 | It takes a hunger and a framework for risk to bet big on the revolution of air travel. In this episode of The Hermeus Podcast, we talk with Hermeus investors about growth, strategy, and resilience in the world of venture capital.

Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0Kp55VqLkiSGTEuPg6pBpk?si=1bca483e0ae04ce6
Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hermeus-podcast/id1606553480

PODCAST GUESTS
AJ Piplica – Founder, CEO
Sven Strohband – Managing Director, Khosla Ventures
Skyler Shuford - Founder, COO
Richard Boyle – General Partner, Canaan

HIGHLIGHTS

0:30 - Intros
4:45 - Personal engineering projects
7:00 - Why Hermeus?
9:35 - Commercial space; growing and measuring company culture
18:00 - How to think about risk
25:45 - How founders become good executives
31:05 - Deep tech and frontier tech
37:22 - The DoD and investing
40:40 - Challenges to investing in defense, the future of Hermeus

The Hermeus Podcast 09 – Flying the SR-71 “Blackbird”

Hermeus 2022-07-27 | The SR-71 “Blackbird” is a legendary aircraft. It remains the world’s fastest airplane – a title it has held since the 60s. In this special episode of The Hermeus Podcast we chat with two former crew members of the SR-71 and get into some rather thrilling stories.

PODCAST GUESTS

Skyler Shuford – Founder, COO
Tom Veltri – Retired USAF Lt. Col.
Robert Behler – Retired USAF Maj. Gen.
Michelle Tyrlik – Sr. Flight Test Engineer

HIGHLIGHTS

02:12 – SR-71 overview
04:31 – Why hasn't an airplane surpassed the SR-71 speed record?
06:46 – The need for the SR-71
12:32 – How is Hermeus doing things differently?
14:39 – The 5 MAJOR innovations needed to build the SR-71
20:12 – How did your career lead you to fly the SR-71?
27:32 – Was the SR-71 your favorite plane to fly?
28:50 – What do you think of Hermeus?
33:16 – Bob's most challenging SR-71 flight
34:58 – Refueling in a thunderstorm, with two afterburners lit
37:48 – Eating while flying the SR-71 (baby food and Gatorade)
39:48 – Autonomy vs pilots
47:15 – Blowing an engine near the Soviet Union, getting saved by Swedes
01:01:41 – Sonic boom diplomacy
01:07:13 – Becoming an SR-71 pilot
01:09:35 – What's the WORST thing about flying the SR-71

Get to Know the Hermeus Team – Round 1

Hermeus 2022-07-25 | Liking your work is only one aspect of job satisfaction. You've also got to like your team. So get to know a few members of the Hermeus crew in this lighthearted and occasionally profound Q&A video.

We're hiring! jobs.lever.co/hermeus

Hermeus Live Stream

Hermeus 2022-07-14 | ...

The Hermeus Podcast 08 – The Science of Flight

Hermeus 2022-06-17 | The Flight Sciences Team knows the aircraft inside and out. Aerodynamics, mass properties, performance, stability and control, loads – flight sciences analyzes it all and works with each team to make sure our aircraft performs.

PODCAST GUESTS
Skyler Shuford – Founder, COO
James Shields – Aerodynamics Engineer
Tatum Hardy – Aerospace Engineer
Wes Vinson – Head of Darkhorse Engineering

Hermeus Flight Test Team Reacts to Top Gun: Maverick

Hermeus 2022-06-09 | * SPOILER ALERT *

There's a hypersonic plane in the new Top Gun movie. You better believe we've got thoughts on that.

We also discuss filming locations in the movie which our Flight Test Consultant, Tom Fields, has flown many times himself. He's a TOPGUN grad.

What else... Our Director of Flight Test, Mick Mansfield, talks about the accuracy of the flight deck scenes out at sea as well as whether pilots really have big egos.

The Hermeus Podcast 07 – Intern Takeover

Hermeus 2022-05-05 | The interns have taken over the podcast! Listen in and hear directly from them about what an internship at Hermeus is like.

Interested in an internship?? Apply! boards.greenhouse.io/hermeus/jobs/4003051005

Avionics Milestone with HITL

Hermeus 2022-04-21 | We’ve got hardware-in-the-loop!

In this short video we discuss what HITL is and how it's an important milestone for flight. You can find out more on our blog post here: hermeus.com/blog-hitl

The Hermeus Podcast 06 – Atlanta Food & Fun

Hermeus 2022-04-15 | Atlanta is the place to be! In this special episode of the podcast we bring on the former Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantan Lauren Finney Harden and celebrated Atlanta chef Zeb Stevenson to talk about why the "City in the Forest" is so awesome.

PODCAST GUESTS
Natalie Brown – People Operations Lead, Hermeus
Lauren Finney Harden – Content Creator, former Editor-in-Chief, The Atlantan
Zeb Stevenson – Chef/Partner, Redbird
Imani Beckles – Growth Manager, Hermeus

Restaurants and venues mentioned in this podcast:

Redbird
Cooks and Soldiers
Forza Storico
West Side Provisions
Taqueria del Soul
Bartaco
Puttshack
The Interlock
The Works
Nuevo Laredo
Tuza Taco
Kimball House
Avalon
Monday Night Brewing
The Daily
Bacchanalia
Star Provisions
Ponce City Market
Two Urban Licks
Ticonderoga Club
Krog Street Market
Lucien
Chido and Padres
Le Bon Nosh
The Chastain
Chrome Yellow
Dancing Goats
Spiller Park
Holeman and Finch
Emerald City Bagels
Brooklyn Bagel
Venkman’s
Northside Tavern
The Optimist
Miller Union
The Golden Eagle (in memoriam)

Our Hypersonic Aircraft Plan in Two-Minutes – Come Join Us!

Hermeus 2022-04-04 | hermeus.com/careers
hermeus.com/careers
hermeus.com/careers
hermeus.com/careers
hermeus.com/careers
hermeus.com/careers

Founder/COO Skyler Shuford dives into our strategy for developing the world's first hypersonic passenger aircraft.

The Hermeus Podcast 05 – Hooked on Avionics

Hermeus 2022-03-23 | Fun fact: "avionics" is a combination of the words "aviation" and "electronics". Which sums up exactly what avionics is. In this episode listen to members of the avionics team nerd out about this fact and much more.

PODCAST GUESTS
Antony Samuel – Lead Avionics Engineer
Matt Bigelow – Principal GNC Engineer
Natalie Rakoski – Flight Software Engineer
Deandre Capati – Flight Software Engineer

The Hermeus Podcast 04 – $100 Million

Hermeus 2022-03-10 | We raised a $100 million Series B! In this episode we discuss the fundraising process, what we'll do with this money, and review the initial logo ideas for Halcyon.

TOPICS

2:20 – The Big News
5:14 – Raising Capital, the DoD
11:12 – Shifts & Physical Systems
14:02 – DoD Changes and Acquisition
16:11 – Newer and Higher Stakes
22:06 – How We're Spending the Cash
29:47 – Bringing Quarterhorse to life
40:07 – The Darkhorse Engine, Roadmap Update
47:24 – Story of the Halcyon
52:26 – Early Logo Review
57:45 – Scaling Up the Team
1:01:00 – Hiring Differently

The Hermeus Podcast 03 – All About That Engine

Hermeus 2022-02-24 | Time for some engine talk. Lots of aerospace jargon in this one, so either sorry, or you’re welcome!

PODCAST GUESTS

Glenn Case – Founder, CTO
Alex Miller – Sr. Propulsion Engineer
Noah Brunk – Lead Propulsion Engineer
Erik Dambach – Lead Propulsion Engineer

TOPICS

00:40 – Intros
05:44 – Chimera engine overview
07:51 – Our test site
11:43 – Developing a propulsion system
15:49 – Engine architecture
18:18 – What, where, why we’re testing
35:21 – Why do rocket engines have more thrust than turbine engines?
38:18 – Any ceramics in the engine?
40:18 – Why ramjet instead of scramjet?
42:16 – The SR-71 has variable inlet cones, does Chimera have something similar?
43:23 – What is the max thrust
44:15 – What resources or schooling do you recommend for people who want to get into propulsion?
49:56 – What has been the hardest part about developing this engine?
53:22 – Will Chimera go on all vehicles or just Quarterhorse?
55:52 – Can parts be 3D printed?
59:24 – What’s the jankiest part of the engine?
01:04:57 – How did you choose the name Chimera?
01:05:31 – What type of facility is used for testing?
01:08:08 – Is TEA-TEB needed for engine ignition?
01:10:19 – Can you use green fuels?
01:11:47 – Can you talk about the engine stages?
01:12:53 – Who is the best tube bender?

The Hermeus Podcast 02 – Who We Are

Hermeus 2022-02-01 | In this episode we dive into Hermeus culture, joining a startup at the ground floor, and why airplanes are better than rockets.

PODCAST GUESTS

Natalie Brown – People Operations Lead
Antony Samuel – Lead Avionics Engineer
Danielle Mitrak – Lead Structures Engineer
Wes Vinson – Lead Flight Sciences Engineer

The Hermeus Podcast 01 – Meet the Founders

Hermeus 2022-01-24 | It's the first episode of The Hermeus Podcast! Get to know the founders of the company and hear stories from the "early days."

PODCAST GUESTS

Skyler Shuford – Founder, COO
AJ Piplica – Founder, CEO
Glenn Case – Founder, CTO
Mike Smayda – Founder, CPO

TOPICS

00:48 – Company growth
04:16 – Hypersonic travel
12:08 – Hermeus origin story
24:51 – Mental health day
29:01 – Seed funding, investors, pattern matching, Skyler’s launch company, DoD
37:18 – “That’s the way it’s always been done”
40:37 – The pathway to commercial hypersonic travel
42:46 – Queen’s Gambit, Game of Thrones, Men in Black, drive through strip club
45:34 – Engine and aircraft design
51:04 – What’s next for the podcast

FURTHER READING

• Skyler mentioned this video where General Charles Q. Brown discusses the “Valley of Death”: youtube.com/watch?v=loZJDBKHgEo&t=360s

Hermeus 2021 | Year in Review

Hermeus 2021-12-17 | Goodbye 2021 👋 It's been fun.

We built and activated our engine test site, entered into a $60 million partnership with the Air Force, opened our new factory, acquired a bunch of J-85 turbojet engines and ran 100+ tests, got our custom engine onto the test stand, built a full-scale demonstrator of our first aircraft, and more than doubled the size of our team.

2022 is gonna be exciting.

Hermeus Hypersonic Job (Oceans 11 shot-for-shot remake)

Hermeus 2021-11-17 | Don't worry, we're not becoming actors. Just having fun with a new recruiting video.

If you can look beyond our subpar acting in this video, you’ll find some good insights into why we want to tackle the hypersonics problem.

Since the first flight of the Boeing 707 commercial airliner in October 1958, we haven’t experienced a drastic increase in travel speeds. The past several decades, dubbed “the Great Stagnation” by economist Tyler Cowen, have normalized us to traveling at 560 mph.

Luckily today we’re in the midst of a renaissance in aerospace technology — we’re returning to the moon, cars are actually flying, and faster aircraft are finally on the horizon.

This first generation of hypersonic aircraft, even if restricted to subsonic speeds over land, can be conservatively expected to lead to a 5 percent increase in global trade and an additional $4 trillion per year in global GDP.

We’re in a perfect storm of timing to make hypersonic travel a reality due to investors being validated by their bets on aerospace companies and by the government’s push to make hypersonics a priority.

Next steps for us:

- Attract top talent
- Continue to rapidly test and iterate our hardware
- Get into flight with our first aircraft Quarterhorse

Feel inspired? Well, here's our careers page: hermeus.com/careers

Oh, and here is the original Ocean's 11 scene for comparison: youtu.be/pIVEUEnIZjM

Vinod Khosla on Hermeus and Entrepreneurship

Hermeus 2021-11-15 | "It's always exciting to see how much entrepreneurs can do. They take something that's impossible, make it possible, then probable, and then really make it happen." – Vinod Khosla (our first investor)