In this house we really like to talk about supersonic planes, a dream of the human being that had to be abandoned for decades due to high prices and some small accidents. But it seems that the intention to revive supersonic travel is an unstoppable reality.
Hermeus has accelerated the hypersonic era and has launched the next prototype of its program to create a family of aircraft capable of flying beyond Mach 5. The Quarterhorse Mk 1 is scheduled to fly later this year to test its high-speed takeoffs and landings.
The Mk 1 is the latest Mk 0 prototype from the company, which conducted its first runway tests last November. To illustrate the approach that Hermeus is taking in the creation of hypersonic aircraft, each of the four prototypes under development is primarily intended to test a main phase of flight.
A first prototype that doesn’t even reach Mach 1
The Mk 1 of this year will not be hypersonic because it is not remotely capable of such a thing. It is not surprising, because, although it can fly and has the profile of a hypersonic glider vehicle, it is powered by a lightweight GE J85 jet engine that can only generate 3,500 lb of thrust.
This means that when the unmanned Mk 1 begins its tests at the Edwards Air Force Base in California, its job will be to see how the Quarterhorse design can withstand high-speed takeoffs and landings. It will also test its subsystems, ground station, operations, and human factors.
When all of this is done, Mk 2 will be ready to test supersonic technology at speeds up to Mach 3 using the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine.
There is still a long way to go for Hermeus to become a reality that manufactures and operates supersonic planes, but the first steps have already been taken. The dream of the supersonic plane is getting closer.
