Hypersonic aircraft

DIU Partners With Hermeus to Advance Hypersonic Technology

The Defense Innovation Unit and hypersonic technology firm Hermeus are working to build key technologies a hypersonic aircraft needs.

In a statement, the company declined to disclose the length of the collaboration but shared it received a $23 million contract for the first year of work.

Hermeus will be working in the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program, an initiative to increase the Department of Defense’s hypersonic flight-testing capability using commercial technology. It is expected to produce mission systems, power generation, thermal management and propulsion systems, C4ISRNET reported.

The organizations will use Hermeus’ Quarterhorse commercial prototype aircraft to demonstrate high-speed capabilities. Quarterhorse is one of the company’s solutions funded by a Series B financing round, participated by RTX Ventures, that raised $100 million and a $60 million AFWERX Strategic Funding Increase award from the U.S. Air Force.

Development of hypersonic weapons and technologies in the United States has been lagging behind key competitors, according to a panel of experts. At ExecutiveBiz’s 2023 Hypersonics Forum, the group called for increased testing to make it easier to identify issues and advance the technology.