Watch moment hypersonic jet ‘Quarterhorse’ makes first flight in big step towards trips from London to NYC in 90 mins
THIS is the incredible moment hypersonic jet “Quarterhorse” makes its first flight in a big step towards trips from London to New York taking just 90 minutes.
The amazing uncrewed Quarterhorse MK 1 took flight over Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The MK 1 is roughly the size of an F-16 military Fighting Falcon and powered by a General Electric J85 engine.
With its low aspect ratio wings, high wing loading, low thrust-to-weight ratio, the jet was captured nailing its maiden flight with smooth takeoff and landing.
Unbelievable footage shows the tin can-like structure being driven onto the gargantuan runway – ready for the test takeoff.
It’s soon shown darting down the runway by itself at incredible speed.
The MK 1 has a very pointy nose which begins to lift into the air as the aircraft takes flight.
It then has a very smooth landing back onto the site.
Hermeus’ CEO and co-founder AJ Piplica said: “MK 1 has redefined the pace of developing and flying new aircraft.
“I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. We’ve proven the viability of our iterative development approach. But this is just the start.”
Hermeus was built in just 204 days, with the Quarterhorse MK 2 already in the works for a late 2025 flight.
Hermeus’ president and co-founder Skyler Shuford said: “The real-world flight data from MK 1 provides significant technical value that we’re rolling into our next aircraft.”
At Edwards Air Force Bases, the MK 1’s propulsion, fuel system, hydraulics, and bespoke Flight Deck remote piloting setup were made to be perfect, with aspirations for future journeys with passengers.
General Scott Cain, Air Force Test Center commander, said: “Industry partnerships continue to have an important role in the development and test of disruptive and innovative capabilities for our warfighters.”
The MK 1 looks make vast improvements to the MK 2 which will be five times faster than the speed of sound – expected to reach Mach 2.5, or 1918mph.
Such speed would see the aircraft fly from London to New York City in less than two hours.
Hermeus has selected Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida as its new engine test facility, taking it one step closer to launching hypersonic commercial flights.
The High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test Facility broke ground last month and is set to be the largest and most advanced Hermeus test site.
It is hoped that once production on The Quarterhorse has started, the jet will be “used as a platform for commercial testing and development efforts,” Hermeus said.
The HEAT facility will support flight modelling by continually providing the conditions needed for hyper-supersonic and low-hypersonic flight.
A series of engines and propulsion systems will undergo tests in Jacksonville including the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine and Hermeus’ proprietary hypersonic Chimera engine.
It will be a key hub for hypersonic technology for both the Department of Defense and commercial parties.
The Jacksonville facility is also set to serve as the base for the company’s commercial high-Mach flight test services starting in 2026.