Hermeus, an Atlanta startup, is working on a passenger plane that could connect New York to Paris in just 90 minutes. With a prototype called Quarterhorse, the American company aims to reach the speed of Mach 5, five times faster than sound. Many might consider hypersonic air travel a pipe dream, but the Pentagon has already shown its support.
After all, it would not be a simple evolution of supersonic flight, but a real paradigm shift in the aviation world.
Hypersonic aircraft, a leap into the future of aviation
Everyone dreams of getting to their destination sooner on the subject of long air travel. Hermeus he wants to enable it by breaking the sound barrier not once, but 5 times.
Earlier this month, a 40-foot-long curved aluminum skeleton awaited at Hermeus' sprawling Atlanta factory — the prototype, known as the Quarterhorse, is the first step toward a pretty daring goal.
While it will never fly, its role is critical: to test and experiment with technologies that could power the future of hypersonic aviation.
Hypersonic Planes: Will They Outclass Concorde's Dream?
20 years have passed since the last flight of Concorde, the innovative (but inadequate) supersonic jet. Since then, many startups have tried to bring supersonic travel back to life, but without success. AJ Piplica, CEO of Hermeus, acknowledges the technical challenges but stresses that the real difficulties are economic.
After all, raising billions to develop a hypersonic passenger aircraft is no mean feat.
The role of the Pentagon
But how can a startup overcome these financial challenges? The answer may lie in the Pentagon. Hermeus intends to demonstrate its technology by also developing hypersonic drones, taking advantage of Washington's urge to compete with Russia and China in the production of maneuverable hypersonic missiles.
If all goes according to plan, Hermeus could affect global defense and security, eventually targeting civilian flight. Darkhorse and Quarterhorse, drones in development, the company hopes to address and solve many of the technical unknowns of high-speed flight.
What would it be like to fly at that speed?
I start by saying that my words are those of a person who is skeptical about the possibility of seeing hypersonic air travel for civilian passengers in the short term. We talk about speeds that make our current concept of "fast" pale in comparison. I can't help but wonder: Will we need special seat belts? Or maybe a crash course in how to deal with hypersonic jet lag? Will we just start watching short films on board since we won't have time to watch long films?
Seriously, the road to building a hypersonic passenger plane is gigantic. It must also be said, however, that research continues: in terms of speed, the Hermeus mach 5s aren't even the greatest "promise". The Swiss startup destiny, in fact, is designing a hydrogen-powered aircraft designed to fly even at Mach 15: the project has already raised funds for 39 million dollars.
And you, dear readers, would you take such hypersonic aircraft?
