Overview
- Hermeus said the unmanned Mk 2.1 flew over White Sands airspace in New Mexico and was operated from a ground-based flight deck to verify systems, handling, and procedures.
- Independent reporting indicates the maiden sortie was a subsonic systems check, and the company did not release performance data such as speed.
- Roughly F-16 in size and powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100, the delta-wing Mk 2.1 is the firm’s largest and fastest test article to date.
- The aircraft uses Hermeus’ Chimera concept pairing an F100 turbojet with a ramjet to enable runway takeoffs and a planned transition to ramjet operation at higher speeds.
- Hermeus says Mk 2.1 begins a campaign to reach supersonic flight, with Mk 2.2 already in build and longer-term goals targeting Mach 5-class capability, backed by a 2021 $60 million Air Force partnership and more than $76 million in federal contracts to date.