Fast Planes, Fast.
Hermeus is pioneering the future of unmanned high-speed flight through a deliberate, iterative approach to high-Mach aircraft development. Rather than pursuing a single prototype, our roadmap is structured as a series of distinct aircraft, each purpose-built to solve a specific technical challenge, validate critical systems, and accelerate learning at every stage of development. This stepwise strategy enables rapid experimentation, faster design cycles, and real-world validation in increasingly demanding flight environments.
MK 0
A taxi-only vehicle built to validate core aircraft systems, avionics, fuel, and remote piloting while establishing our in-house manufacturing, integration, and test processes.
MK 1
A remotely piloted aircraft powered by a GE J85 engine. Using a delta wing configuration, Mk 1 demonstrated high-speed takeoff and landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
MK 2.1
A supersonic-capable aircraft that broke the sound barrier less than a year after Mk 1's first flight. Built with an aluminum airframe and a pitot inlet, Mk 2.1 demonstrated supersonic stability and control within just three months of flight testing.
MK 2.2
This variant pushes the aluminum airframe to its thermal limits above Mach 2. Powered by the Gryphon engine, Mk 2.2 introduces a spike inlet and validates the precooler technology required to manage engine temperatures at high-supersonic speeds.
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MK 2.3
The next variant is designed to survive the extreme thermal environment near Mach 3. It replaces aluminum with high-temperature materials to validate airframe manufacturing and thermal control systems ahead of ramjet transition.
Our Mission Plane is a multipurpose, high-Mach prototype aircraft that translates our validated technology into a mission-ready aircraft built for the American warfighter.
MK 3
The first aircraft powered by the Chimera II engine, Mk 3 will demonstrate in-flight turbine-to-ramjet mode transition to become the fastest runway-launched airplane in history.
MK 4
The world’s first hypersonic airplane powered by a Turbine-Based Combined Cycle (TBCC) engine, Mk 4 is built to demonstrate sustained ramjet-powered, high-Mach flight at high altitudes.
Darkhorse is a multi-mission reusable hypersonic uncrewed aerial system designed for defense and national security missions.
