Hermeus Selects Pratt & Whitney F100 Engine as Key Component of Hypersonic Propulsion System

December 20, 2022

Hermeus has selected the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan to integrate into its larger hypersonic engine. Securing an off-the-shelf turbine engine will save Hermeus billions of dollars in research and development costs and years of schedule.

Pratt & Whitney’s F100 turbofan, which is used in the F-15 and F-16 aircraft, will act as the turbine portion of Hermeus’ turbine-based combined cycle engine named Chimera II.

“The F100 is a legendary turbine engine that will fit within our larger engine architecture extremely well,” said Hermeus CTO Glenn Case. “We chose it for its reliability, performance, and because it’s currently in production. We’re thrilled to have Pratt & Whitney as a partner on our journey to making hypersonic flight a reality.”

Chimera II will power Hermeus’ aircraft, Darkhorse, a hypersonic uncrewed aerial system designed for defense and intelligence customers. The aircraft has multi-mission flexibility and is fully reusable.

This engine contract keeps the Darkhorse program on track for engine testing in 2024.

Artist’s rendering of Darkhorse

“The F100 engine recently celebrated 50 years of service and 30 million flight hours, demonstrating its dependability and capabilities,” said Chris Johnson, VP of Fighter and Mobility Programs at Pratt & Whitney. “Pratt & Whitney’s participation with Hermeus’ Darkhorse program is a great example of creating innovative partnerships in aviation and will play a crucial role in addressing our national security challenges.”

ABOUT CHIMERA II

Chimera II is a hypersonic turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine. Put simply, a TBCC is a hybrid between a turbine engine and a ramjet. This allows for both low-speed and high-speed operation.

The benefit of this engine architecture is the ability for aircraft to takeoff from traditional airports using existing infrastructure – something that rocket-based hypersonic vehicles can’t do.

Chimera II is a more powerful version of Chimera, which is designed for use in Hermeus’ smaller aircraft, Quarterhorse.

ABOUT DARKHORSE

Darkhorse is a hypersonic UAS (uncrewed aerial system) designed for defense and intelligence customers. The aircraft has multi-mission flexibility and is fully reusable.

ABOUT HERMEUS

Hermeus is a high-speed aircraft manufacturer focused on the rapid design, build, and test of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft for the national interest. Working directly with the Department of Defense, Hermeus delivers capabilities that will ensure that our nation, and our allies, maintain an asymmetric advantage over any and all potential adversaries.

Contact us at press@hermeus.com or follow us online.

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