Hermeus, an aerospace company developing a Mach 5 aircraft, announced its partnership with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to deliver hypersonic travel for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
On August 6, 2020, Hermeus signed a contract under AFWERX, a U.S. Air Force innovation program, to develop its Hermeus Mach 5 aircraft to “support the Presidential and Executive Airlift fleet.” The company will work together with the USAF to deliver hypersonic travel for the DOD.
The focal point of Hermeus’ mission is assessing modifications to their Mach 5 aircraft that would allow it to support the Presidential and Executive Airlift fleet. The hypersonic jet is said to be capable of flying at speeds over 3000 miles per hour, making the journey from New York to London a mere 90-minute jaunt. If implemented on a global scale, Hermeus estimated that hypersonic travel at Mach 5 speeds could create an additional $2 trillion in global economic growth per year.
Preceding its contract with the Air Force, the company has designed, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in 9 months. The due date for the aircraft is unannounced as the project is still in its early stages. Hermeus is reportedly working on preparing “test plans to reduce the technical risk associated with these modifications to support USAF requirements.”