FlightGlobal
• Ryan Finnerty
The FAA has approved Hermeus to conduct supersonic flights with its Quarterhorse Mk 2.2 aircraft. The hypersonic startup has already broken the sound barrier with its Mk 2.1 jet, marking another regulatory milestone for its aircraft development program.
Hypersonic
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The FAA has approved Hermeus to conduct supersonic flights with its Quarterhorse Mk 2.2 aircraft. The hypersonic startup has already broken the sound barrier with its Mk 2.1 jet, marking another regulatory milestone for its aircraft development program.
Stratolaunch, the Cerberus-backed hypersonics company, is preparing for a U.S. initial public offering that could raise as much as $500 million as soon as October, according to people familiar with the matter. The potential listing would bring a specialized defense technology business to public markets.
The U.S. Army has selected Boeing and Anduril to advance to the next phase of its competition for a midrange interceptor under the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 program. Separately, Anduril is providing autonomy software for a hypersonic aircraft startup targeting a 2027 flight test.
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Hermeus has introduced Ramjet-X, an expendable ramjet-powered vehicle designed to provide sustained high-Mach flight testing as a service. The vehicle will be released at Mach 3 from the company’s reusable Quarterhorse unmanned supersonic aircraft and cruise near Mach 4, eliminating the need for a rocket booster.
India’s Defence Acquisition Council has approved proposals worth ₹1.1 lakh crore, taking approvals this year to ₹1.6 lakh crore and those since 2025 to ₹13 lakh crore. The package includes long-range hypersonic weapons, Sukhoi-30 upgrades, mine-laying systems, indigenous warship engines and continued AMCA development.
GE Aerospace will develop the Mach 5 Derecho hypersonic test vehicle under a new Pentagon Hypersonic and High-Cadence Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) contract, adding an established aerospace supplier to the U.S. military’s effort to advance hypersonic test platforms.
GE Aerospace secured a Defense Innovation Unit award to advance a hypersonic test bed under the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program. The company is also increasing F110 and F404/414 engine output, continuing XA102 development for the U.S. Air Force and supplying marine turbines for South Korea’s KDDX destroyers.
Ukraine’s intelligence service says it has mapped the production chain for Russia’s Zircon hypersonic missile and identified U.S.-origin electronics inside the weapon. The findings challenge Moscow’s claims about Zircon’s capabilities while highlighting the technology and supply-chain dependencies underpinning Russia’s strategic weapons production.
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