HR Business Partner

Hermeus breaks sound barrier with uncrewed Quarterhorse. Mk 2.1 goes supersonic less than three months after first flight May 26, 2026 Hermeus has pushed its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 past the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.21 during its third test flight at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The Atlanta-based company announced the milestone on Monday, describing it as the first supersonic flight by a privately developed uncrewed aircraft. Conducted over New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range airspace, the flight took place less than three months after Mk 2.1's first flight in early March and 364 days after the inaugural flight of the original Mk 1. "This flight demonstrates a pace of execution that is extremely rare in modern aviation," said AJ Piplica, co-founder and outgoing CEO of Hermeus. "Our country's ability to deliver new asymmetric military capability at scale depends on teams that can solve hard technical challenges quickly. That's exactly what we're proving with each test flight we conduct and each new aircraft we build at Hermeus." (Hermeus announced on May 11 that company president Zach Shore will succeed Piplica as CEO on June 1, with Piplica moving to executive chairman.) The delta-winged, F-16-scale Mk 2.1 flies on a modified afterburning Pratt & Whitney F100 engine. Hermeus is already building the Mk 2.2, which is intended to fly on the company's Chimera II turbine-based combined cycle propulsion system, with the Mk 2.3 "soon to follow," the company said. Hermeus is developing Quarterhorse in collaboration with the Department of Defense as a precursor to its Darkhorse hypersonic military aircraft and, ultimately, the 20-passenger Halcyon civil hypersonic jet. While supersonic flight exceeds Mach 1, hypersonic flight - Hermeus' ultimate goal - begins at Mach 5, enabling intercontinental travel in a fraction of current flight times. The milestone comes as supersonic development activity intensifies across the industry. Boom Supersonic's crewed XB-1 demonstrator broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.122 in January 2025, paving the way for the 64- to-80-passenger Overture airliner it claims could enter commercial service around 2029. Hermeus' Mach 1.21 top speed surpasses XB-1's mark. Meanwhile, NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, has completed 16 test flights and is targeting its first supersonic attempt as early as next month.

Hermeus names Zach Shore CEO ahead of Quarterhorse flight campaign. May 11, 2026 Zach Shore Defense aviation startup Hermeus is restructuring its executive leadership as the company moves into a more operationally intensive phase of aircraft development, naming company president Zach Shore as chief executive officer while founder AJ Piplica transitions to executive chairman. The leadership change takes effect June 1 and comes as the Atlanta-based company accelerates flight testing, expands defense contracting activity, and scales operations tied to its high-speed aircraft programs. Hermeus recently closed a $350 million Series C financing round, bringing total private capital raised to more than $500 million. The company has become one of the most closely watched venture-backed defense technology firms pursuing hypersonic and high-speed aviation systems for military applications. Its development strategy centers on rapid iterative prototyping, an approach modeled more closely on Silicon Valley hardware development than traditional aerospace procurement cycles. The executive transition arrives ahead of a major milestone for the company: the anticipated supersonic flight campaign for its Quarterhorse aircraft program. The aircraft is intended to validate core technologies and operational processes supporting Hermeus' broader ambitions in high-speed military aviation and future hypersonic systems. Shore, who joined Hermeus four years ago and most recently served as president, has overseen much of the company's operational scaling and customer development efforts during a period of rapid growth. According to the company, his responsibilities have included expanding defense contracting activity, organizational development, and program execution capabilities as Hermeus evolved beyond early-stage engineering work. The leadership structure reflects a common transition among venture-backed aerospace and defense startups as they move from technology development into testing, manufacturing, and government program execution. Founders often shift toward long-term strategy, fundraising, and external relationships while operational executives take on day-to-day management of increasingly complex organizations. Piplica said the transition is intended to strengthen operational execution as the company manages multiple parallel development initiatives. In his new role as executive chairman, he will remain involved in company operations while focusing more heavily on strategic planning, investor relations, partnerships, and capital formation. The move comes as defense technology startups continue drawing significant private investment amid rising Pentagon demand for advanced propulsion systems, autonomous technologies, and next-generation military aviation capabilities. Hypersonic systems, in particular, have become a strategic focus for the U.S. and allied governments as geopolitical competition intensifies around missile defense, high-speed strike systems, and rapid-response capabilities. Hermeus has differentiated itself within the aerospace sector by emphasizing faster hardware iteration and shorter development timelines than those typically associated with traditional defense contractors. The company argues that commercial-style engineering cycles can dramatically reduce the time required to develop advanced aircraft platforms. Shore said Hermeus is currently managing more simultaneous development programs than at any previous point in its history, underscoring the operational complexity of advancing both aircraft testing and organizational growth at the same time. The company works with the U.S. Department of Defense on multiple programs tied to propulsion and flight systems, though it has not publicly disclosed the full scope of its government contracts. The executive transition signals that Hermeus is entering a more mature phase of development as it prepares for increasingly visible testing milestones and deeper engagement with defense and national security customers.

Hermeus, an Atlanta-based startup building a Mach 5-plus unmanned aircraft for the US military, has raised $350 million in a Series C round, reaching a $1 billion valuation. The company is one of few venture-backed defence startups to achieve unicorn status before delivering a production vehicle. Founded in 2018 by CEO AJ Piplica and former SpaceX engineers, Hermeus is developing aircraft designed to outrun all current surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. The company's turbine-based combined-cycle engine, Chimera, transitions from jet power to ramjet mode for sustained hypersonic cruise. Hermeus is advancing two programmes: Quarterhorse, a demonstrator validating flight up to Mach 5, and Darkhorse, a larger operational platform for military missions. The company holds contracts with DARPA and the US Air Force.