Hermeus flies Quarterhorse Mk 1 for the first time

Hermeus/Quarterhorse

Hermeus flew its first aircraft, the uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 1, at Edwards Air Force Base, progressing from clean sheet design to first flight in just over one year. The milestone validated the propulsion, fuel, hydraulics, power management, thermal, avionics, flight software and command-control systems. Hermeus is now manufacturing Quarterhorse Mk 2, scheduled to fly later in 2026 at F-16 scale to de-risk uncrewed supersonic flight.

• Quarterhorse Mk 1 flew at Edwards Air Force Base, completing design to first flight in just over one year.
• First flight validated propulsion, fuel systems, hydraulics, power management, thermal, avionics, flight software and command/control.
• Quarterhorse Mk 2, currently in manufacture at F-16 scale, targets flight in 2026 to validate supersonic performance.
• Flight data from Mk 1 is being incorporated into next-generation aircraft development.