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Uncrewed aircraft · Air

Quarterhorse

Hermeus series of uncrewed high-speed test aircraft leading toward a hypersonic jet.

by Hermeus

PrototypeUncrewed aircraftAirMilestoneMar 2, 2026
  • Milestones3
  • Operators—
  • Components—
  • Programs—
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Hermeus Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 experimental aircraft on a runway

Photo: Hermeus · Editorial use (company media kit) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop or retouching. Credit retained for factual editorial product coverage.

Milestones20212026
  1. MilestoneEarliest documented public appearance: Quarterhorse partnership announcement, confirmed
  2. MilestoneMk 1 ground test campaign completed at Edwards, reported
  3. MilestoneQuarterhorse Mk 2.1 first flight, confirmed

Iterative series of remotely piloted demonstrators (Mk 1, Mk 2 and later) that Hermeus is using to mature high-speed and eventually hypersonic flight.

Timeline3

  1. MilestoneConfirmed

    Earliest documented public appearance: Quarterhorse partnership announcement

    Hermeus press release includes the Quarterhorse name and concept images. This is the earliest public appearance established by reviewed sources, not a claim of an original unveiling. It predates the November 2021 full-scale prototype event.

  2. MilestoneReported

    Mk 1 ground test campaign completed at Edwards

    The 21-day campaign included high-speed taxi tests with full afterburner.

  3. MilestoneConfirmed

    Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 first flight

    First flight of the F100-powered, roughly F-16-sized Mk 2.1, flown at Spaceport America over White Sands Missile Range airspace.

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.