The first step has been taken for the world’s fastest airplane: Target is to beat SR-71’s record
In a bid to beat the world speed record of the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, aerospace technology company Hermeus has announced that it has completed ground tests of its first fully integrated prototype vehicle, the Quarterhorse Mark 0.
In 1976, the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft was set by a spy plane that looked more like a spaceship. Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird was a technological marvel from top to bottom when it entered service in 1964. Even today, fans of this airplane can be found all over the world.
With the Quarterhorse, Heremeus aims not only to beat the 48-year-old record of Mach 3.3 but also to surpass it. But this will require more than just rebuilding 1960s technology. First of all, the US does not allocate unlimited military resources as it did in the 1960s, and the requirements for aviation are very different from what they were then. Therefore, according to Hermeus, it will be necessary to build not one but four prototypes before trying to break the SR-71 record.
The Quarterhorse Mark 0 or Quarterhorse Mk 0 is the first one. This version is not designed to fly, but to conduct taxi tests at the US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). The aim was to test the remote control systems and taxi capability, ground handling, radio frequency latency, and the vehicle’s ability to self-manage in the event of a radio link failure, all of which have been accomplished.
Flight tests of the GE J85-based Chimera I-powered Quarterhorse (right) and ground tests of the larger P&W F100-129 (left) for the follow-on Darkhorse are scheduled for this year.
The next three prototypes will focus on improving the remote take-off and landing system, breaking the sound barrier, and finally breaking Mach 3.3. The company says working on four separate airframes spreads the risk of failure, allows engineers to focus on a single goal, and accelerates overall development. The next prototype, the Mark 1, is scheduled for production later this year.
Atalanta-based Hermeus, which is funded by the US Air Force, wants to use the revolutionary Chimera hybrid engine it has been testing on these aircraft. As you can understand from the above sentences, this engine will be the heart of the unmanned Quarterhorse aircraft. Hermeus aims to combine a traditional turbojet engine with a hypersonic ramjet engine in its Chimera hybrid engine. With this engine, the company says it will reach Mach 4. For much more details, you can visit our news titled “The world’s fastest airplane is coming”.
