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Hypersonic jet ‘The Quarterhorse’ that could fly from London to NYC in under 2hrs moves step closer with $135m test site
Watch the video above to discover how testing has escalated from The Quarterhorse MK0
A TEST site has been chosen for a new aircraft called The Quarterhorse MKII which is set to travel faster than the speed of sound.
Hermeus, a hypersonic aircraft company based in Georgia, in the United States, has huge hopes for the Quarterhorse MKII.
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It will be five times faster than the speed of sound with the aircraft expected to reach Mach 2.5, or 1918mph.
Such speed would see the aircraft fly from London to New York City in less than two hours.
Hermeus has selected Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida as its new engine test facility, taking it one step closer to launching hypersonic commercial flights.
The High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test Facility broke ground last month and is set to be the largest and most advanced Hermeus test site.
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It will be constructed in stages with the first sea-level static engine test set to begin this year, according to .
It is hoped that once production on The Quarterhorse has started, the jet will be "used as a platform for commercial testing and development efforts," Hermeus .
The HEAT facility will support flight modelling by continually providing the conditions needed for hyper-supersonic and low-hypersonic flight.
A series of engines and propulsion systems will undergo tests in Jacksonville including the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine and Hermeus' proprietary hypersonic Chimera engine.
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It will be a key hub for hypersonic technology for both the Department of Defense and commercial parties.
The Jacksonville facility is also set to serve as the base for the company's commercial high-Mach flight test services starting in 2026.
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The aircraft will depart from Cecil and ferry into the Eastern Range to conduct flight test operations, before returning to Cecil.
This service is hoped to be quickly brought up to the weekly test cadence set to meet the demand signal of numerous official and commercial customers.
Hermeus' plan following the success of The Quarterhorse MKII is to make history with the MKIII.
The goal is that this aircraft will become the "world's fastest aircraft" after successfully breaking the all-time airspeed record.
While the hypersonic jet company has its eyes set on commercially using its jets, it will also work with other government organisations to work on uncrewed, highspeed military defence aircraft.
"Hypersonic aircraft represents a major step change in defence technology, offering unprecedented speed, altitude, and manoeuvrability," Hermeus states.
"The United States is lacking in the capability to rapidly and economically test air-breathing hypersonic engines," AJ Piplica, Hermeus co-founder and CEO said.
"The few test facilities available have years-long waitlists and are prohibitively expensive.
"The commercially operated testing services that we will offer at our HEAT facility are more economical and responsive to dynamic test requirements and are better suited to match the ever-changing needs of the warfighter."
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Hermeus is set to invest $135 million into the project and is expected to create over 100 jobs.
Meanwhile, a British aviation company has launched talks regarding the hypersonic 'Son of Concorde' which would travel from London to the US in just 60 minutes.
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