Aircraft
Pratt & Whitney Delivers F100 for Hermeus Darkhorse
The newly-delivered Pratt & Whitney F100 engine will be integrated into Hermeus's Darkhorse UAV for hypersonic flight.
Hermeus Pratt & Whitney F100 turbine in manufacturing bay
Hermeus recently took delivery of its first P&W F100 engine that will be integrated into its Chimera II turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, which will enable hypersonic flight. (Photo: Hermeus)

Hermeus took delivery of its first F100 engine from Pratt & Whitney for the development of its Darkhorse scaled hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Darkhorse is following Hermeus’s initial remotely piloted small demonstrator, Quarterhorse, which is powered by a General Electric J85 engine modified for hypersonic flight. The F100 will be integrated into Hermeus’s Chimera II turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, which will enable hypersonic flight. 

Quarterhorse, which is set to fly in 2024, and the larger Darkhorse UAV, which is to roll out later this decade, are the precursors of what eventually is to be the Halcyon civil hypersonic transport. In addition to being a stepping-stone to refine Hermus's 20-passenger Halcyon, Darkhorse has potential Department of Defense applications.

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