Hermeus Breaks Sound Barrier with Uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 | Aviation International News

Hermeus Breaks Sound Barrier with Uncrewed Quarterhorse

Mk 2.1 goes supersonic less than three months after first flight

Ground crew prepare the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 on the runway at Spaceport America ahead of a test flight. — Ground crew prepare the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 on the runway at Spaceport America ahead of a test flight. © Hermeus Corporation

By Hanneke Weitering • Science & Technology Editor

May 26, 2026

Hermeus has pushed its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 past the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.21 during its third test flight at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

The Atlanta-based company announced the milestone on Monday, describing it as the first supersonic flight by a privately developed uncrewed aircraft. Conducted over New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range airspace, the flight took place less than three months after Mk 2.1’s first flight in early March and 364 days after the inaugural flight of the original Mk 1.

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Hermeus

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