High-Speed Aircraft Startup Hermeus Joins Forces With Northrop Grumman

Aviation startup Hermeus and established prime contractor Northrop Grumman say they are now working together toward the aim of delivering operational uncrewed aircraft capable of high-supersonic, if not hypersonic, flight to the U.S. military. Through a newly announced partnership, Northrop Grumman is set to integrate electronic warfare systems, sensors, autonomy packages, and other capabilities onto “next-generation” Hermeus drones.

Hermeus and Northrop Grumman announced their team-up earlier today. Hermeus, which was founded in 2018, has already flown a succession of ever-more capable uncrewed jet-powered Quarterhorse demonstrator drones. The delta-winged Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 was the first of these to break the sound barrier during a test flight in May. The company is now working on a further evolved Quarterhorse Mk 2.2, which it hopes to push beyond Mach 2.

A look at the progression in Hermeus Quarterhorse drone designs to date, starting with the non-flying Mk 0 ‘iron bird’ test rig on the far left. Hermeus

Hermeus’ stated end goal is a design capable of hypersonic flight. The company has also previously shown renderings of a planned “mission plane” prototype described as being capable of “high-Mach” flight and equipped with six underwing pylons, three under each wing, as well as one along the centerline.

A rendering of Hermeus’ planned “mission plane.” Hermeus

Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 has already demonstrated the ability to release stores at high speed. In September, Hermeus also unveiled Ramjet-X, a smaller ramjet-powered platform that can be air-launched from Quarterhorse drones, ostensibly to support high-speed flight testing activities, but that could be adapted to operational missions.

Another huge HyCAT milestone – a successful unmanned stores separation flight test with @hermeuscorp.

This was only the program's 5th flight since the Spring. Tests like this usually take years. We’re moving 4x as fast. pic.twitter.com/2PN7Me5uvN

— Department of War Innovation Unit (@DIU_x) July 30, 2026

America wins the high-speed race by putting hardware in the sky, learning fast, and flying again next week.

Today, Hermeus introduces Ramjet-X.

Air-launched directly from our Quarterhorse flight test program, Ramjet-X is a low-cost ramjet test platform engineered to break one… pic.twitter.com/3Y9vRlfzYQ

— Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) September 9, 2026

Now, as part of the new partnership, “Northrop Grumman will provide integrated mission systems design, development, integration, and sustainment for Hermeus’ next-generation aircraft — reusable, unmanned high-Mach platforms designed to deliver affordable capability on relevant timelines,” according to a press release from Hermeus. “The collaboration creates a path to equip Hermeus’ aircraft with technology across sensing, communications, navigation, and command and control, allowing the aircraft to operate more intelligently and take on more complex missions” and “give warfighters faster, more survivable options in combat.”

“As the threat environment accelerates, the Department of War needs autonomous systems developed and fielded in months, not years,” per a separate Northrop Grumman press release. “Northrop Grumman and Hermeus will meet that need by pairing Northrop Grumman’s combat‑proven mission systems and ‘ready‑now’ electronic warfare, communication, sensing and autonomy expertise with Hermeus’ high‑speed Quarterhorse aircraft.”

“We’re building a new class of aircraft that gives the warfighter improved speed, range, and flexibility while integrating into the existing Force,” Zach Shore, CEO of Hermeus, also said in a statement. “Adding Northrop Grumman’s battle-tested mission systems will push what those aircraft can do in real world scenarios and help us field operational capability faster. Northrop brings decades of experience turning aircraft into effective mission platforms and that’s exactly what we want to tap into.”

Another view of Hermeus’ Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 demonstrator. Hermeus

Beyond the mention of electronic warfare, sensing, and communications capabilities, neither company’s press release elaborates more specifically on the kind of operational missions that future Hermeus drones could be tasked with. It is also unclear which branches of the U.S. military might be looking to fly them. TWZ has reached out for more information.

That being said, development of the Quarterhorse family has been supported in part through contracts from the U.S. Air Force and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The aforementioned stores release testing was conducted under the auspices of a DIU effort called High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT).

Hermeus’ inclusion in HyCAT brought “a technical focus on turbine-based combined cycle [TBCC] propulsion and a pathway for dual-use, reusable hypersonic flight aircraft,” according to a DIU press release back in 2023. “Hermeus will emphasize demonstration of enabling technologies – aircraft sub-systems and mission integration – needed for future hypersonic aircraft.”

Hermeus ha

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