Hermeus Achieves Repeatable Turbojet to Ramjet Transitions at Notre Dame Laboratory
November 19th, 2022This is a possible example of how advanced technology is moved out of the black world to civilian/commercial applications.
Hermeus board members include:
Rob Weiss – Former EVP/GM Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
Keith Masback – Former CEO, US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; Director, Source Operations, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency; Director, ISR Integration, US Army
As an informal guess, I’d say that this technology is at least twenty years old in the black world, but probably much older, and nowhere near state of the art.
We just completed a major hypersonic milestone – turbojet to ramjet mode transition! pic.twitter.com/1jF7qAZavy
— Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) November 17, 2022
Via: DefenseOne:
Hermeus completed what it said was a major test of a new-design engine, bringing the startup one step closer to building reusable hypersonic aircraft.
During a series of tests at the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory in Indiana, the company’s engine, called Chimera, switched between turbojet and ramjet power. It’s believed to be the first time a commercial company has accomplished this transition.
“One of the most important milestones to making operational hypersonic flight a reality is this test campaign,” Glenn Case, Hermeus’ chief technical officer, said in an interview. “It is a huge milestone to de-risk our next steps here, and it’s really a proof point that small teams can do special things, such as rapidly design, build, and test hardware, with significantly lower budgets than our industry peers.”
Hermeus did the testing over a three-month period and completed the conversion from turbojet to ramjet several times, according to company officials. The trials concluded earlier this week.
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I agree with your assesment that this technology is at least 20 years old. See for example the paper “MHD hypersonic flow control for aerospace applications” section XIII… What is theorized there is already way more advanced that what Hermeus is showing. Of course, the best part is section VII!