Hermeus announced Tuesday that the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan has been selected to be integrated into its larger hypersonic engine, the Chimera II. This upgraded version of the Chimera engine will be used to power the Darkhorse, a hypersonic uncrewed aerial system that is designed for defense and intelligence customers.
The F100 turbofan has been used in the F-15 and F-16 aircraft and will be used as the turbine portion of the turbine-based combined cycle engine Chimera II. By securing this off-the-shelf turbine engine, Hermeus will save up to billions of dollars in development and research costs as well as put them ahead of schedule.
“The F100 is a legendary turbine engine that will fit within our larger engine architecture extremely well,” Hermeus CTO Glenn Case said. “We chose it for its reliability, performance, and because it’s currently in production. We’re thrilled to have Pratt & Whitney as a partner on our journey to making hypersonic flight a reality.”
Hermeus showed a sneak peek of the Darkhorse after its ‘State of the Company’ event earlier this month. According to Hermeus, the sleek black aircraft is a representation of the technological advancement of hypersonic flight that has been achieved. Along with the multi-mission flexibility, the aircraft is fully reusable. The Darkhorse will have a speed of Mach 5 (3,850 MPH) and turbofan/ramjet propulsion.
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Testing for the transition from turbojet to ramjet occurred in November at the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory. Flight testing for the Quarterhorse will begin in 2023 and the advancement of this aircraft will be monumental in the development of the Darkhorse.
The Chimera is used in the Quarterhorse and the upgraded Chimera II engine will be used in the Darkhorse and acts as the more powerful version of the original Chimera. The advantage of the new engine design is the ability for an aircraft to takeoff from a traditional airport without any added infrastructure that a typical rocket-based hypersonic vehicle would need.
“The F100 engine recently celebrated 50 years of service and 30 million flight hours, demonstrating its dependability and capabilities,” said Chris Johnson, VP of Fighter and Mobility Programs at Pratt & Whitney. “Pratt & Whitney’s participation with Hermeus’ Darkhorse program is a great example of creating innovative partnerships in aviation and will play a crucial role in addressing our national security challenges.”
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