Hermeus raises $350M
Hypersonic startup Hermeus announced a $350 million funding round aimed at developing unmanned hypersonic aircraft. The raise was presented as a push toward autonomous, ultra‑fast platforms rather than piloted vehicles (x.com).
Hermeus said on April 7 that it closed a $350 million Series C to build unmanned aircraft that fly at hypersonic speeds, or above Mach 5. (hermeus.com) The round values Hermeus at $1 billion post-money and includes $200 million in equity plus $150 million in debt. Khosla Ventures led the financing, with Founders Fund, Canaan Partners, RTX Ventures and In-Q-Tel among the returning backers. (hermeus.com) Hermeus said the money will move it from prototype testing toward mission-ready aircraft for national security customers. Chief executive A.J. Piplica told TechCrunch the debt piece helped the company raise more capital while giving up less ownership. (hermeus.com) (techcrunch.com) Hypersonic means faster than five times the speed of sound. Hermeus is not selling a piloted jet in this round of fundraising; it is pitching reusable uncrewed aircraft that can cover long distances very quickly for military missions. (congress.gov) (hermeus.com) That focus lines up with a wider defense-tech funding surge. PitchBook data cited by Defense News showed venture deal value in defense technology reached a record $49.1 billion in 2025, up from $27.2 billion in 2024. (defensenews.com) It also lands in the middle of a Pentagon push on hypersonics driven by Chinese and Russian advances. A Congressional Research Service report says Russia and China have likely fielded operational hypersonic glide vehicles, while the Defense Department requested $3.9 billion for hypersonic research in fiscal 2026. (congress.gov) Hermeus has been trying to prove the aircraft first. Its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 demonstrator, a remotely piloted aircraft about the size of an F-16, made its maiden flight at Spaceport America in February 2026 and is being used for a campaign aimed at supersonic flight before later hypersonic tests. (hermeus.com) (spaceportamerica.com) The company’s longer-range program is Darkhorse, which Hermeus describes as a reusable uncrewed aerial system for defense missions. Hermeus says Darkhorse will use a turbine-based combined-cycle engine, which starts like a jet engine and then transitions to a ramjet-style mode at higher speed. (hermeus.com) Hermeus is also shifting its footprint to match the new phase. The company said it is opening a headquarters in El Segundo, California, while its Atlanta site shifts toward production work. (hermeus.com) (latimes.com) The next test is simpler than the pitch deck: get Quarterhorse past the sound barrier, then use the new cash to turn fast demonstrations into aircraft the Pentagon can actually buy. (techcrunch.com)
