American Startup's Ambitious Vision: Slashing Travel Time From New York To Paris To Just 90 Minutes

Imagine the prospect of travelling from New York to Paris in just 90 minutes, a remarkable improvement compared to the current seven-and-a-half-hour commercial flight. This incredible leap in air travel could become a reality if an American startup fulfils its ambitious promises at its manufacturing facility in Atlanta. Hermeus, an American startup, has set a daring goal: to create an aircraft capable of carrying 20 passengers at hypersonic speeds, reaching five times the speed of sound, or a staggering 3,850 miles per hour.

American Startup Hermeus To Cut New York-To-Paris Travel Time

Founded in 2018, Hermeus, an innovative aerospace (aerospace engineering) technology company, envisions a revolutionary advancement in air travel by developing a jet that is five times the speed of sound. With this breakthrough technology, a business class traveller departing from New York's JFK International Airport could arrive at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport in a mere 90 minutes or less, an astonishing reduction compared to the conventional seven and a half hours of travel time.

Hermeus' First Flight Planned For 2024

According to CEO Piplica, the initial flight is scheduled for 2024, with anticipated total development costs staying below USD 100 million. Starting in 2026, Hermeus plans to deploy its drone, Darkhorse, for extended-range surveillance and military operations, alongside its role as a test platform. Following the completion of all testing, Piplica envisions having a fleet of hypersonic drones engaged in Defence Department missions.

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AJ Piplica, who is 35 years old, acknowledges that Hermeus is tackling extremely complex technical hurdles in the construction of an airline (airline cheap tickets) capable of extended flight durations amidst the intense heat and unique aerodynamic conditions encountered at higher speeds beyond the sound barrier.

Hypersonic dreaming… Artist’s concept of Halcyon - our hypersonic passenger aircraft that will take you from New York to Paris in 90 minutes. pic.twitter.com/vAhDOmTv0d

— Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) April 21, 2023

Following this phase, Piplica asserts that Hermeus will have established a robust financial foundation that allows for transitioning to Halcyon without the need for an excessive amount of private capital. According to a report by Forbes, with this strategic plan in mind, Hermeus successfully secured USD 119 million in funding, concluding a round in March 2022 with a valuation of USD 400 million. The company's ambitious objectives even earned it a place on Forbes' list of the top 25 venture-backed companies poised for potential billion-dollar valuations this year.

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About Hermeus

Hermeus Corporation, an Atlanta-based American startup, specialises in advancing commercial hypersonic aircraft technology. CEO Piplica, along with his co-founders, including CTO Glenn Case, COO Skyler Shuford, and Chief Product Officer Mike Smayda, brings extensive experience from the aerospace sector. Their collaboration traces back to their tenure at Generation Orbit, a company dedicated to creating an air-launched liquid rocket for hypersonic flight experiments. Their strategy revolves around emulating the practices of space startups, aiming to develop a series of aircraft that systematically address the challenges of hypersonic flight while keeping costs in check.

Credits: Twitter