Quarterhorse hypersonic aircraft to begin testing in 2023

Raytheon has shared the latest news about the concept, first shown at the end of 2021. Representatives of an aerospace startup from Georgia said that if all the ideas are implemented, the Quarterhorse will become the fastest aircraft on the planet.

What is known

Raytheon management announced the creation of a corporate venture capital group called RTX Ventures. The main part of the investments allocated for the project is used for the development and implementation of hypersonic technologies. This direction is the most promising in the aviation industry today, according to the research group.



The US Air Force was interested in the project, in 2021 a contract was signed with the agency, and $60 million was allocated for development. Another 100 came from several interested companies. This allowed us to speed up work on the concept. Despite the fact that today research is focused on the defense sector, all developments can be used for commercial purposes.



According to AJ Piplik, CEO of Raytheon, the novelty embodies all the achievements in the field of hypersonic aircraft.

Technical specifications

A full-size Quarterhorse sample was assembled six months ago. But the prototype lacks a number of working systems necessary for full tests under standard loads. The main feature of the aircraft is the speed of 6 km/h, which is 100 times faster than today's airliners. The aircraft will be able to cross the Atlantic in 7 minutes.

The main feature of the novelty is the TBCC (Turbine Combined Cycle) engine. This is Raytheon's own development of engineers, all the characteristics of which are kept in strict confidence. The power reserve exceeds 7 kilometers.



The aircraft is initially designed as autonomous, with the function of remote piloting and remote control of all processes. To date, the take-off and landing stages have not been fully worked out, as they differ from the standard options. According to the developers, a number of solutions are being tested to choose the safest and easiest to implement. Within six months, all studies will be completed and the main stage of testing will begin. At the same time, they will submit documents for issuing certificates in the European Union and North America. In addition, the development of the second model, called Darkhorse, has begun.