How Hermeus is Building the Fastest Aircraft in the World for the American Warfighter

Hermeus, building the world’s fastest aircraft, led by AJ Piplica and the team, has raised a $350M Series C financing led by Khosla Ventures and more than a dozen other investors.

Aviation has increasingly prioritised risk avoidance, often at the cost of speed and iteration. In contrast, Hermeus focuses on accelerating learning through rapid development and testing.

Within three years, multiple vehicles have been built across key locations, with two jets flown just nine months apart. This approach embraces uncertainty, scaling ambition through larger aircraft and more powerful engines, driven by a team oriented around fast iteration.

The objective remains consistent: maximise speed of learning to develop the world’s fastest unmanned aircraft and sustain a repeatable advantage.

A $350M Series C round, led by Khosla Ventures, marks a major step in advancing high-speed aircraft development for defence applications.

The capital will scale the aircraft fleet and accelerate the Quarterhorse program, including a second supersonic model and a first Mach 3 aircraft. Expansion of prototyping capabilities in Los Angeles, alongside production readiness in Atlanta, supports a rapid, iterative development approach.

This strategy focuses on delivering scalable, high-speed capabilities for military use, reflecting a broader return to risk-tolerant, fast-paced innovation in aviation.