Raytheon invests in hypersonic aircraft company Hermeus

Raytheon Technologies has announced a strategic investment in Hermeus, a company that develops hypersonic aircraft for defense and commercial applications, through its newly established institutional venture capital group RTX Ventures.

Joining Hermeus’ previously announced $100 million Series B funding round, RTX Ventures’ investment in the company will directly support the construction of its first aircraft, the Quarterhorse, It will accelerate the development of its next aircraft, the Darkhorse.

RTX Ventures makes strategic investments in early stage companies, accelerating the development of transformative aerospace technologies. In addition to the investments, RTX Ventures is leveraging the strengths of the broader Raytheon Technologies organization to support the successful growth of its portfolio of companies.

“Hypersonic technologies are critically important to national security, which is why we made our first investment in a company with such a bold plan and vision in the field,” said Daniel Attia, CEO of RTX Ventures. Hermeus’ technical approach and business plan balance short-term defense applications with long-term business ambitions and They will help our customers reimagine the possibilities of hypersonic technologies. “

“Hypersonic aircraft will radically accelerate air travel and enable the United States to meet critical national security challenges,” said AJ Piplica, CEO of Hermeus. “Speed ​​is our life force at Hermeus and I have been impressed by the ability of the RTX Ventures team to embody this virtue. We look forward to expanding the collaboration and continuing to accelerate our vision for a faster future.”

RTX Ventures focuses on Support companies developing technologies strategically aligned with the Raytheon Technologies portfolio, Focusing on four broad priority areas: secure and connected ecosystems, autonomy and artificial intelligence technologies, power and propulsion systems, and precision sensing and effects.