Anduril and Hermeus Partner to Fly Autonomy-Equipped Hypersonic Demonstrator 'Quarterhorse' in 2027
Why It MattersThe deal signals autonomy software is becoming a shared, cross-platform layer for defense aerospace programs rather than a bespoke feature tied to a single airframe or manufacturer.
Anduril Industries and Hermeus announced a deal on Sept. 3, 2026, to integrate Anduril's Lattice autonomy software onto Hermeus' Quarterhorse hypersonic demonstrator, with first flight of the Quarterhorse Mk 2 under that system targeted for 2027. Hermeus is developing the reusable aircraft to reach hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and above with Air Force funding, though Quarterhorse has not yet flown that fast; its next milestone is supersonic flight at Mach 1 or above. At hypersonic velocities the aircraft travels roughly one mile per second, making autonomous control necessary since response times exceed human capability.
Brett Darcey, Anduril's vice president for mission autonomy, said integration will proceed through the remainder of 2026 via software-in-the-loop, integration, hardware-in-the-loop, and validation testing before flight. The Autonomy Government Reference Architecture requires Quarterhorse to fly itself through all flight regimes, including the transition to supersonic speed, with human operators issuing velocity commands that the Lattice software executes.
Anduril is separately developing Lattice for the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, competing with Shield AI and Collins Aerospace, and is building the FQ-44A Fury drone as one of the CCA airframes alongside General Atomics' FQ-42A Dark Merlin. In February 2026, Anduril's developmental YFQ-44A flew with both Lattice and Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy suites aboard the same aircraft during the same flight. Darcey noted Lattice is designed to support multiple aircraft types simultaneously.
Hermeus flew the Quarterhorse Mk 1 for the first time in May 2025 and conducted a flight of the Mk 2.1 demonstration vehicle in March 2026, running from Spaceport America past White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, with operators controlling the aircraft from a ground-based flight deck. The Mk 2 aircraft is approximately the size of an F-16 fighter. In 2020, Hermeus won a $1.5 million AFWERX contract for development of a future hypersonic Presidential and Executive Airlift fleet.
