Pratt & Whitney extended a Production License Agreement authorizing Hermeus to manufacture F100-PW-229 engines, an afterburning low-bypass turbofan fighter jet engine that powers the U.S. Air Force F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft. The PLA defines Hermeus’ production volumes and deployment schedule according to demand, and capital investments according to need.

"With more than 32 million flight hours, the F100 has earned its place as one of the world's most trusted fighter engines," stated Jessica Villardi, Pratt & Whitney vice president of Fighter & Mobility Programs. "By partnering with Hermeus, we are expanding U.S. production capacity to meet growing customer demand while delivering the proven dependability that defines the F100 engine."

Hermeus is an eight-year-old aerospace and defense technology developer, focused on producing hypersonic aircraft. Its Quarterhorse unmanned supersonic aircraft is powered by the F100 too.

The Quarterhorse program involves a series of uncrewed, high-speed test aircraft designed to mature the technology quickly, toward future supersonic and hypersonic flight. The test aircraft is comparable in size with an F-16 fighter jet, and it is Hermeus' to mature Quarterhorse into unmanned hypersonic drones (called “Darkhorse”) and commercial passenger jets (called “Halcyon.”)

The Hermeus manufacturing center in Atlanta will produce the F100 engines under the PLA, and these will be subjected to acceptance, thermal, and performance testing at the company’s High Enthalpy Air-breathing Test (HEAT) center in Jacksonville, Fla.