Elodie Collins 
Hermeus has raised $350 million in Series C financing to advance its development of high-Mach unmanned aircraft for national security missions.
The defense aviation company said Tuesday that it has also reached a $1 billion post-money valuation.
What Will the Funding Support?
Hermeus will use the investment to transition its high-Mach platforms from prototyping to mission-ready status. The company has already conducted a flight test of the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1. It plans to move to a three F-16-scale aircraft and accelerate its journey toward achieving Mach 3.
Hermeus is also expanding operations with a new headquarters in El Segundo, California, while its Atlanta, Georgia, facility will focus on production.
“This new funding lets us build multiple aircraft at the same time and scale our manufacturing capabilities, adding more hardware richness and robustness to our program,” Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica stated.
“We are grateful for the support of our long-term partners who share our vision of building fast planes fast. Together, we’re bringing scalable, asymmetric capabilities to our national security customers,” he added.
The funding round was led by Khosla Ventures with participation from RTX Ventures, Founders Fund, Bling Capital, Canaan Partners, In-Q-Tel, 137 Ventures, Georgia Tech Foundation and other firms.
What Is Hermeus?
Hermeus is a venture-backed company developing high-speed aircraft for military and national security applications. The company works with the Department of War to deliver advanced aviation capabilities. It utilizes a hardware-focused development approach to shorten timelines from design to deployment to accelerate innovation and address emerging defense requirements.
In 2023, Hermeus secured a Defense Innovation Unit contract to support hypersonic testing efforts using its Quarterhorse prototype, contributing to the development of reusable, dual-use hypersonic aircraft.
