An aerospace startup just won a contract to develop an Air Force One jet that can travel at Mach 5

                               

Hermeus plans to build a demonstrator vehicle over the next five years, with commercial aircraft envisioned in about a decade, co-founder and COO Skyler Shuford said in 2019.

• An aerospace startup called Hermeus just won a US Air Force contract to develop a presidential jet that can travel at Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
• The hypersonic Air Force One, which could be able to fly from New York to Paris in 90 minutes, is at least 10 years away from reality.
• The government is set to take delivery of new Boeing 747-8 jets to replace the presidential fleet next year.
• Hermeus successfully tested a prototype of its engine in March, paving the way for developing a test aircraft.

The Air Force One of the future might be getting a major speed boost.

An aerospace company called Hermeus on Thursday announced a contract with the US Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate to develop a hypersonic aircraft for the presidential fleet.

While the next Air Force One, a modified 747-8, is due to be delivered by Boeing next year, the Hermeus contract looks toward its eventual replacement.