Overview
- Auriga disclosed Aug. 25 that Hermes completed more than a dozen repeatable launches in the Mojave Desert with projectiles reaching speeds above Mach 1.
- The launcher uses electromagnetic acceleration rather than rocket motors, which propels small interceptors with stored electrical energy instead of chemical propellant.
- Hermes was operated from a 10-foot shipping container on a truck using onboard batteries recharged by solar panels, and Auriga reported the setup can support hundreds of launches per charge.
- The company is positioning Hermes for military counter-UAS use under existing contracts with Air Force, Space Force and Missile Defense Agency partners and a cooperative agreement with Army DEVCOM-AC.
- Auriga plans a follow-on field trial in fall 2026 to ruggedize the system for harsher conditions and to improve aiming accuracy and reload speed, a step that could make reusable, lower-cost interceptors more practical for front-line units.