Hypersonic

Japan's JAXA and collaborating universities validated a Mach-5 ramjet in a wind tunnel and are planning a sounding-rocket flight, with a long-term goal of commercial hypersonic flights (Tokyo–Los Angeles) in the 2040s that could cut travel time to about 2 hours.

Private wealth is increasingly investing directly in AI startups, bypassing VC intermediaries, with notable rounds like Positron and Hermeus, signaling higher risk concentration and a shift in funding dynamics.

Hermeus raises $350M to build unmanned hypersonic fighters, coming off two flight demonstrations and aiming to go supersonic in the next test.