Hermeus Adds USAF Acquisition Reformer Dr. Will Roper to Board
August 19, 2021
Dr. Will Roper, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, has joined the Hermeus Board of Directors.
Dr. Roper is known for accelerating acquisition timelines and fostering disruptive innovation inside of the government.
During his time with the Air Force, Dr. Roper led all research, development, procurement, and logistics for both the Air Force and Space Force with an annual budget totaling $60 billion.
“While in government service, I was passionate about creating new opportunities for commercial tech companies to work with our military,” said Dr. Roper. “New entrants with bold ideas for solving both military and commercial problems are desperately needed to give our troops - and nation - its technological edge.”
Hermeus is building the world’s fastest aircraft that will travel at Mach 5 speeds or more than 3,000 mph.
These aircraft will serve both commercial and defense markets.
“Hermeus embodies just how wide-ranging the possibilities are, building hypersonics drones for the Air Force on the path to hypersonic passenger transportation,” said Dr. Roper. “Joining their board gives me a wonderful opportunity to continue my passion and usher in a new generation of high-speed aircraft."
"I'm so excited to add Dr. Roper's guidance and leadership to our company's Board,” said AJ Piplica, Founder and CEO at Hermeus. “As I've gotten to know him over the past few years, it's clear that he sees the world differently than most and this type of creative thinking is a key piece to bringing sustainable change to the way we move around the world."
"Dr. Roper has a deep understanding of government acquisitions and is a thought leader in how America can leverage innovation to lead the world,” said Michael Smayda, Founder and Chief Product Officer at Hermeus. “We are excited to have him on our team as we continue developing hypersonic aircraft for national security missions and commercial passenger travel."
ABOUT HERMEUS
Hermeus is a venture-backed startup with the long-term vision of transforming the global human transportation network with Mach 5 aircraft. At Mach 5, travel is not just supersonic, it's hypersonic. At these speeds – over 3,000 miles per hour – flight times from New York to London will be 90 minutes rather than seven hours. Mach 5 aircraft have the potential to create an additional four trillion dollars of global economic growth per year, unlocking significant resources that can be utilized to solve the world’s greatest problems.
Contact: info@hermeus.com