United Airlines Ventures Backs Astro Mechanica’s Supersonic Engine Design
CHICAGO—United Airlines Ventures (UAV), the venture capital arm of United Airlines, has invested in Astro Mechanica, an aerospace startup developing advanced propulsion and airframe technologies aimed at making supersonic flight economically viable.
Astro Mechanica’s Duality™ engine uses a hybrid-electric design that adapts across flight profiles—functioning as a turbofan at low speeds, a turbojet at near-supersonic speeds, and a ramjet at Mach 3+. This flexibility addresses the biggest challenge of supersonic travel: fuel efficiency. The company’s design could enable transpacific supersonic flights, with early applications in defense, cargo, and orbital launch.
Founded to invest in breakthrough aviation technologies, UAV highlighted Astro Mechanica’s potential to reshape both military and commercial aviation. “Astro Mechanica is developing an adaptive engine concept for strategic military and commercial applications, addressing the challenging yet worthwhile pursuit of supersonic flight,” said Mukul Hariharan, Managing Partner at UAV.
Astro Mechanica CEO Ian Brooke said the partnership validates their high-speed propulsion technology and marks a step toward building the first prototype aircraft.
About Astro Mechanica
Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company building a faster, more connected future. Its mission is to democratize high-speed flight by making supersonic travel flexible, accessible, and sustainable. The company believes that rapid, on-demand, point-to-point global mobility will become the new standard for moving people and goods across the planet. To achieve this, Astro Mechanica is integrating its advanced airframe and engine technologies—which include Duality™, its proprietary dual-use propulsion system—with a new flight operations model to make supersonic transport as efficient and economical as commercial air travel is today. In the near term, the company is developing adaptable, high-speed systems to close aircraft performance gaps for the United States government. Learn more at www.astromecha.co.
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