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The Airbus Racer helicopter reaches major achievement by exceeding its level speed objective of 400 kph (reaching 418 kph) less than two months after its first flight. Airbus said in an official statement: “In just seven flights and about nine hours of flight testing, almost all of the flight envelope has been opened.”
“On top of its performance, the aircraft’s aerodynamic behavior and stability are promising. We are all looking forward to the next phase of flight testing, especially the eco-mode which will enable us to shut down one engine in forward flight, thus reducing fuel consumption, and lowering the CO2 emissions,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
According to Interesting Engineering, the Racer demonstrator is optimized for a cruise speed of over 400 kph and aims for the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance. It has a reduced fuel consumption of around 20% compared to current-generation helicopters in the same category due to its aerodynamic optimization and innovative eco-mode propulsion system. Its hybrid-electrical eco-mode system also allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused while on cruise flight to reduce CO2 emissions.
Experts claim the Racer combines unique aircraft designs to achieve high performance and efficiency, which include special fuselage aerodynamics that contribute to higher speed and fuel efficiency. It also features a helicopter rotor that generates vertical lift and allows it to take off and land like a helicopter. Additionally, fixed-wing aircraft help generate a total lift of 40% during forward flight, which has the potential to be more comfortable than a traditional helicopter.
The Racer can potentially take off smoothly like a helicopter without a long runway and fly at high speeds like an airplane and seems to be ushering in a new era of high-speed helicopter technology.
