Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator, developed as part of the European Clean Sky 2 project, has performed its inaugural flight; launching the aircraft’s two-year flight test campaign.
“This first flight is a proud moment for Airbus Helicopters and for our 40 partners in 13 countries,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “I look forward to watching this demonstrator pioneer high speed capabilities and develop the eco-mode system that will contribute to reducing fuel consumption.”
The Racer is optimised for a cruise speed of more than 400km/hr, aiming to achieve the best compromise between speed, cost-efficiency and mission performance. Its hybrid-electric eco-mode system (developed with Safran Helicopter Engines) also allows one of the helicopter’s two Aneto-1X engines to be paused whilst in the cruise, further cutting CO2 emissions.
The Racer builds upon the aerodynamic configuration validated by the Airbus Helicopers X3 technology demonstrator, aiming to take this formula ‘closer to an operational configuration and to offer increased capabilities for certain missions for which high speed can be a real advantage’.
Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator performs first flight
