Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator, part of the OEM’s Clean Sky 2 project, completed its first inaugural flight in Marignane.
This important milestone kickstarts a two-year flight campaign for the Racer, which will aim to open the aircraft’s flight envelope and demonstrate its high-speed capabilities.
The flight lasted around 30 minutes, which enabled the flight test team to check the aircraft’s overall behaviour.
“With its 90 patents, Racer is the perfect example of the level of innovation that can be achieved when European partners come together. 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.
Airbus Helicopters said the rotorcraft is optimised for a cruise speed of over 400 km/h and aims to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance.
It also targets a 20% fuel consumption reduction compared to current helicopters of the same class through aerodynamic optimisation and its hybrid-electric eco-mode system. The hybrid-electric eco-mode system, developed with Safran Helicopter Engines, allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused while in cruise flight.
The Racer also builds on Airbus Helicopters’ success with the X3 technology demonstrator, aiming to enhance high-speed capabilities for advantageous missions.
Image: Airbus
