News
Aircraft manufacturers
Airbus Racer speeds past 400 kilometres per hour
July 25, 2024 By Helicopters Staff
Airbus Racer currently holds 90 patents. The demonstrator aircraft took its first flight in April. (Photo: Jérôme Deulin / Airbus)Helicopters) Airbus’ Racer high-speed helicopter demonstrator, developed under the framework of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project, reached its fast cruise speed target of 407 km/h (220 kts).
On June 21, less than two months after its first flight, the Racer demonstrator exceeded its level speed objective of 407 km/h (220 kts) by reaching 420 km/h (227 kts) in its initial configuration. Airbus explains that in just seven flights and about nine hours of flight testing, almost all of the flight envelope has been opened.
“This achievement in such a short space of time is really a testimony to the hard work of our 40 partners in 13 European countries to bring all of this innovation to flight,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “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.”
The flight test crew consisted of Hervé Jammayrac, Chief Flight Test Pilot, Dominique Fournier, Flight Test Engineer, and Christophe Skorlic, Test Flight Engineer. The next phase of flight testing will focus on single engine operations and finalise the flight envelope.
Optimized for a cruise speed of more than 400 km/h, Airbus explains the Racer demonstrator aims to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency and mission performance. The Racer also targets a fuel consumption reduction of around 20 per cent, compared to current generation helicopters in the same maximum take-off weight category, thanks to aerodynamic optimisation and an innovative eco-mode propulsion system.
Developed with Safran Helicopter Engines, Airbus explains the hybrid-electrical eco-mode system allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused while in cruise flight, thus contributing to cutting CO2 emissions. The Racer also aims to demonstrate how its particular architecture can contribute to lowering its operational acoustic footprint.
