AIRBUS: RADICAL RACER

Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator has performed its first flight, taking to the sky for 30 minutes, allowing the flight test team to check the overall behaviour of the aircraft.

Optimised for a cruise speed of more than 400 km/h, the Racer demonstrator aims to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance and has been developed in the frame of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project.

“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. “I look forward to watching this demonstrator pioneer high-speed capabilities and develop the eco-mode system that will contribute to reducing fuel consumption,” he added.

The Racer builds upon the aerodynamics proven by the Airbus Helicopters X3 demonstrator which in 2013, broke the helicopter speed record by reaching 472 km/h.