This Bonkers Experimental Helicopter Can Soar at More Than 260 MPH

Airbus’s high-speed helicopter demonstrator, the Racer , recently bested its own fast-speed cruise target over Marseille, France. Its test flight clocked 261 miles per hour, 11 mph faster than its target speed, and more than 100 mph faster than most helicopters, which typically fly between 110 and 150 mph.

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This mixed-design aircraft created its own record just two months after its first flight. In just seven flights and about nine hours of flight tests, it has nearly completed its flight envelope, which Airbus cites as a major milestone.

The Racer is compilation of different avionics features. Looking like a helicopter with fixed wings, the Racer’s compound formula was designed to balance speed with cost-efficiency and mission performance. The patented, double-wing concept with flaps on the trailing edge is combined with a fully faired main rotor and two more lateral rotors in a pusher configuration. The wing provides 40 percent of the total lift, which takes the load off the rotor, thereby reducing dynamic loads and vibrations. Other features such as its asymmetric tail boom, asymmetric thrust, and a low-drag main rotor enhance the Racer’s fuel efficiency and performance.

The next milestone in its flight tests will evaluate the aircraft’s eco-mode, using its hybrid-electrical propulsion system, developed with Safran Helicopter Engines, that allows the pilot to shut down one of the two Aneto-1X engines while in cruise. Operating with one engine during cruise reduces the aircraft’s speed slightly, while improving fuel efficiency, though the pilot can re-engage the second engine at any time during flight.

Julien Guitton, a research program manager for Airbus Helicopters, says the goal is not only to build a fast helicopter, but “to enhance operational capabilities at the right price and for missions where speed can be an asset.”

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Introduced in 2017 , the Racer was developed as part of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project which, along with Airbus, involves 40 partner companies from 13 European countries. One main objective is to lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 20 percent, compared to conventional aircraft with the same weight.

The second goal: noise reduction. “By adjusting the distribution of power between the rotors, we can alter the position of the aircraft and carry out totally unprecedented low-noise approaches,” says Guitton.

The Racer will have a range of 400 nautical miles, and, if certified, Airbus envisions using it for intercity shuttle services, emergency medical services, and search-and-rescue missions.

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