Airbus’ Racer helicopter, developed as part of the Clean Sky 2 project, has managed to exceed its target cruise speed of 407 km/h(220 knots) within a short period since its first flight and other test series conducted.
The Airbus Racer helicopter
On June 21, less than two months after its inaugural flight, the maiden flightthe Racer achieved an impressive speed of 420 km/h(227 knots) in its initial configuration, surpassing its initial goal. The aircraft has only completed seven flights and around nine hours of flight testing, almost the entire flight envelope of the aircraft has been explored.
[post_relacionado]This achievement underlines the dedication and joint effort of more than 40 partners in 13 European countries, who have worked tirelessly to bring this innovation to fruition. Airbus Helicopters’ CEO, Bruno Even, highlighted the achieved performance, stability and aerodynamic behavior of the Racer. These advances pave the way for the next phases of testing, which will evaluate the eco-mode, a function that will allow one of the engines to be switched off during flight.
The flight test team was composed of Hervé Jammayrac, chief test pilot, and test engineers Dominique Fournier and Christophe Skorlic, who were instrumental in the success of this initial phase. The next stage of testing will focus on single-engine operation, thus completing the exploration of the Racer’s flight envelope.
The Racer has been designed and optimized to maintain a cruise speed in excess of 400 km/h, seeking to efficiently balance speed, mission performance and cost-effectiveness. This helicopter aims to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 20%, relative to other current helicopters in the same maximum take-off weight class.
This is made possible by advanced aerodynamic optimization and an eco-mode propulsion system, developed in collaboration with Safran Helicopter Engines. The hybrid-electric system allows one of the Aneto-1X engines to be paused during cruise flight, thus decreasing CO₂ emissions. In addition, the Racer seeks to demonstrate how its unique architecture can contribute to reducing the operational noise footprint.
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Source and photo: Airbus