FARNBOROUGH, U.K. - Airbus in Toulouse, France announced its Racer high-speed helicopter demonstrator - which is part of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project - has reached its fast cruise speed target of 407 kmh (253 mph/220 kts). On 21 June, the Racer demonstrator exceeded its speed objective, reaching 420 kmh (261 mph/227 kts) in its initial configuration. In seven flights and about nine hours of 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. 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,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
The flight test crew included Hervé Jammayrac, Chief Flight Test Pilot, Dominique Fournier, Flight Test Engineer, and Christophe Skorlic, Test Flight Engineer. The next phase of testing will focus on single-engine operations and finalizing the flight envelope.
Related: Airbus' Racer rotorcraft performs first flight
Optimized for a cruise speed of more than 400 km/h, the Racer demonstrator aims to balance speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance. The Racer targets a fuel consumption reduction of around 20% compared to current generation helicopters in the same maximum take-off weight category, thanks to aerodynamic optimization and an innovative eco-mode propulsion system. Developed with Safran Helicopter Engines, the hybrid-electric eco-mode system allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused in cruise flight, contributing to reduced CO2 emissions. The Racer also aims to demonstrate how its architecture can lower its operational acoustic footprint.
