420km/h, Airbus Racer helicopter test aircraft breaks through cruising speed target

News from this site on July 27. According to Airbus Helicopters official news on July 26, as part of the second phase of the European Clean Sky Plan research project, the Airbus Racer high-speed helicopter test aircraft has successfully achieved a speed of 407 km/h (220 knots). ) fast cruising speed target. On June 21, less than two months after its first flight, the Racer high-speed test machine reached a speed of 420 km/h (227 knots) under initial configuration conditions, exceeding the original target of 407 km/h. Horizontal speed target. In only about 9 hours of seven flight tests, nearly all of the flight envelope was expanded.

Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said:

“Achieving this achievement in such a short time is testament to the hard work of our 40 partners in 13 European countries to deliver innovation. In addition to performance, the Racer's aerodynamic performance and stability also have great potential. We are very much looking forward to the next stage of flight testing, especially the eco mode that allows one engine to be shut down in forward flight, which will help. In order to reduce fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”

The next phase of flight testing of the Airbus Racer high-speed test aircraft will focus on single-engine operation and determine the final flight envelope.

▲ Racer flight path map Airbus Helicopters officials said that the optimized Racer test aircraft has a cruise speed of more than 400 kilometers/hour and is designed to achieve the optimal balance between speed, cost-effectiveness and mission performance. Thanks to aerodynamic optimization and an innovative eco-mode propulsion system, the Racer aims to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 20% compared to current helicopters in the same maximum takeoff weight class.

Airbus Helicopters and Safran Helicopter Engines jointly developed a hybrid electric Eco Mode system that allows it to shut down one of its two Aneto-1X engines during cruise flight, thus helping to reduce CO2 emissions .
Inquiries on this site revealed that the Racer is manufactured based on the aerodynamic configuration verified by the Airbus Helicopters X3 technology prototype, which broke the flight speed record as early as 2013 and raised the helicopter's speed limit to 472 kilometers. / Hour. The X3 is designed to demonstrate composite structures, using fixed wings for energy-saving lift, side rotors for energy-saving propulsion, and main rotors to provide energy-saving vertical takeoff and landing flight capabilities, while Racer is designed to bring composite structures closer to operational configurations and provide high-speed operation for those who need tasks provide greater capabilities.

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