Airbus' Racer high-speed helicopter demonstrator, developed in the frame of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project, has reached its fast cruise speed target of 407kph (220kts). On 21 June, less than two months after its first flight, it exceeded its level speed objective by reaching 420kph (227kts) in its initial configuration. In just seven flights and about nine hours of flight 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 behaviour 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,” says Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even.

The flight test crew consisted of chief flight test pilot Hervé Jammayrac, flight test engineer Dominique Fournier and test flight engineer Christophe Skorlic. The next phase of flight testing will focus on single engine operations and finalise the flight envelope.

Optimised for a cruise speed of more than 400kph, the Racer demonstrator aims to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency and mission performance. The Racer also targets a fuel consumption reduction of around 20 per cent, compared to current generation helicopters in the same maximum take off weight category, thanks to aerodynamic optimisation and an innovative eco-mode propulsion system. Developed with Safran Helicopter Engines, the hybrid-electrical eco-mode system allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused while in cruise flight, thus contributing to cutting CO2 emissions. The Racer also aims to demonstrate how its particular architecture can contribute to lowering its operational acoustic footprint.