Airbus Helicopters’ Racer takes first flight

The Racer, developed in the frame of the European Research Clean Sky 2 project, flew for about 30 minutes, which allowed Airbus Helicopters’ flight test team to check the ‘overall behaviour’ of the aircraft.

This debut flight marks the beginning of a two-year campaign which the company said will aim to progressively open the aircraft’s flight envelope and demonstrate its high-speed capabilities.

In a statement, Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said: “With its 90 patents, Racer is the perfect example of the level of innovation that can be achieved when European partners come together. This first flight is a proud moment for Airbus Helicopters and for our 40 partners in 13 countries.

“I look forward to watching this demonstrator pioneer high speed capabilities and develop the eco-mode system that will contribute to reducing fuel consumption.”

With a cruise speed of over 400km/h, Airbus Helicopters said its Racer demonstrator aims to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance.