Airbus Helicopters Racer completes low-level flight tests in France

Airbus Helicopters has flown more sorties with its Racer high-speed demonstrator, this time focused on low-level operations. The flights were earlier this month from the Cazaux test centre in southern France, with military pilots at the controls, the manufacturer said.

Chief engineer Jerome Geneix said a conventional rotorcraft averaged 60kt on a comparable flight, while the Racer averaged 150kt on the same profile, accelerating to 200kt in some sections. The speed target for the activity was met, he said. The military pilots gave positive feedback on the aircraft's responsiveness and controllability, and the Racer's acceleration is twice that of a conventional rotorcraft. No images from the test activity have been released.

Airbus Helicopters has accumulated around 70 flight hours with the demonstrator, which has lateral pusher rotors mounted on a V-shaped box-wing alongside its main rotor. In earlier testing the aircraft reached 240kt in level flight.

Geneix said the main result of the flight-test work so far is that speed is only part of what the design offers, describing it as an enhanced helicopter that adds capability to conventional rotorcraft for the mission.

The next phase will test an "eco-mode" function that shuts down one of the aircraft's two Safran Helicopter Engines Aneto-1X powerplants in flight to cut fuel burn while holding a cruise speed of 180kt. Airbus Helicopters expects to eventually show that a shut-down engine can be restarted to full power in seven seconds. Installation work for the eco-mode technology is due to begin.