Airbus Helicopters has progressed the Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft (RACER) concept to the parts manufacture stage.
RACER is a hybrid rotorcraft that uses a rotor for vertical flight and sustained horizontal flight, but is also driven by two propellers in pusher configuration.
Development has been partly funded by European Union’s H2020 framework through the Clean Sky 2 program, and aims to provide the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency, sustainability and mission performance.
This week, Airbus announced that the design had passed the preliminary design review (PDR) stage, paving the way for a technology demonstrator to be assembled by the end of 2019.
“I want to thank all of our European partners for the excellence of their work and for their commitment in this fantastic project”, said Tomasz Krysinski, Head of Research & Innovation at Airbus Helicopters.
“The PDR marks a major achievement for the RACER program as it allows to freeze interfaces and 3D definitions of the main subsystems, prior to detailed design and manufacture of key components.”
Components for the demonstrator will be manufactured all over Europe, with Italy’s Avio Aero launching procurement and manufacturing for the aircraft’s lateral gear boxes housing and the UK's GE Aviation Integrated Systems is taking care of the wing’s titanium cradle.
Romanian company INCAS/Romaero has already started manufacturing the Racer’s composite side panel and Spain’s Aernnova the tail primary structure.
Airbus Helicopters is currently refining the content of the future Racer flight demonstration in Clean Sky 2 which will begin in 2020 and include about 200 flight hours.
The first part will focus on the progressive opening of the flight envelope and on assessing key performance objectives as well as speed, handling qualities, stability and aerodynamics.
The second phase will aim at demonstrating the aircraft’s suitability to carry out potential missions where increased speed and efficiency would bring added value, such as emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR) and private transport.
Clean Sky 2 is a joint European Union undertaking to reduce aircraft carbon dioxide and other gas emissions and reduce noise.