AIRBUS RACER / Clean Sky2 LifeRCraft Demonstrator

H_K said:
Looks like Racer is back in the air.

View attachment 761840
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One more test flight today... reached ~215 knots according to Flightradar24.com.

I expect 1-2 more flights this month and hopefully to see them start pushing the envelope to 240+ knots.

Racer MSN001 flight test history

1st flight test campaign
1 | 25/04/2024 | 0:30 hrs | 80 knots
2 | 30/04/2024 | 0:55 hrs | 165 knots
3 | 13/05/2024 | 1:22 hrs
4 | 15/05/2024 | 1:06 hrs
5 | 03/06/2024 | 1:36 hrs | 190 knots
6 | 19/06/2024 | 1:32 hrs
7 | 21/06/2024 | 0:34 hrs | 227 knots

2nd flight test campaign
8 | 06/03/2025 | 0:51 hrs
9 | 14/03/2025 | 0:49 hrs
10 | 19/03/2025 | 0.30 hrs
11 | 22/03/2025 | 1:01 hrs | Marseille-Toulouse
12 | 28/03/2025 | 0:59 hrs | Toulouse-Marseille
 
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Before & after pics of Racer’s new low drag rotor head and landing gear doors.
Rotor head drag is expected to be 25% lower with these low drag fairings.

www.flightglobal.com

Racer resumes flight testing with new low-drag parts in place

Airbus Helicopters' Racer demonstrator is back in flight testing after a six-month lay-up to install new parts to boost the high-speed rotorcraft's aerodynamic performance.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com
 

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VNE test yesterday. Racer reached ~260 knots in a dive according to FlightRadar24... perhaps next flight could be a level speed test?

Racer MSN001 flight test history
www.flightradar24.com

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1st flight test campaign
1 | 25/04/2024 | 0:30 hrs | 80 knots
2 | 30/04/2024 | 0:55 hrs | 165 knots
3 | 13/05/2024 | 1:22 hrs
4 | 15/05/2024 | 1:06 hrs
5 | 03/06/2024 | 1:36 hrs | 190 knots
6 | 19/06/2024 | 1:32 hrs
7 | 21/06/2024 | 0:34 hrs | 227 knots

2nd flight test campaign
8 | 06/03/2025 | 0:51 hrs
9 | 14/03/2025 | 0:49 hrs
10 | 19/03/2025 | 0:30 hrs
11 | 22/03/2025 | 1:01 hrs | Marseille-Toulouse
12 | 28/03/2025 | 0:59 hrs | Toulouse-Marseille
13 | 02/04/2025 | 1:03 hrs | ~260 knots in dive
 
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A good day for Airbus. Let's' hope that, unlike other high speed helicopters, the vibratory loads going down hill did not rattle the teeth of the test pilots and require a full tear down of the main rotor system before continuing the flight test program.
 
yasotay said:
Let's' hope that, unlike other high speed helicopters, the vibratory loads going down hill did not rattle the teeth of the test pilots and require a full tear down of the main rotor system before continuing the flight test program.
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I doubt that vibration is a major risk here, as the X3 demonstrator achieved 255kts in level flight and 263kts in a dive with no vibration issues (in fact the X3 didn’t even need an active vibration control system).

That said, the wing needs to be very stiff for this type of compound aircraft so perhaps the new joined wing introduced some (small?) risk… but so far Racer’s flight testing seems to have been progressing through test points fairly rapidly and without any obvious issues.
 
WatcherZero said:
Subsonic rotor blades should reduce vibration considerably.
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Indeed they should since supersonic rotor blades tend to disassemble themselves due to compressibility.

It is good to see the technical agility of Airbus remains in place as rotorcraft requirements change.
 
H_K said:
VNE test yesterday. Racer reached ~260 knots in a dive according to FlightRadar24... perhaps next flight could be a level speed test?

Racer MSN001 flight test history
www.flightradar24.com

Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map | Flightradar24

The world’s most popular flight tracker. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information.
www.flightradar24.com www.flightradar24.com
Click to expand...

Quick update on Racer testing. 2 test flights in 1 day and 234 knots true air speed achieved. Still waiting for a full level speed test.

1st flight test campaign
1 | 25/04/2024 | 0:30 hrs | 80 knots
2 | 30/04/2024 | 0:55 hrs | 165 knots
3 | 13/05/2024 | 1:22 hrs
4 | 15/05/2024 | 1:06 hrs
5 | 03/06/2024 | 1:36 hrs | 190 knots
6 | 19/06/2024 | 1:32 hrs
7 | 21/06/2024 | 0:34 hrs | 227 knots

2nd flight test campaign
8 | 06/03/2025 | 0:51 hrs
9 | 14/03/2025 | 0:49 hrs
10 | 19/03/2025 | 0:30 hrs
11 | 22/03/2025 | 1:01 hrs | Marseille-Toulouse
12 | 28/03/2025 | 0:59 hrs | Toulouse-Marseille
13 | 02/04/2025 | 1:03 hrs | 230 knots IAS in dive
14 | 11/04/2025 | 1:16 hrs | 248 knots IAS in dive
15 | 11/04/2025 | 0:41 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
16 | 18/04/2024 | 1:02 hrs | 234 knots TAS @ 9,000ft
17 | 22/04/2025 | 0:32 hrs |
18 | 22/04/2025 | 1:08 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
19 | 28/04/2025 | 0:42 hrs
20 | 29/04/2025 | 0:45 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
21 | 29/04/2025 | 0:29 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day


234kts TAS.png
 
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The Racer flew again today after a month-long hiatus... some circuits at 210 KTAS / 7,000 ft and 185 KTAS / 3,000 ft, which could correspond to cruise trials on 2-engines and 1-engine (Eco-mode).

22 | 03/06/2025 | 1:10 hrs
23 | 06/06/2025 | 0:35 hrs practice for Paris Air Show
24 | 10/06/2025 | 0:58 hrs practice for Paris Air Show
25 | 13/06/2025 | 0:59 To Paris Air Show, 1st leg 1 (344 km)
26 | 13/06/2025 | 1:14 To Paris Air Show, 2nd leg (307 km)
 
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Always good to see progress on one of the few "new" things in practical rotorcraft.
 
yasotay said:
Always good to see progress on one of the few "new" things in practical rotorcraft.
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I agree though I'd feel a little more confident if Airbus came out with actual specs on fuel consumption, pax capacity, payload-range, engine size etc.

Right now Racer (for all it's promise) smells a little too much like a window dressing public relations exercise ("hey look we can reduce emissions by double digits! And fly fast! This is revolutionary!")... we don't know what it costs to fly that fast, what the penalties are in terms of weight, fuel and installed thrust, and how Racer compares to a real mid-sized helicopter like AW169 or H160. It's not like they need any more flight testing to know how it's doing in terms of lift, drag, weight & powering compared to design predictions...

I'm crossing my fingers that I'm wrong but the more time goes by and the more my gut tells me that Racer's final performance numbers are not going to be as rosy as what Airbus has been selling so far (with very few details, in truth), and therefore probably not going to be good enough to create a new category of civilian rotorcraft.
 
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H_K said:
I agree though I'd feel a little more confident if Airbus came out with actual specs on fuel consumption, pax capacity, payload-range, engine size etc.

Right now Racer (for all it's promise) smells a little too much like a window dressing public relations exercise ("hey look we can reduce emissions by double digits! And fly fast! This is revolutionary!")... we don't know what it costs to fly that fast, what the penalties are in terms of weight, fuel and installed thrust, and how Racer compares to a real mid-sized helicopter like AW169 or H160. It's not like they need any more flight testing to know how it's doing in terms of lift, drag, weight & powering compared to design predictions...

I'm crossing my fingers that I'm wrong but the more time goes by and the more my gut tells me that Racer's final performance numbers are not going to be as rosy as what Airbus has been selling so far (with very few details, in truth), and therefore probably not going to be good enough to create a new category of civilian rotorcraft.
Click to expand...

Cast your mind back when the X3 did its USA demo in 2012

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJvstSgpQSo


Interview at beginnign with then American Eurocopter Inc pilots, who flew it -the second guy reckoned at that point what he was hearing was 20 percent increase over conventional helos.

Ok that was 13 years ago, with what X3 tech had, so could it be said that when Racer eventually goes into production it will be roughly that increase?

Guess I will find out more at Le Bourget in fortnignt

cheers
 
Apparently Racer will be demoing at the Paris Air Show later this month... looking forward to their presentation.

MjAyNTA2ZGY5MDc1ZmNlNzdmOTZhMTFlMzAyODg3YzgwMzVmNDY
 
www.flightglobal.com

Racer accelerates to latest speed goal as demonstrator hits full stride

Airbus Helicopters has hit the latest speed goal for its Racer demonstrator, with the compound rotorcraft achieving 240kt (444km/h) in level flight earlier in the spring.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com

240 knots cruise speed! Not bad at all. If it can do that at an economical range, it will put a number of standard helicopters at risk in the coming years.
 
martinbayer said:
I'm sorry to say, but it looks like a kludge to me.
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Are you referring to Racer's looks or do you have a more fundamental concern about the aerodynamic/mechanical set-up?

Personally I never found the Bell/Sikorsky fast rotorcraft to be very elegant (V-22... boxy, Defiant... weird proportions, V-280 is the nicest but with a massive tail & weird landing gear its looks aren't perfect either). More importantly in terms of key design choices, Racer is out there flying and achieving things that Sikorsky and Leonardo so far haven't succeeded in proving (Raider/Defiant, NGCTR etc)... no vibration issues, good maneuverability, easy piloting.
 
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H_K said:
Are you referring to Racer's looks or do you have a more fundamental concern about the aerodynamic/mechanical set-up?

Personally I never found the Bell/Sikorsky fast rotorcraft to be very elegant (V-22... boxy, Defiant... weird proportions, V-280 is the nicest but with a massive tail & weird landing gear its looks aren't perfect either). More importantly in terms of key design choices, Racer is out there flying and achieving things that Sikorsky and Leonardo so far haven't succeeded in proving (Raider/Defiant, NGCTR etc)... no vibration issues, good maneuverability, easy piloting.
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It's both the supremely dorky movie prop whirligig like appearance (ooh - look at all the spinning parts!) as well as the violation of the basic engineering principle of parsimony - this abomination has three rotor disks as well as biplane wings where two rotor disks a la a Kamov like coaxial rotor arrangement would have done the high speed rotorcraft job in a much nicer, cleaner near symmetrical way. But I understand that in today's universe you don't have to be better, but just different - bitter old man rant out...
 
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martinbayer said:
violation of the basic engineering principle of parsimony - this abomination has three rotor disks as well as biplane wings where two rotor disks a la a Kamov like coaxial rotor arrangement would have done the high speed rotorcraft job in a much nicer, cleaner near symmetrical way.
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Ah I see. I’m not sure you can do without some of those bits & pieces for efficient high speed. You'd probably want to keep the wing (better L/D ratio than a rotor) and props (better thrust efficiency), just like a tilt rotor.

I haven’t seen a Kamov with coaxial rotors do 240 knots… certainly not efficiently. Sikorsky thought they had a solution with their ABC rigid rotors, but ran into weight & vibration issues, so IMHO that doesn’t seem much lighter than simply adding a wing and 2 props.

I do wonder about the weight penalty and size of the drivetrain that’s required though… that translates to $$$ and is a weakness shared by all these fast rotorcraft compared to conventional helos.
 
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martinbayer said:
It's both the supremely dorky movie prop whirligig like appearance (ooh - look at all the spinning parts!) as well as the violation of the basic engineering principle of parsimony - this abomination has three rotor disks as well as biplane wings where two rotor disks a la a Kamov like coaxial rotor arrangement would have done the high speed rotorcraft job in a much nicer, cleaner near symmetrical way. But I understand that in today's universe you don't have to be better, but just different - bitter old man rant out...
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The biplane wings are supposed to be better, as each wing (upper&lower) has a better aspect ratio and block less of the rotor disc.
 
Scott Kenny said:
The biplane wings are supposed to be better, as each wing (upper&lower) has a better aspect ratio and block less of the rotor disc.
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The lower wing is also a natural extension of the main landing gear sponson and acts as a bracing strut for the upper wing, reducing structural weight. It greatly simplifies the load paths from wing to fuselage, eliminating the need for a big structural wing box that would eat up internal volume and lead to a top heavy aircraft. Finally it also has a safety element, acting as a physical barrier for passengers on the ground.

So all in all the biplane wing seems like one of Racer's smartest design choices IMHO...

P.S. Racer is in Paris today!

1st flight test campaign
1 | 25/04/2024 | 0:30 hrs | 80 knots
2 | 30/04/2024 | 0:55 hrs | 165 knots
3 | 13/05/2024 | 1:22 hrs
4 | 15/05/2024 | 1:06 hrs
5 | 03/06/2024 | 1:36 hrs | 190 knots
6 | 19/06/2024 | 1:32 hrs
7 | 21/06/2024 | 0:34 hrs | 227 knots

2nd flight test campaign
8 | 06/03/2025 | 0:51 hrs
9 | 14/03/2025 | 0:49 hrs
10 | 19/03/2025 | 0:30 hrs
11 | 22/03/2025 | 1:01 hrs | Marseille-Toulouse (312 km)
12 | 28/03/2025 | 0:59 hrs | Toulouse-Marseille (312 km)
13 | 02/04/2025 | 1:03 hrs | 230 knots IAS in dive
14 | 11/04/2025 | 1:16 hrs | 248 knots IAS in dive
15 | 11/04/2025 | 0:41 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
16 | 18/04/2024 | 1:02 hrs | 234 knots TAS @ 9,000ft
17 | 22/04/2025 | 0:32 hrs
18 | 22/04/2025 | 1:08 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
19 | 28/04/2025 | 0:42 hrs | 240 knots TAS @ 10,000-11,000ft
20 | 29/04/2025 | 0:45 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
21 | 29/04/2025 | 0:29 hrs | 2 test flights in 1 day
22 | 03/06/2025 | 1:10 hrs
23 | 06/06/2025 | 0:35 hrs practice for Paris Air Show
24 | 10/06/2025 | 0:58 hrs practice for Paris Air Show
25 | 13/06/2025 | 0:59 1st leg to Paris Air Show (344 km)
26 | 13/06/2025 | 1:14 2nd leg to Paris Air Show (307 km)
 
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H_K said:
The lower wing is also a natural extension of the main landing gear sponson and acts as a bracing strut for the upper wing, reducing structural weight. It greatly simplifies the load paths from wing to fuselage, eliminating the need for a big structural wing box that would eat up internal volume and lead to a top heavy aircraft. Finally it also has a safety element, acting as a physical barrier for passengers on the ground.
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Are there also additional fuel tanks in the lower wing ?
 
Pepin said:
Are there also additional fuel tanks in the lower wing ?
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No. Each lower wing probably would fit no more than than 100-150 liters per side… not enough to make it worth it.
 
H_K said:
No. Each lower wing probably would fit no more than than 100-150 liters per side… not enough to make it worth it.
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Sure but an extra 200-300 Liters when flying on a single engine (ecomode) seems like a nice bonus to me.
 
@RavenOne : Thanks again for the great pictures.
How large the cabin (squirrel or Bo-105/Bk117)?
What's the side rotor ground clearance? ( I imagine less than 0.5m)
 
TomcatViP said:
How large the cabin (squirrel or Bo-105/Bk117)?
What's the side rotor ground clearance? ( I imagine less than 0.5m)
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For what it's worth, here are the approx. dimensions from Racer drawings...

Cabin size: ~2.7 long x 1.5-1.6m width (i.e. similar to the H145)
Like on the H145, the flat floor extends behind the cabin into the rear baggage compartment (with a lower ceiling height) so stretchers, medical or SAR gear etc can benefit from that extra storage volume.

Propeller diameter ~2.30m
Propeller clearance ~90-95cm landing gear fully extended, ~65cm landing gear fully compressed

Fuselage width ~1.8m (which is quite narrow... but a little more than the H145's 1.73m)
 
Okay, so it's basically an H145 with what, twice the speed?

The capabilities are just about a perfect match for air ambulance, but I just can't see most air ambulance providers spending the extra money.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Okay, so it's basically an H145 with what, twice the speed?

The capabilities are just about a perfect match for air ambulance, but I just can't see most air ambulance providers spending the extra money.
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Operational costs would be a killer, an H145 has ~2000hp, RACER has 5000hp. Running a RACER hard, for missions ~100nmi or so away from the hospital, is going to be extremely expensive compared to running an H145 the same amount of time.

The good news is that RACER can shut off one engine and still cruise at 180kn.

Guess you'd have to convince the people writing the checks that having a 100nmi Golden Hour response is worth the money.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Okay, so it's basically an H145 with what, twice the speed?
The capabilities are just about a perfect match for air ambulance, but I just can't see most air ambulance providers spending the extra money.

Guess you'd have to convince the people writing the checks that having a 100nmi Golden Hour response is worth the money.
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Yeah Racer is probably more suitable for operators who need long range in addition to speed... for offshore SAR or in large, sparsely populated parts of the US, Australia etc. That puts it more in the same category as a S-76, AW169 or an AS365 Dauphin, rather than H145.

Perhaps the economics in Ecomode, using only one 2,500hp engine and flying ~30% faster, can be made to look competitive versus a typical helo in this category with 2x ~900hp engines... the big engine will use up a lot fewer engine hours.
 
IMO the best use case for RACER on the civilian side of flying is air ambulance.

It gives you an amazing range for Golden Hour, nearly 100nmi. A 240kt cruise speed will cover 100nmi in about 25min, so you'd have about 5min on the ground to load the injured to get them back to the hospital.


H_K said:
Yeah Racer is probably more suitable for operators who need long range in addition to speed... for offshore SAR or in large, sparsely populated parts of the US, Australia etc. That puts it more in the same category as a S-76, AW169 or an AS365 Dauphin, rather than H145.
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Unfortunately, the sparsely populated parts of the US are also the ones with the least amount of money for high end Life Flight air ambulances.
 
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