Airbus Helicopters showcased an experimental half-plane, half-helicopter on Wednesday in a quest for speed as competition heats up to define the rotorcraft of the future.
The 200 million euro ($217 million) Racer is a one-off
demonstrator model combining traditional overhead rotors with two
forward-facing propellors in a bid to combine stability and speed, shortening
response times for critical missions like search-and-rescue.
"There are missions where the quickest possible access
to the zone is vital. We often talk about the 'golden hour'," Airbus
Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told Reuters, referring to the window considered
most critical for providing medical attention.
Such designs could also be offered for military developments
as NATO conducts a major study into next-generation helicraft, though much
depends on how its planners define future needs.
The Racer, which first flew in April away from the cameras,
buzzed past an audience of 150 industry executives, politicians and
representatives from the European Union gathered at Airbus Helicopters' base at
Marignane, southern France, where it has been gradually taking shape over the
past seven years.
Airbus, the world's largest civil supplier, has for years
been experimenting with new helicopter designs alongside rivals like Lockheed's
Sikorsky, which broke the then speed record with its X2 demonstrator helicraft
over a decade ago.
The Racer is an all-new successor to the Dauphin-based X3
demonstrator which Airbus had revealed at a nearby air base in cloak-and-dagger
secrecy in 2010, which went on to claim an unofficial record by pipping the
Sikorsky X2 for speed.
Both designs aim to overcome obstacles to high-speed
helicopter flight by combining the advantages of fixed-wing aircraft with those
of a standard helicopter.
But there is no consensus on what the helicopter of the
future will look like.
Racer's public debut came months after Italy's Leonardo and
U.S. manufacturer Bell agreed to co-operate on the next generation of
tilt-rotor technology, which replaces a helicopter's trademark overhead blades
altogether.
Leonardo is also leading a separate project to develop the
next generation of tilt-rotors for civil use. Its AW609 is the sole existing
civil design, but has yet to be certified.
Proponents of the tilt-rotor, which relies on swivelling
side-mounted rotors 90 degrees to go up and then forwards, say it permits
higher speed and range that are suited to military missions. Critics say the
tilt mechanism reaches higher speeds only at the expense of higher complexity
and maintenance costs.
Airbus said the Racer will fly at 220 knots (400 km/hour)
compared with traditional helicopter speeds closer to 140 knots. Bell says its
V-280 Valor tilt-rotor design, recently picked by the Pentagon, will reach a
cruise speed of 280 knots.