Europe's Helicopter-Airplane Mix Project: "Racer"

New generation “Racer” helicopter with Lateral Propeller

The Racer helicopter, which is planned to be produced by Airbus as part of the European Clean Sky 2 research project, is called the "Compound Helicopter". 40 partner companies from 13 countries took part in the project. This helicopter, which we can call a mixture of helicopter and airplane, has small fixed wings with thruster type propellers on it, and in level flight, it obtains forty percent of its lift from its fixed wings.

The aim of the Racer Program is to make a fast, economical and environmentally friendly helicopter. The helicopter will be able to speed over 400 kilometers per hour, have a range of 750 kilometers and can carry 6-8 passengers when used in a VIP configuration.

The helicopter is equipped with two 2,500-shp (sea horse power) Safran Aneto-1X engines. These engines provide twenty-five percent more power than similar engines of the same power. During level flight, one of the two engines can be put into standby mode, which Safran company calls Eco Mode. When needed, the engine in standby mode can reach full speed in ten seconds.

These engines provide twenty-five percent more power than similar engines of the same power. During level flight, one of the two engines can be put into standby mode, which Safran company calls Eco Mode. When needed, the engine in standby mode can reach full speed in ten seconds. With this method, fuel savings of up to fifteen percent are targeted.

The propellers on the fixed blades can be rotated by either or both of the helicopter's two engines. The entire propulsion system of the helicopter is designed in conjunction with each other.

The helicopter, which is intended to be used as an ambulance, search and rescue and police helicopter, is produced in the city of Merignane in France. The low fuel consumption, which makes the helicopter economically useful, also reduces gas emissions by twenty percent.

A Multinational Programme:

The fact that the rotation speed of the main rotor, which is the biggest cause of noise in helicopters, can be reduced thanks to the fixed blades and wing propellers, reduces the noise level by twenty percent. The Racer program was first made public at the Paris Air Show event in 2017. The main parts of the helicopter are assembled at Airbus's Airbus Helicopter facilities in Donauwörth, Germany.

The assembly of the main parts of the demo helicopter will be done in Germany. This helicopter will then be transported to Airbus Helicopters facilities in Merignane, France, for final assembly at the end of this year. Flight tests are scheduled to begin this year.

Former iron curtain countries such as Romania and Lithuania were also included in the project, which was announced to include 40 partner companies from 13 countries. The main body of the helicopter, which has a hybrid structure with metal and composite materials, will be manufactured by Romanian companies. The landing gear has the signature of Italian and Lithuanian companies. German, French, Spanish and British companies are among the main parts manufacturers.

Conclusion:

It is obvious that the Turkish aviation and space industry may gain a great deal, similar to the A-400M transport aircraft, in the participation of this project in which Turkey is not involved. However, Turkey is not included in this project. However, if such an opportunity arises in the coming period, it may be appropriate to evaluate it.