Airbus Starts Racer Assembly

摘要

On April 14, Airbus Helicopters announced that it begun assembly of its Racer high-speed demonstrator with the arrival of the center fuselage. Developed under the European Research Clean Sky 2 project, which involves 40 partners in 13 European countries, the Racer is designed for a cruise speed of 215 kt (400 km/h) and aims at achieving the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency and mission performance (see "RACER Takes Shape," Vertiflite, July/ Aug 2020). It uses an innovative Safran eco-mode hybrid-electrical system, which allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be shut down while in cruise flight, reducing fuel burn. The aircraft was also designed for a lower operational acoustic footprint. The recent completion of the demonstrator's center fuselage represents an important milestone for the program as it marks the start of the Racer's assembly, taking place at Airbus Helicopters' site in Donauworth, Germany. Assembly involves the installation of major components such as the canopy, box-wings, fuel system, cowlings, etc. Later this year, the Racer will be transferred to Airbus Helicopters' site in Marignane, France, for the final assembly and subsequent launch of the flight campaign in 2022.