[Paris Airshow 2025] RACER as in rapid and cost-effective rotorcraft

RACER as in Rapid And Cost-Effective Rotorcraft

“An aerodynamic architecture designed

to deliver high speed”

Authors: Martin Gillet & Benoît Denet reporting from Le Bourget, Paris.

One of the key highlights from the Paris Airshow 2025 was the attendance at the static and in-flight demonstration of the Airbus RACER registered F-WRAC.

RACER (Rapid And Cost-Effective Rotorcraft) is a high-speed compound helicopter developed and funded under the European Clean Sky 2 program. Its maiden flight took place in April 2024, and it’s aimed at improving speed, efficiency, and environmental impact.

Airbus states: “The Racer is a high-speed helicopter demonstrator that aims to leverage increased speed to deliver significant added value for citizens and operators. The simple and proven aerodynamic formula seeks to achieve the best trade-off between speed, cost-efficiency and mission performance.

The Racer also targets a fuel consumption reduction of around 25%, compared to current generation helicopters in the same maximum take-off weight category, thanks to aerodynamic optimisation and an innovative eco-mode propulsion system”.

• Cruise Speed: ~400 km/h (250 mph)
• Engines: 2× Safran Aneto-1X turboshaft engines with an eco-mode for fuel savings

The 2500 shp Aneto-1X engine is part of the Aneto range unveiled last October 2024 by Safran. It offers numerous advantages, such as being 25% more powerful than existing engines of the same size, thus helping to increase helicopter capabilities during missions requiring more power, such as offshore transport, search and rescue, firefighting or military transport, as well as performance during flights in “hot and high” conditions (high temperature and high altitude).

“Our selection for this Airbus Helicopters research program is an important milestone for the Aneto program,” explains Bruno Bellanger, Executive Vice President, Programs, Safran Helicopter Engines. “We are convinced that the Aneto-1X will form the basis of a solid partnership from which Airbus Helicopters and its partners will fulfil the objectives of this ambitious European research program. This new selection in less than six months clearly shows that the Aneto is the right engine solution for a high-speed, cost-optimised helicopter with a low environmental footprint.”

It is based on the same engine basis as the NH90, with the same power 2500 hp.

• Main rotor blades the same as H165

• Design Highlights:

  • Box-wing configuration for aerodynamic efficiency
  • Side-mounted, pusher propellers for forward thrust
    • Emphasis on fuel efficiency and noise reduction
    • Hybrid metallic-composite airframe for weight savings

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• The RACER is the follow-up or potentially commercial evolution of the AIRBUS X3, which was a pure prototype. There is a market for such a machine because, with its high speed, flight time can be halved. These include rescue operations and natural disasters, reports a test pilot.

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• One of the main challenges was the main rotor blades, which at high speeds can be supersonic (!) at the front and at the limit of stall at the rear.

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• This aircraft has 25 hours flying time (including 2 hours from Marignane airport), reports the test pilot.

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• Key comparisons between X3 and RACER :
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• The helicopter has two pilots and a technician at the rear. Before the in-flight demonstration, we were able to observe the helicopter moving away a little in the air to calibrate its instruments.

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• Flight Demonstration :

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