At the 2017 Paris Air Show, Airbus revealed a part of the Clean Sky 2 European research programme – the “Racer” helicopter concept (meaning Rapid and Cost Effective Rotorcraft). Thanks to a simple, safe and verified aerodynamic formula, ‘Racer’ aims to balance cost-efficiency, sustainability and performance.

‘Racer’ hosts Airbus’ very own “Box-wing” design, with lateral rotors and a main rotor driven by two RTM322 engines, capable of 400km/h. The chassis is composed of a hybrid metallic-composite, not only reducing the cost, but making ‘Racer’ rather lightweight. There is also an ‘eco mode’, meaning you can start and stop one of the two engines while flying to increase fuel savings, similar to many modern vehicle’s ability to shut down one bank of cylinders during highway driving.

The incredible Racer is planned for production by 2019.