The Airbus Racer (rapid and cost-effective rotorcraft) compound helicopter technology demonstrator entered the paint shop earlier this month on its way to final assembly. Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even tweeted that the aircraft was on track for ground testing and first flight before year’s end. 

The Racer is funded by the European Union’s Clean Sky 2 program and features extensive use of composites in the airframe; a box wing that houses drive shafts to two pusher propellers; low drag hub, pylon, and nacelles; a 3D-optimised rotor blade design; and an engine installation that includes a new main gear box, propeller gearboxes, and supercritical shafts.

The aircraft will be powered by twin Safran Aneto-1X engines which also can be flown in “eco mode,” cruising on one engine while the other idles. The Racer is categorized as a “more electric aircraft,” with plans to eventually install a 270 VDC network, combining higher voltage with a lower-weight electrical system. The aircrafts's target maximum forward speed is 216 knots.