With its sophisticated design and groundbreaking aerodynamic theory, Airbus Racers are more than just prototypes. This is a symbol of Europe’s commitment to clean aviation.
Airbus Helicopters engineers Brice Makinadjian and Stephane Deport were proud to watch a refined blue and white helicopter over the crowds of the Paris Air Show in June 2025.
Slicing the air is an Airbus Racer (a fast and cost-effective rotorcraft) and an advanced prototype designed to be faster, quieter and more fuel efficient than traditional helicopters.
This high-speed exhaust rotorcraft redefines helicopter flight by blending the speed of the plane with the agility of rotating.
How it started: The efforts of European teams
The racer’s roots return to the EU’s Clean Sky 2 program (2014–2024). This is the largest research programme for aviation launched in Europe.
This public-private cooperation between the European Commission and the European aviation industry has funded the development of innovative and cutting-edge technologies to reduce the environmental impact of aviation.
With the support provided under the Clean Sky 2, the various components of the racer (aerodynamics, engine integration, rotor systems, etc.) are gradually refined before being tested together with demonstrators built by Airbus, a leading European aerospace company.
“This partnership was fundamental,” Makinadian said. “We could not have done this without European collaboration and support.”
More than 40 European companies and research organizations from 13 countries have been involved in the development of the prototype. “We have access to the best of Europe,” Makinadian said. “It’s the best European spirit.”
The future of European sky cleaners
Racers are also part of Europe’s mission to turn green. Under the European Green Contract, the EU has committed to climate neutrality by 2050, and aviation is no exception.
The EU’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy sets the goal of bringing zero emissions to the market by 2035. This marks the big step towards climate-neutral aviation and the future of European ski cleaners.
Why is this important? As Axel Kerin, executive director of the Clean Aviation Joint business (2025-2035), pointed out by Axel Kerin – the successor to Clean Sky 2 – aviation is a major power in the European economy. It supports 13.5 million jobs and contributes more than 1 trillion euros to the European economy. This is 3.6% of all jobs and 4.4% of Europe’s GDP.
For Kellin, the importance of European racer demonstrators is clear. Such new designs will help ensure European aerospace leadership in the future.
“Currently, Europe’s aviation leadership is strong as Europe currently has a market share of 58% of new civil aircraft worldwide. But that’s not guaranteed,” he said. “Global competition and geopolitical change are threatening this leadership.”
Stealth and Speed
After more than a decade of development, the new technology featured in racer prototypes could become an important part of helicopter design over the next decade.
The racer’s sophisticated aerodynamic design and side-mounted rotary rotors provide cruising speeds of over 440 km/h, more than 50% than a regular helicopter.
One factor is the resistance of air and wind, or the decrease in resistance as the drag moves through the air. This is 2.5 times lower than other helicopters of the same weight.
“It has lower drag than the smallest helicopters on the market today,” Makinadian said.
The main rotor has been redesigned to reduce speed and increase stability. At the same time, two wings were added to the side with lateral rotors to provide forward thrust.
This means that racers can fly like planes at certain flight stages, allowing them to slide forward using wings and lateral rotors, resulting in an intersection between the helicopter and the fixed wing aircraft.
Eco Mode
The innovative eco-mode system is another standout feature, like the start-stop feature of modern cars, and will soon be tested with racers. ECO mode developed by Safran places one of the two engines in standby during a cruise flight, allowing the other to operate at a more optimal, energy-efficient power setting.
This mode of operation not only reduces CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by about 15%, but also increases the distance the helicopter can cover.
“You can fly at 350 km/h with just one engine,” Deport said. “But you need to be able to restart other engines instantly to keep them safe.”
Overall, improved aerodynamics and innovative design allow racers to use 25% less fuel than slower traditional helicopters. As the team prepares to begin testing the Eco Mode feature, they hope to achieve even more fuel savings.
In addition to commercial transport, the developer predicts that racers will be ideal for emergency medical services and search and rescue operations due to their speed and efficiency.
“Emergency response helicopters need to be faster and noise reduction is key to performing operations near the area you live in,” Makinadian said.
From cars to choppers
A total of 40 partners helped create the racer. One unexpected partner in the racer’s journey was KLK Motorsport, a German small and medium-sized enterprise specializing in high-performance mechanical engineering, lightweight construction and advanced composite materials.
KLK, well known for its expertise in car racing rather than aerospace, has co-developed the racer canopy. This is a sophisticated enclosure in the cockpit that needs to be dealt with efficiently to optimize aerodynamics.
Their involvement highlights one of the racers’ greatest strengths. It is a wide range of collaborations that not only brought the expertise of players in key industry, but also brought the expertise of SMEs and major research organizations.
“Working with people outside of aerospace is encouraging,” Makinadian said. “The creation of new parts for car racing moves at the speed of lightning. They were surprised when they said there was five years to develop a ‘very innovative and light’ canopy,” he laughed. “In the race, you need to stream everything yesterday.”
I’ll fly to the future
The racer prototype was first empty in April 2024. Over a year later, the flight times have been logged for about 35 hours, but there are more tests.
Despite their deep involvement in design, engineers Makinasian and Deport are still unable to fly the racers themselves. “We could only do eight other than the test pilot,” Makinadian said. “We’re still on the waiting list.”
Testing continues at the Airbus Helicopters headquarters in Marignan, near Marseille, in southern France. The early results are encouraging. However, Makinadjian and Deport are still working hard to fine-tune the technical details. For them, this is just the beginning.
What excites them the most is simply being part of the journey. “If you’re an aerospace engineer, this kind of project will only appear once in a lifetime,” said McKinazian. “To go to see your design fly from nothing — it’s magic.”
As racers continue their test flights, they not only push the boundaries of rotorcraft speeds, but also create new eras of fuel-efficient and smarter aviation in Europe.
The research in this article was funded by the EU’s Horizon programme. The views of interviewees do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
This article was originally published in Horizon the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
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