Rotorcraft
Key Objectives Outlined as Airbus Racer Completes Eco-Mode Installation
Upcoming single-engine flight testing to be augmented by additional capability extensions
Airbus Racer
The Airbus Racer (Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft) will likely fly around 50 hours in the coming year, roughly matching 2025’s total © Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters is preparing to restart the flight test activity of its experimental Racer within Q1 2026: a campaign that will see the platform fitted with its unique ‘Eco-Mode’ technology for the first time. The team is also set to demonstrate Racer’s quantifiable noise footprint reduction, continue to refine aerodynamic optimisation, and perform in-flight winching and hoisting capabilities.

The aircraft is shortly to emerge from its layup phase, where alongside the installation of the Eco-Mode system, it has been undergoing its post- 50 flight hour maintenance. Some improvements to the aircraft’s coamings, to be fitted from Q2, will also help Racer surpass a drag footprint already two and a half times less than that of a conventional helicopter of comparable weight.