HELICOPTERS: NOW WITH WINGS!

At the recent Paris Air Show, Airbus was showing off its new Racer concept helicopter, which has both a main rotor

and a pair of propeller-sporting wings. Racer (an acronym for ‘RApid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft’) would take off and land vertically, just like a normal helicopter, but would boast a top speed of 400km/ h (250mph), which is nippier than traditional choppers. If you’re getting a sense of déjà vu here, that’s because the Racer is essentially an updated take on the X3 concept that Eurocopter (now Airbus) took to the Paris Air Show in 2011.

The craft is designed for the operation of high-speed passenger services, particularly between urban centres (such as London and Berlin) where its vertical take- off and landing capabilities eliminate the need to travel to and from airports. But it could also find a role in military or search-and-rescue operations. Airbus hopes to have a commercial craft based on the Racer concept available by 2020.