Kawasaki's K-Racer Flies Faster Than Conventional Helicopters
%2Favatars%2F6UKotck4r9pz.jpg&w=96&q=75)
%2Fimg%2Fiea%2Fo2Gzv5ZmGp%2Fkawasaki-drone.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Kawasaki's recently unveiled K-Racer drone, or compound helicopter, has two small wings with motors on either side of the chassis for forward flight and a horizontal stabilizer rotor.
The company says that recent test flights have proven that its newly-developed autonomous drone can fly at "high speeds that were not technically possible for conventional helicopters."
RELATED: NEW 140 MPH FIRST RESPONDER DRONE CAN RECHARGE ITSELF IN FLIGHT
K-Racer's compound helicopter configuration
The test aircraft's distinctive configuration — wings and propellers on both sides instead of a tail rotor — is called a compound helicopter.
The left and right propellers counter the torque associated with the main rotor's rotation at the same time as generating thrust to move the helicopter forward.
During forward flight, the main wings share lift and also reduce the load on the main rotor, which has a diameter of 157.4 inches (4 meters).
Kawasaki say that their new drone is actually named the K-Racer as an acronym standing for Kawasaki Researching Autonomic Compound to Exceed Rotorcraft.
So there are no plans to race this thing — very cheeky of them — though it would likely do pretty well against other UAVs.
The test aircraft was developed by Aerospace Systems Company, and is powered by the supercharged engine used Kawasaki's motorcycle Ninja H2R.
A new addition to Kawasaki's helicopter fleet
Last month, Kawasaki conducted its first successful test flight of the K-Racer Taiki-cho Multi-purpose Aviation Park in Hokkaido, Japan.
"We have been introducing a wide range of helicopters, including the BK117 helicopter series, which plays an active role for firefighting, disaster prevention, and EMS (Emergency Medical Service) purposes," a Kawasaki press release explains.
"We will use the results obtained from this test for the development of VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) vehicles, including manned/unmanned helicopters, and for the development of aircraft operation systems in conjunction with various services."
For a look at Kawasaki's K-Racer drone in action, check out the video below.
SHOW COMMENT (1)
/2022/10/01/image/png/ZT5KzE015FEY3ODBBE3BemJhIFJhhmuZ2FTJsift.png "Scientists create technology to exploit electrical nanowires hidden in soil and oceans")
/2023/05/27/image/jpeg/hUmy6fVQvimxfN8HBZ2IjrGKW1f8AVmrkTi3wPtJ.jpg "Stanford professor says he is 100% sure that aliens are already on Earth")
/2023/05/26/image/webp/6Co80ZJJXboUOYLXIuCvkafLsBWpH8MROKX60PUF.webp "Hyper-luxury Bugatti tower will have its residents drive up to their floor")
/img/iea/3ROa1lnKOv/untitled-1-8.jpg "The JET nuclear fusion project spells an exciting future")
/2023/05/26/image/jpeg/smTFO3AG7ESAzCi8L0kVnrUEHbVmcjiZ2KhVW0QE.jpg "Potential cure for diabetes found in groundbreaking stem cell study")
/2023/06/03/image/jpeg/LJsTJ6HYfeZoh6Hlc4JLiP05g8ykKNa1WXClqVwX.jpg "Scientists detect the breath between atoms")
/img/iea/o2GzrrbAGp/dinosaur.jpg "Dinosaurs kept warm — and accidentally survived a mass-extinction event")
/2022/08/24/image/jpeg/125KhCEjczJZjNllPCUgjGPi79IU450rBJ7hH6UK.jpg "Researchers just exposed what's in tattoo ink — and it’s a ‘significant problem’")
/2023/06/03/image/jpeg/MwGIp61b2PM577qboU4pfCmoiPEju8IbV9fCHbx8.jpg "Hawking was right: All large objects will eventually evaporate")
/img/iea/LBGRv0kMG2/untitled-1-25.jpg "SCOPE: This quantum dot spectrometer can hasten Uranus and Neptune orbital missions")