Kawasaki tested unmanned helicopter K-RACER (2 photos + video)

Multinational corporation Kawasaki HeavyIndustries, in addition to producing world-famous motor vehicles, has subdivisions working in shipbuilding, energy and transport sectors. However, the largest division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Aerospace, generating almost a third of the corporation's revenues. This aerospace company - the largest manufacturer of aircraft, space systems and jet engines, supplies products to the American company Boeing, Brazilian Empresa and Canadian Bombardier.

Kawasaki Aerospace is also oneone of the few companies in the world that produces helicopters. One of the latest developments of Japanese engineers is the unmanned helicopter K-RACER (short for Kawasaki Researching Autonomic Compound ЕXceed Rotorcraft), which has already passed flight tests at the Taiki-cho aviation park in Hokkaido.

The main advantage of the three-engine K-RACERbecomes high speed parameters, achieved by the original layout of the engines. The main rotor, whose blades reach 4 meters in diameter, is located according to a traditional helicopter layout. The main rotor blades can change the angle of inclination, providing different flight modes.

Two auxiliary motors are locatedhorizontally and placed on short wings on the sides of the helicopter body, replacing the tail thrusters used in the traditional scheme. The propellers located to the right and left of the helicopter body, under the main rotor, perform several tasks at once: they counteract the torque caused by the main rotor operation, reduce the load on the main rotor and provide a high flight speed unattainable with the standard scheme.

The K-RACER test piece usedengine from the Kawasaki Ninja H2R motorcycle. The test results will be used in the company's further work on the creation of helicopters of the future, including unmanned ones.

Source: kawasaki