Airbus Helicopters X3 (X Cubed)

History of Airbus Helicopters X3 (X Cubed)

The Eurocopter X3 (or simply "X-Cubed") is a rotor development platform designed to demonstrate helicopter designs for speeds in excess of 250 miles per hour (modern helicopters typically operate at speeds ranging from 150 to 160 miles per hour). The design is based on a heavily modified Eurocopter EC155 fuselage, but differs from the EC155 design with the addition of a side-mounted thruster-propeller motor unit and fuselage protrusions.

The X3 was flight tested and the design is expected to be used on future commercial or military rotorcraft platforms (although weapon placement on the short wings would prove problematic in the X3's standard engine arrangement). Given its high-speed nature, the X3 should herald a new era for helicopters.

The first flight of the Eurocopter X3 was completed on September 6, 2010, and on May 12, 2011, the X3 made a record flight at a speed of over 267 miles per hour. At the time, the X3 was dubbed "the fastest helicopter in the world", although other similar competing helicopter designs were (and have been) elsewhere (the Sikorsky X2 demonstrator was one such competitor).

All in all, the X3 proved to be a solid concept in its demonstration flights, with excellent maneuverability and impressive speed, so its real-world applications, like helicopters, are nearly limitless.

The overall design of the X3 is given a contoured line from nose to tail. Like the EC155, the X3 has a sharp nose assembly and a two-person cockpit in the stern. The passenger compartment is located behind the cockpit, and the fuselage houses two Rolls-Royce engines. The engine arrangement is used to drive the main rotor unit as well as a pair of propeller units - since these units counteract the torque produced by the rotating main blades, no conventional tail rotor is used (the left rotor propeller rotates at a lower speed).

Compared to the starboard installation, it counteracts the inherent torque effects of the main rotor). So instead of wasting energy on the long shaft that powers the tail rotor, it's added to the forward speed output. The tail is smooth and rounded, towards the rearmost end of the aircraft, with a pair of horizontal stabilizers attached.

The landing gear is wheeled for ground operation and fully retractable to maximize aerodynamics.

The X3 is powered by two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 series turboshaft engines, each delivering 2,270 shaft horsepower. These engines turn the five-blade main rotor on the fuselage, as well as a pair of five-blade traction/pull propeller systems mounted on stub wings on either side of the fuselage.

Cruising speeds can reach an impressive 252 mph, while the final estimate for service is capped at 12,500 feet.

Only one prototype of X3 has been completed and used for testing purposes only. Some sources say EADS wants the X3 to be a true production-ready helicopter, not just a technology demo or "proof-of-concept" design. In both cases, the project ended without ever making it to mass production.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

ARMAMENT

VARIANTS