Back in July last year we reported that Sikorsky was aiming to make their experimental X2 the worldâs fastest helicopter. Now the company has done just that, clocking 260 knots (299 mph) in their demonstrator model and setting a new world speed record for helicopters in the process. The X2, which employs a pair of coaxial rotor systems topsides rather than the single rotor found on most helicopters, easily beat the current official world record of 216.5 knots (249 mph) set by the British built Westland Lynx ZB-500 in 1986. The X2 is roughly twice as fast as Sikorskyâs famed Blackhawk.
The X2âs tail rotor faces backward like the propeller on a boat in order to provide thrust for the aircraft; on helicopters with a single main rotor overhead, the tail rotor is oriented along the main axis of the aircraft provide lateral stability. Even with its unusual design the X2, which features fly-by-wire controls, can maintain superlative low speed handling, efficient hovering, autorotation safety, and a seamless and simple transition to high speed. It will likely be several more years before the X2 is ready to go into production at a cost of several million dollars; we can hardly wait.
