Yesterday, EADS subsidiary Eurocopter showed off its X3 high-speed compound helicopter concept demonstrator to a host of reporters (yours truly included), foreign military attaches and diplomats at a local Washington-area regional airport in Manassas, Va.
Read the full story hereHere is a video of the aerial display--which was similar to the show the aircraft put on in Paris last year. It's in two parts-the take-off and the rest of the flight.
The company is hoping that the Pentagon will pick the concept for further development as part of its nascent Future Vertical Lift program. Hoping to further that goal, the aircraft will be on static display at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The aircraft is fast-it has already achieved 232 knots in level flight and 242 knots in a decent. It will probably go faster still.
Last year, Sikorsky displayed its X-2 concept demonstrator in a similar manner. The X-2 reached about 260 knots when it was still flying.
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