Eurocopter X-3
The Airbus Helicopters X3 was a hybrid helicopter demonstrator with a conventional main rotor and two small propellers mounted on short wings. The propellers provided forward thrust, allowing the X3 to exceed 250 knots while the rotor continued to provide lift. Unlike a tiltrotor, its rotor never tilts forward. The project set a helicopter speed record in 2013 and helped inform later high-speed rotorcraft research.
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Did you know?
Unlike a tiltrotor, the X3's main rotor never tilts forward; instead, two wing-mounted propellers pushed it past 250 knots.
Specifications
| Length | 13 m (43 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 15.2 m (50 ft) |
| Height | 3.5 m (11 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 13 m (43 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 10 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Range | 400 NM (741 km) |
| Maximum speed | 255 kt (472 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft (3,658 m) |
| Rate of climb | 5,500 ft/min (27.9 m/s) |
| Engines | 2x Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 |
| Units built | 1 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Eurocopter X-3 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Eurocopter, the X-3 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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