Airbus has unveiled its helicopter-plane hybrid vehicle, dubbed the Racer, to the public for the first time.

The Racer combines a unique architecture comprised of both a helicopter rotor and fixed wing and propulsive propellers to allow it to take off vertically and fly fast like an aeroplane at speeds of more than 400 km/h.

Airbus demonstrated the capabilities of the aircraft to partners in its Clean Sky 2 research project in France’s southern port city of Marseille.

The hybrid-electrical eco-mode system allows one of the two Aneto-1X engines to be paused while in cruise flight to cut CO2 emissions. When one engine is not operating, the Racer flies slightly slower but cuts fuel consumption by about 20%. The performance of the wings is also optimised in all phases of flight, thanks to the use of flaps placed on the trailing edge, which allow them to provide around 40% of the total lift.

The aircraft includes what Airbus describes as an “innovative engine power management” system, as well...