An unmanned helicopter powered by a Kawasaki motorcycle engine lifted 200 kg into the air (video)
The Japanese unmanned helicopter K-Racer-X2, which has a motorcycle engine, lifted 200 kilograms of cargo tied to a cable into the air. Tests have proven that the K-Racer-X2 is the heaviest-duty drone developed in Japan today.
This is what New Atlas is talking about.
K-Racer-X2 is a development of the Japanese company Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which it has been working on since 2020. Indistinguishable from conventional helicopters, the K-Racer-X2 has a seven-meter diameter rotor and a gasoline engine that the company also uses in its Kawasaki Ninja H2 motorcycles.
The maximum speed of the drone has not yet been disclosed, but it is known that it can fly about 100 kilometers and spend no more than an hour in the air. The maximum flight altitude with a 100-kilogram load is more than three kilometers, but the company did not specify how far the vehicle climbed with 200 kilograms.
In the tests, the cargo was suspended from a 15-meter cable from the helicopter. And just like flying the K-Racer-X2, no human is needed to unload it – the helicopter has an automatic unloading system that detaches the suspended box as soon as it touches the ground.
The company hopes that this helicopter will be useful for delivering cargo to hard-to-reach regions, including during natural disasters.
