The Airspeeder racing series has announced its crewed flying racing vehicle following previous development of remotely controlled uncrewed devices. Airspeeder had as its first event a drag race between two of those in November 2021 and last year ran two further demonstration races for them. The crewed racing series is due to commence in 2024.
The crewed vehicle is known as the Airspeeder Mk4 and like its uncrewed predecessors it is an electrically powered vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) machine. Whereas the early uncrewed vehicles were quadcopters, the Mk4 has, like the uncrewed Mk3, eight propellers. All have been developed by a company known as Alauda Aeronautics based in Adelaide, Australia.
The Mk3, of which the Mk4 is a development, has successfully completed over 350 test flights. With sophisticated aerodynamics and a cutting edge propulsion system the Mk4 has a 950 kg maximum take off weight and a projected range of 300 km while exploiting a top speed of 360 kph, which can be obtained in only 30 seconds from a standing start.
Underpinning those impressive claims is a 1000 kW hydrogen powered turbogenerator dubbed the Thunderstrike and specifically developed for use in an eVTOL. In essence this will exploit a supply of onboard hydrogen to spin a generator that in turn feeds the batteries powering in craft’s motors. Thus the Mk4 is a series hybrid.
The generator includes a 3D-printed combustor using technology developed for the space industry. This device is said to keep the hydrogen flame temperature relatively low, reducing nitrous oxide emissions.
Alauda Aeronautics notes that “most eVTOLs steer using tilt-rotors, which are simply positioned vertically for take-off and landing and horizontally while cruising. In contrast, the Mk4 manoeuvres using a unique gimballed thrust system, whereby an Artificial Intelligence (AI) flight controller individually adjusts four rotor pairs mounted on lightweight 3D printed gimbals.”
This gimballed thrust technology will, according to Alauda Aeronautics, make the Airspeeder “not only fast in a straight line, but also able to manoeuvre with the incredible precision essential in close-action racing. In fact, it handles less like a multicopter and more like a jet fighter or a Formula One racing car”.