Kawasaki has unveiled its latest aerial vehicle, which is equipped with the 998 cc engine found in a Kawasaki H2R. The H2R is a very famous motorcycle, partly because it’s supercharged and partly because of the numbers it produces – 330 hp being its main feature
That’s impressive power for a motorcycle, but what about a helicopter, or more specifically, a helicopter without a pilot?
Well, it’s enough to lift 200 kg at sea level (or 100 kg at 3,100 m above sea level), as Kawasaki proves in its recent video presentation of the new vehicle, which does indeed look – at least to our unskilled eyes – quite similar to a helicopter. This means that you could almost raise a… Kawasaki H2R, with an engine identical to yours. Or you could take the engine out of the H2R, put it in the drone (called the K-Racer-X2) and lift the rest of the bike with its own engine. Useful, for example, if you come across a large hill with no roads.
The use of a four-cylinder in-line engine makes the K-Racer-X2 sound a little different from a normal helicopter, although its constant operating speed while in the drone makes it a little less appealing. After all, perhaps the best place for a motorcycle engine is on a motorcycle?
The K-Racer project – which stands for “Kawasaki Researching Autonomic Compound to Exceed Rotorcraft” (which is, of course, exceptionally catchy) – was originally announced in 2021, with the basic idea of simplifying the logistics of getting supplies to people in remote and mountainous regions, many of which are in Japan. Currently, autonomy is an issue – Kawasaki reckons that the K-Racer-X2 has an autonomy of approximately one hour.