New Russian Military Helicopter to Have Top Speed of 400 Kmph

Russia is developing a cutting-edge multipurpose aircraft with the use of a state-of-the-art technology.

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) — Russia is going to build a new military helicopter that will be able to fly at a "revolutionary" speed of 400 kilometers per hour, slightly below the official world record, a Russian source in the military tech industry told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

"The helicopter will have a revolutionary speed of roughly 400 kilometers per hour [248.5 mph; 215.9 knots]. The project is in the R&D phase right now," the source said.

The official speed record for helicopters is 400.87 kmph (249.09 mph), according to the Swiss-based World Air Sports Federation (FAI), which keeps track of aeronautic records. The world record was set by an English demonstration team in 1986.

The tech industry source spoke of an "entirely new class of helicopters," saying it would be an advanced multipurpose aircraft built with a state-of-the-art technology.

"Its cockpit will be equipped with multipurpose displays that show any kind of data at any given time – and not with pointer indicators," the source said, adding there was still no date set for a prototype.

Russia is reportedly allocating large sums to build an advanced high-speed helicopter. A prototype engine is expected to be unveiled by the Klimov design bureau later this year.

Rival aircraft manufacturers – Eurocopter and Sikorsky – are testing prototype models, with the Sikorsky X2 surpassing 460 kmph and Eurocopter X3 featuring slightly lower speed but superior cost-effectiveness.