Remember the Kawasaki K-Racer X2? If you need a refresher, it's the latest evolution of Kawasaki Heavy Industry's long-running vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) project.
Introduced earlier in 2024, a key point of interest to RideApart readers is its powerplant, which is a Kawasaki H2R engine. That's right; it's an H2R that flies (well, sort of).
That was way back at the beginning of 2024, though. Now that it's October, what's been going on in K-Racer X2-world? The H2R-powered machine just made an appearance at the Japan Aerospace Exhibition 2024 earlier in October 2024, where Kawasaki concentrated on its potential maritime applications.
In earlier presentations, Kawasaki talked about its potential usefulness for delivering supplies to remote areas, particularly after disasters. But there's clearly more than one way this VTOL could prove useful in the future.
If you need a refresher, here's the test video that Kawasaki posted earlier this year. Be sure to unmute it so you can hear the K-Racer X2 in operation.
Kawasaki's goals for the K-Racer X2 include a flight range of at least 100 kilometers (about 62 miles), capability of operation in areas with altitudes up to 3,000 meters above sea level, and maximum payload capacity of up to 200 kilograms (or just under 441 pounds).
