The MX Aircraft MXS-R (c/n 2, N540XS), flew by Mikaël Brageot during the 2017 edition of the Red Bull Air Race, Lausitzring, September 2017.
The Australian aviation manufacturer MX Aircraft was established in 2001, following the buyout of Giles Aircraft, a company specialised in the design of kit-built aerobatic aircraft.
The first aeroplane developed by the new company was designated MX2. It was a two-seat, all-carbon fibre, high-performance aerobatic aircraft. The MX2 was characterised by its excellent manoeuvrability and its ability to combine the capabilities of an aerobatic aeroplane with the comfort of cross-country flying.
Shortly afterwards, the MX2 evolved into a completely new aircraft – the single-seat, unlimited-performance aerobatic aeroplane known as the MXS. According to the company, the development process placed special emphasis performance and agility.
The MXS is a low-wing monoplane made of carbon fibre and composite materials. The aircraft is powered by a Lycoming AEIO-540EXP air-cooled, six-cylinder engine that generates between 250 and 380 hp depending on the specifications. As a high-performance aircraft, the MXS is capable of sustaining -/+14 g and has a roll rate of 420° per second.
Pilots flying the MXS have achieved a strong record of success. The aeroplane has won the US National Aerobatic Championships, the 4-Minute Freestyle competition and the Eric Müller Trophy.
The MXS-R variant of the aircraft, featured in our Photo of the Week series, is a special racing version of the aerobatic design.
The aeroplane was widely used during the first series of the Red Bull Air Race (RBAR) World Championships. It entered the competition in 2009 and was flown by Péter Besenyei, Nigel Lamb, Alejandro Maclean, Sergey Rakhmanin, Matt Hall and Adilson Kindlemann.
In 2014, the second series of the RBAR began. The MXS-R aeroplanes could be seen in all editions of that second series, flown by Matt Hall and Nigel Lamb during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, and then by Mikaël Brageot in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Brageot, known as the youngest-ever pilot to fly for the French national aerobatic team, won the RBAR Challenger Class in 2015. Two years later, the French pilot made his Master Class debut, being the only competitor to fly with the MXS-R (as all other pilots flew the Zivko Edge 540). Brageot’s aircraft also stood out thanks to its attractive, vintage-style, military-inspired livery.
At the end of the 2017 season, Brageot finished in tenth place. The following year, he ranked fourth and completed the 2019 – partially cancelled – season in eighth place.
