Airbus has began assembly of its new Beluga XL oversize cargo transport plane based on the bigger Airbus A330 widebody airliner platform...
Airbus has began assembly of its new Beluga XL oversize cargo transport plane based on the bigger Airbus A330 widebody airliner platform at company’s production facilities in Toulouse, France.
The Beluga XL will gradually replace the existing fleet of Beluga ST aircraft, which were derived from the legacy A300 airframe.
The Airbus Beluga fleet is used to transport large sections of Airbus aircraft between European production sites and to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany.
The XL version will have 30 percent more volume than the current Beluga XT, along with further enhancements to reduce loading, unloading and refueling time.
The core airframe or the lower fuselage is based on a Airbus A330-200 freighter, that has been structurally reinforced, providing the platform on which the Beluga XL airframe will be built.
A large “bubble” airframe section or the upper fuselage with a diameter of up to 8.8 meters will be integrated to the core airframe.
The cargo hold will be 45 meter long with a payload capacity of 50 tonnes. The modified forward fuselage section with a lowered nose and cockpit, is located below the cargo deck, enabling direct loading/unloading operations.
The first Beluga XL is scheduled to complete maiden flight in 2018. The build-up process into the outsized airlifter will take approximately 12 months per aircraft.
Airbus plans to built five Beluga XL airlifters, with service entry planned from mid-2019.
XL also debuts ventral fins located along the bottom of the aft fuselage to improve stability. It will be powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines.
The fleet of Beluga is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), an Airbus subsidiary airline.
