its maximum cruising speed is 398 knots with an approach speed of 137 knots.The Airbus BelugaXL is a cargo plane designed to transport large and major components of Airbus aircraft from various production facilities across Europe to the final assembly sites located in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany. The Beluga XL made its first flight on 19 July 2018, and received its type certification on 13 November 2019. It has the largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft worldwide, which provides 30% extra transport capacity in order to support the on-going production ramp-up of commercial aircraft programmes. The Beluga XL is the successor to the Beluga, or Airbus A300-600ST, which has been in operation since 1995. It will transport gargantuan gear from various production factories in Europe to assembly lines in France, Germany, and China.Enter the XL, the outside cargo version of the A300-600.
At nearly 62 feet high, the XL stands a good six feet taller than the original Beluga. The old Beluga, by comparison, could only carry one such wing. The Beluga XL is the successor to the Beluga. Photo: Dylan Agbagni via Wikimedia Commons
The BelugaXL design was chosen in a vote by Airbus employees. The Airbus BelugaXL which entered service on January 9, 2020 is a large transport aircraft based on the Airbus A330 airliner.
The Airbus Beluga XL (Airbus A330-743L) is a large transport aircraft based on the Airbus A330 airliner. The Beluga XL addresses two issues. Beluga combines outsized cargo-carrying capability with the speed and efficiency of Airbus’s A300-600 airliner. At 63 meters long (seven more than the Beluga 1.0) and 8 meters wide (compared to 7), it has the largest cross-section of any cargo aircraft in the world, full stop. The aircraft, which is an integral part of Airbus’ industrial system, made its first operational flight on 9 January. It enables short transport times for production, and the large main cargo deck minimizes the need for payload breakdown, crating and packaging. It has the largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft worldwide, which provides 30% extra transport capacity in order to support the on-going production ramp-up of commercial aircraft programmes.The BelugaXL’s hold has a maximum diameter of 8.8m and the infrastructure preparations at Airbus facilities include adapting loading-bay doors to accommodate both the -600ST fuselage and that of the XL.All data presented is only indicative and should not be used operationally. Let’s take a closer look at the absolute unit.The XL is powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines and features a lowered cockpit and colossal cargo bay. The plane that made the inaugural XL flight is the first of six that will fly alongside the original Belugas, according to Airbus. It incorporates newly-developed elements including lowered cockpit, a highly-enlarged cargo bay structure, and modified rear and tail section.BelugaXL is capable of flying non-stop to a maximum distance of 2,300 nautical miles (4,260km) up to 35,000 ft service ceiling with a maximum payload capacity of 50,500kg (111,000lb). Its first flight is scheduled on 2018 before 10 months of gathering data during flight necessary for its certification campaign on a 2019 service entry.
For the time being, it will operate alongside the Belugas. With a max payload of 51 tons—the equivalent of seven elephants—a range of 2,200 nautical miles, and a cruising speed of Mach 0.69, the XL is designed to fly more than 4 million miles a year.
The main freight door was attached from mid-November 2017 and the front cargo door was attached in December 2017.The maximum take-off and landing weights of the aircraft are 227,000 kg and 187,000 kg respectively with an empty weight of 127,500 kg.Its design is based on an A330 airliner which provides 30% more capacity than the BelugaST that enables it to carry two A350 XWB wings. The second aircraft will enter final manufacturing process on December 2018 and the other three remaining each following year.The Airbus BelugaXL is powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines; each engine develops a thrust of 71,000 lbf.As enormous as it is, you won’t still be able to travel in it because this aircraft was built as a response to the greater transport and capacity requirements that Airbus expects in the years to come. Its vertical stabilizer is 50% larger; it has auxiliary fins on the horizontal stabilizer and two ventral fins beneath the empennage.The A330-743L cost $197 million as of 2017 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Its main freight door has 24 latches that was built by Stelia Aerospace. The XL’s bubble is six meters longer and one meter wider than the bubble found on the original Beluga aircraft. Plus, it can carry two A350 XWB wings.
First, business is brisk with the Belugas, and the Beluga XL will soak up the excess demand. Because of the ability to accommodate a pair of A350 XWB aircraft wings, the new-generation aircraft will also address the transport capacity needs for the ramp-up of A350 XWB.75% of the first BelugaXL was done with structural assembly on October 2017. The BelugaXL has entered into service, providing Airbus with 30% extra transport capacity in order to support the on-going production ramp-up of commercial aircraft programmes.