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Airbus Beluga XL Transporter

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Launches development of new Beluga oversize transport aircraft


17 NOVEMBER 2014 PRESS RELEASE

To industrially accompany the A350 XWB ramp-up and other aircraft production rate increases, Airbus took the decision to launch the development and production of five new Belugas.


The new Beluga will be based on the A330 with a large re-use of existing components and equipment. The distinctive looking lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail will be amongst the items which will be newly developed.


The first of the five new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019. The existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, and will be progressively retired through to 2025.


The current Beluga fleet of five aircraft is based on the A300. The "Beluga", is Airbus’ unique method for transporting large aircraft components– between company production sites in Europe. Airbus had already l launched “the Fly 10000” project aiming at doubling the current Beluga capacity by 2017. However the current capacity is limited and the new Beluga fleet will close this capacity gap.

With its flexibility and short transport lead-times, oversize air transport is a cornerstone of Airbus’ industrial operations.



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Rolls-Royce trent 700 engines worth $700m selected for new Airbus Beluga XL transporter

 

 

Thursday, 10 September 2015
Rolls-Royce has been selected by Airbus to provide Trent 700 engines and long-term TotalCare® engine service support, worth $700m for five new Beluga XL air transporter aircraft.
The aircraft will replace the current Airbus Beluga fleet, which is powered by engines from another provider.
The Beluga XL, based on the A330 design, was launched in November 2014 to address the A350 XWB ramp up and the transport capacity requirements for other programmes. Compared to the current Beluga, the Beluga XL will provide Airbus with an additional 30 per cent air transport capacity.
Bertrand George, Airbus Senior Vice-President, Head of Beluga XL programmes, said: "We look forward to the Trent 700 powering this important development in our air transport strategy. The engine has an excellent record on the A330 and is ideally suited to our requirements for this aircraft."
Simon Carlisle, Rolls-Royce, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Future Programmes – Civil Large Engines, said: "We welcome this decision to select an engine that is the clear market leader on the A330 and offers outstanding performance in terms of fuel burn, reliability, emissions and noise."
The Trent 700 has won more than 60 per cent of new orders over the last three years. The Trent 700 now accounts for 90 per cent of A330 freighters in service and on order.
More than 1,500 Trent 700s are now in service or on firm order, making it the largest in-service Trent engine.

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Beluga XL programme achieves design freeze

 

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Progresses to detailed design phase
16 SEPTEMBER 2015 PRESS RELEASE
The new Beluga programme, christened Beluga XL, has successfully passed the latest maturity gate milestone – marking the end of the ‘concept phase’ or design freeze ‘at aircraft level’ which is a key step in any development programme.
The maturity gate review demonstrated that the Beluga XL programme is robust and mature enough to move to the next phase of development, the detailed design phase.
“We are proud of how much we have accomplished, in less than a year after the launch of the programme, with the new and innovative way of working with our suppliers. By working together as a fully integrated team in a single location, we have maximised our efficiency. This milestone paves the way for a successful final assembly start in 2017” said Bertrand George, Head of Beluga XL programme.
The Beluga XL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport capacity requirement to support the A350 XWB ramp-up and other aircraft production rate increases. Based on the A330-200 Freighter with a large re-use of existing components and equipment, the Beluga XL will be powered with Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines. The fleet of five Beluga XL aircraft will provide Airbus with an additional 30 percent extra transport capacity. The first of five Beluga XLs will enter into service in 2019.
Featuring one of the most voluminous cargo holds of any aircraft today, be it civil or military, the current fleet of five A300-600ST Super Transporter (*) aircraft named Beluga, carries complete sections of AIRBUS aircraft, produced at various sites around Europe, to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, Hamburg and Seville.
The fleet of Beluga is operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), an Airbus subsidiary airline.
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Designed for the future: Sizing up Airbus’ new Beluga XL transporter

 

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19 JULY 2016 FEATURE STORY
With development of the new Beluga XL airlifter, Airbus is creating a platform tailored to meet its evolving transport needs in the decades to come – particularly to support future production ramp-ups for the company’s range of modern single-aisle and widebody jetliners.
The Beluga XL programme was launched in November 2014, with this oversized transporter to be utilised for carrying complete sections of Airbus aircraft from different production sites around Europe to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany.
Based on the airframe of the versatile A330 jetliner, a total of five Beluga XL airlifters are to be built, with the first to enter operational service in mid-2019. They will gradually replace the existing fleet of Beluga ST aircraft, which were derived from the shorter-fuselage A300.
“The Beluga XL is really a patchwork,” said Olivier Delmas, Head of Overall Aircraft Design for the programme, in explaining how elements of two A330 jetliner versions are combined for the Beluga XL. “Geometrically, it is the forward part of an A330-200F freighter, with the aft part of an A330-300 variant.”
A large “bubble” airframe section added to the fuselage’s lower portion takes the Beluga XL’s diameter from 5.6 metres for an A330 up to 8.8 metres. The cockpit has been lowered to make space for a main deck with direct cargo loading/unloading capabilities above it.
Delmas explained this approach was chosen because no existing aircraft answered Airbus’ criteria for a new-generation transporter, and it allowed the company to create an aircraft capable of handling its requirements based on the proven, robust A330 jetliner family.
“We needed the cargo hold to be 45-metres long with an internal diameter of 8 metres, and a payload capability of 50 tonnes,” he added. “These dimensions can accommodate fuselage sections and allow us to transport a pair of A350 XWB wings – something we can’t do today by air.”
Increasing the Beluga XL’s volume by 30 percent compared to the existing Beluga ST will make the new airlifter much more cost effective. Further enhancements are to reduce the time needed for unloading, refuelling and reloading the aircraft while making its stopovers at locations across the Airbus production network.
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New but familiar: Airbus’ Beluga XL transporter continues to take shape

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7 OCTOBER 2016 FEATURE STORY
When Airbus’ Beluga XL oversize cargo airlifter enters service, it will have the same visual appeal as its well-loved predecessor – the A300-600ST Super Transporter, more commonly known as the Beluga ST – thanks to the design of its nose and main cargo door.
The whale-like face that earned the original Beluga its nickname is iconic – however it wasn’t always certain this distinctive feature would be carried over to the new-generation Beluga XL, which was launched in 2014 based on Airbus’ highly-versatile A330 jetliner. In contrast, the A300-600ST is derived from the company’s shorter-fuselage A300.
Favourable aesthetics played no major role in the Beluga XL’s “facial” design, rather it was a combination of cost targets and payload and ground infrastructure requirements. "To avoid excessive development costs, we re-use the nose landing gear from our base aircraft, the A330,” said Yael Marion, nose fuselage and main cargo door programme leader at STELIA Aerospace – which is one of the aircraft’s major aerostructure suppliers. “This impacts the cockpit position, which is even lower than on the current Beluga ST.”
This was a real challenge, but Marion is confident his team’s work packages will be ready on time to feed the Toulouse, France final integration line. "There is still some way to go, but we're all proud of our achievements so far," Marion added. "At the end of August 2016, more than 50 per cent of the elementary parts had been built and 15 per cent of the assembly had been completed."
This on-schedule development was underscored by Bertrand George, Head of Beluga XL programme, who said that Beluga XL assembly activity on the final integration line should begin by the end of 2016.
Starting in mid-2019, the Beluga XL will gradually replace the existing five-member Beluga ST fleet – which is used for carrying complete sections of Airbus aircraft from different production sites around Europe to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany. The fleet had 5,000 total flight hours in 2012 and that number is projected to be 10,000 in 2017.
Hervé Demoinet, who is leading the team preparing the Beluga XL for entry into service, noted that the Belugas – both the ST and XL – will play a major role in future production ramp-ups. "Both versions will operate in parallel for a while, but we'll begin phasing out the ST by the end of 2020," he says. "Thanks to the XL's larger volume, we can transport the same capacity with 30 per cent less flight hours."

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From ST to XL: defining the differences between Airbus’ two generations of Beluga aircraft

 

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While Airbus’ new-generation Beluga XL oversized airlifter may resemble its Beluga ST predecessor, several key physical changes will bring additional capabilities to the movement of major aircraft sections and components within the company’s production network.
The Beluga XL, which is based on today’s A330 jetliner, has its enlarged fuselage “bubble” section that is six metres longer and one metre wider than on the Beluga ST – an aircraft derived from Airbus’ earlier-production A300-600.
With this bigger “bubble,” the Beluga XL will be able to carry larger sections of Airbus aircraft between European production sites and to the final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany – including a full wing-set for the A350 XWB’s latest A350-1000 version.
"Payload was the big driver for us,” explained Jean-Marc Passuello – leader of a cross-functional Airbus delivery team responsible for the development of major component assemblies. “We knew what the Beluga XL had to be able to carry, and that meant making some changes.”
“Among the physical differences between the Beluga ST and XL versions is the dorsal fin that connects to the vertical tailplane” added Olivier Maillard, delivery team leader for rear fuselage and dorsal fin. On the Beluga ST, this component is triangular and manufactured as a single part – but to ensure stability for the larger Beluga XL, it was increased in size and produced in three parts with a distinctive “kink” in the diagonal.
According to delivery team leader Guillaume Pages, the need for stability also led to an updated horizontal tailplane. "We had to add a metre to each side using what we call extension boxes, and the auxiliary fins on the outside of the horizontal tailplane are a metre higher than those on the Beluga ST," he said.
Pages’ team also added ventral fins as a completely new feature of the Beluga XL. Located along the bottom of the aft fuselage, they have the same stabilising function as the dorsal fin.
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Airbus employees put a smile on the BelugaXL’s “face”

 

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25 APRIL 2017 FEATURE STORY
Smile, it’s often said, and the world smiles with you. If true, the world will soon find itself grinning ear to ear, but it still won’t match the BelugaXL’s supersized expression of joy.
With the first of five next-generation oversize cargo airlifters slated to enter service in 2019, Airbus asked its employees to select how the A330 Family-based BelugaXL should appear to the world. “The six designs we proposed for consideration by employees respected our brand identity while running from the conventional to the unconventional, even adding a touch of fun,” explained Tim Orr, Airbus’ Head of Branding.
Garnering more than 40 per cent of the employees’ vote, the “Smiling BelugaXL” entry – complete with beluga whale-inspired eyes and a happy grin easily won this competition.
With its bulging upper forward fuselage and enormous cargo area (one of the most voluminous of any aircraft in existence, civil or military), Airbus’ BelugaXL will be plenty recognisable as it is. The addition of a happy face to the distinctly-shaped airframe that gave rise to the iconic aircraft’s name will further reinforce it in the public’s mind and help further develop Airbus’ identity.
“It is amazing how our BelugaXL airlifters foster such enthusiasm,” said Bertrand George, Head of the BelugaXL programme. “I’m extremely proud of working on such an important symbol of our company, and I’m sure my team feels the same about this exciting project. I’m already looking forward to seeing our first BelugaXL emerging from the paint shop and greeting the world with a big smile on its face.”
Airbus’ Beluga fleet is used to transport complete sections of the company’s aircraft among production sites around Europe and to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain.
Built as a replacement for the five current Beluga A300-600ST versions that entered service beginning in 1996 (based on the A300-600 jetliner), the BelugaXLs are derived from the larger and more powerful A330-200, sized at six metres longer, one metre wider, and boasting a payload lifting capacity that is six tonnes greater than their predecessors. As an example of its increased payload capabilities, a BelugaXL will be able to carry two wings for the new widebody A350 XWB instead of a single wing currently accommodated on the BelugaST.
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Seems to be sporting the redesigned flaps canoe that is currently a standard issue on the A330ceo series.

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Meet the gargantuan air freighter that looks like a whale

 

Passenger aircraft are built in sections around the world then assembled in various locations, so how do you transport huge parts like wings and fuselages? Meet the super-transporters - giant planes for giant jobs.
The aircraft being assembled in Hangar L34 at Airbus's Toulouse headquarters is, to put it mildly, an unusual beast.
Where most aircraft have slim, elegant fuselages this one is swollen and bloated, ending in a vast curved dome above the cockpit.
Its wings, despite a span of more than 60m (197ft), seem remarkably short and stubby next to that enormous body.
Overall, it bears a striking resemblance to a whale - and indeed it is named after one. This is the Airbus Beluga XL, a brand new breed of super-transporter.
The company needs aircraft like this to transport major components, such as wings and sections of fuselage, from the factories where they're built to final assembly lines in Germany, France and China.

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