There is no shipping more appropriately named than the Beluga. The specialized cargo aircraft from Airbus might be based on a conventional commercial aeroplane, but having undergone conversion to a cargo aircraft, has an uncanny resemblance to a beluga whale. Then, what's the story behind the Airbus Beluga and its successor, the Beluga XL?

A plane designed to carry aircraft components

Both Boeing and Airbus accept aircraft that were specifically designed and congenital to transport aircraft components to their factories. Both manufacturers are increasingly outsourcing the product of aircraft components to trusted suppliers. But with suppliers located around the world, getting the components from suppliers to the shipping manufacturer in a timely and efficient style becomes an issue. Whereas Boeing has specialized aircraft similar the Dreamlifter, Airbus'south answer is the Beluga.

Airbus has 2 types of aircraft built solely to transport aircraft components. The Beluga and the Beluga XL. The Beluga XL is the contempo successor to the Beluga.

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The Beluga was the precursor to the 40. To the untrained eye, the differences are hard to spot. Photo: Don-VIP via Wikimedia Commons.

The Beluga started flying in 1995. Its proper proper noun is the Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter), and it's based on the A300-600. The Beluga has a cargo hold of 53,000 cubic feet, placing it between the C-5 Milky way and Antonov AN-124 in terms of book capacity. That'south big merely not large enough to transport all the fuselage components for an A380.

At that place are five Belugas in service, plenty for Airbus to build a charter business organization besides transporting their ain shipping components. Ironically, an early Beluga charter client was Boeing!

The successor to the Beluga

The Beluga XL is the successor to the Beluga. For the time existence, information technology will operate aslope the Belugas. The Beluga Xl addresses 2 issues. Kickoff, business is brisk with the Belugas, and the Beluga Twoscore volition soak up the excess demand. 2nd, the Beluga XL is bigger and tin can transport the larger aircraft components that the Beluga cannot.

Over the next few years, as more Beluga XL come online, the older Belugas will gradually be retired from Airbus and sold to external customers.

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Beluga XL MSN1824 fresh out of the Airbus paint shop. Photo: Airbus.

In terms of freight carrying capacity, the XL is a significant step upwards from the original Beluga. The Beluga Twoscore volition have a massive volume chapters of 78,000 cubic feet. That'due south a 47% increase in volume. The Beluga Forty will have a maximum accept-off weight of 227,000 kg, whereas the Beluga has a maximum take-off weight of 155,000 kg. The Beluga XL has a range of 4,300 kilometers when conveying its maximum payload. In contrast, the Beluga has a range of 4,632 kilometers when flying with maximum payload.

The Beluga 40 is now playing a part carrying A350 components

As has been well reported, Airbus is winding downwards A380 product. That negates one of the original bug against the Beluga - that it wasn't capable of carrying the full range of A380 components.

Just zip stays still in aviation. As the A380 declines, the A350 rises. The A350 isn't every bit big equally the A380, just the Beluga XL will still prove handy. The Beluga XL can comport ii A350-1000 wings, whereas the Beluga can just comport one.

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The maiden flight of the Beluga XL last year. Photo: Julien Jeany via Wikimedia Commons.

The first Beluga XL simply entered service in January 2020. It had completed over 200 test flights flying approximately 700 hours. Airbus plans to build six Beluga XLs and have them in the air by 2023.

In the meantime, Airbus might find their over-sized Belugas increasingly in demand. Every bit commercial flights largely ground to a halt, need for cargo flights is holding and even trending up. And as commercial aircraft orders bulldoze up, both versions of the Belugas are proving a bright spot for Airbus.

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