Airbus Beluga

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Beluga

The Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter) or Beluga, is a version of the
standard A300-600 wide-body airliner modified to carry aircraft parts and
oversized cargo. It received the official name of Super Transporter early on;
however, the name Beluga, a whale it resembles, gained popularity and has since
been officially adopted. The Beluga XL, based on the Airbus A330 with similar
modifications and dimensions, is being developed by Airbus to replace the type
around 2020.

Super Guppies grew increasingly unsatisfactory for Airbus's ferrying needs:
their age meant that operating expenses were high and ever-increasing, and
growing Airbus production required greater capacity than could be provided by
the existing fleet. A speedy development program was also necessitated in
order to begin introducing the prospective type in time to take over duties from
the Super Guppy fleet, which was scheduled to draw down in the mid-1990s.

In August 1991, Aérospatiale and DASA, two of the major Airbus partners, formed
a 50/50 joint venture company, Super Airbus Transport International (SATIC),
based in Toulouse, France, to develop a new-build replacement for the Super
Guppy fleet. The selected starting point for the design was the Airbus A300,
leading to the new airframe being designated as the A300-600ST Super
Transporter.

The A300-600ST Beluga shares many design similarities, although substantially
differing in appearance, to the Airbus A300 it was based upon. The wings,
engines, landing gear, and the lower part of the fuselage remain identical to
those used on the conventional A300, while the upper part of the fuselage forms
an enormous horseshoe-shaped structure 7.7 m (25 ft) in diameter. In comparison
with the Super Guppy, the payload was more than doubled and the volume increased
by more than 30 per cent. The General Electric CF6-80C2 turbofan engines used
are slightly uprated from those used on the standard A300 as well. The vertical
stabilizer uses a modified Airbus A340 fin with a 1.12 m (3 ft 8 in) base
extension while the tailplane was strengthened and fitted with auxiliary fins to
maintain directional stability.

To provide access to the cargo area from the front without having to disconnect
all electrical, hydraulic and flight control connections (and also avoiding the
lengthy recalibrations before each flight that reconnection entailed), the
standard A300 cockpit was relocated down below the cargo-floor level. By
relocating the cockpit in this manner, loading times were reportedly halved from
those encountered using the Super Guppy, which had needed to disconnect and
reconnect such systems. Another reason for faster loading times was the adoption
of a roll-on/roll-off loading system, as well as the ability to unload the
aircraft in winds of up to 40 knots. The qualities and improved capabilities of
the Beluga resulted in the costs associated with transporting Airbus components
dropping to only one-third of those achieved by the Super Guppy.

The cockpit of the Beluga is pressurized but the cargo deck is not, making it
inaccessible during flight and unsuitable for cargoes that require a pressurized
environment, such as live animals. However, the cargo deck is fitted with a
heating module to keep the cargo within an appropriate temperature range. On at
least one occasion, a pressurized container has been used for cargo (see
Operational history). The aircraft is operated by a crew of three – two pilots
and a loadmaster.

The main deck cargo volume of the Beluga is greater than that of the C-5 Galaxy
or the Antonov An-124 but still smaller than Antonov An-225. However, it is
restricted by cargo-weight capacity of 47 tonnes, compared to 122.5 tonnes for
the C-5 Galaxy and 150 tonnes for the An-124. Despite this width, the Beluga
cannot carry most fuselage parts of the Airbus A380, which are instead normally
transported by ship and road. The Beluga has been used to transport some A380
components.


Role
Outsize cargo freight aircraft

Manufacturer
Airbus

First flight
13 September 1994

Introduction
September 1995

Status
In service

Primary user
Airbus Transport International

Produced
1992–c.1999

Number built
5

Unit cost

$285 million


Developed from
Airbus A300-600

In January 1996, the Beluga was formally placed into dedicated service, ferrying
components from various aerospace sites to the final assembly lines in Toulouse,
France and Hamburg, Germany. On 24 October 1997, the last of Airbus Industrie's
Super Guppy freighters was retired and its outsize cargo mission from that point
onwards being exclusively performed by the new A300-600ST fleet. In 1997, the
second year of Beluga operations, the fleet accumulated in excess of 2,500
flight hours across more than 1,400 flights. By 2012, the fleet was performing
roughly 5,000 flight hours per year; Airbus expected this figure to double by
2017.

Since entering service, the Beluga has been subject to several infrastructure
upgrades. In 2011, Pau Pyrénées Airport, a site routinely visited by Belugas,
became the first airport in Europe to deploy the European Geostationary
Navigation Overlay Service, which accurately guides the Beluga and other
aircraft during landing. In 2015, a dedicated Beluga loading station was opened
at Hawarden Airport, preventing high winds from disrupting future operations.

In June 1997, a world record was set for the most voluminous payload to be
carried by an aircraft when a Beluga was used to transport a chemical tank for a
merchant vessel from Clermont-Ferrand to Le Havre, France. In February 2003, a
single Beluga performed the farthest distance charter flight ever, having flown
for 25 hours (not including refueling stops) to transport two complete NHI NH90
helicopters along with a single Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter from
Marseille, France to Melbourne, Australia, for the Avalon Airshow.

Specifications (A300-600ST)

General characteristics
Crew: Two
Capacity: 1,400 m3 (49,000 cu ft)
Payload: 47 t (103,616 lb)
Length: 56.15 m (184 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 44.84 m (147 ft 2 in)
Height: 17.24 m (56 ft 7 in)
Aspect ratio: 16.43
Empty weight: 86.5 t (190698 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 155 t (341,713 lb)
Cargo cross-section diameter: 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) in cargo compartment
Maximum landing weight: 140 t (308,644 lb)
Maximum zero fuel weight: 133.5 t (294,314 lb)
Fuel capacity: 23,860 - 34,430 Litres (6,303 - 9,095 US gal)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CF6-80C2A8 turbofan, 25,740 daN (57,866 lbf)
each

Performance
Never exceed speed: Mach 0.70 (404 kn)
Range: 2,779 km (1,500 nmi) with 40 ton payload, 4,632 km (2,500 nmi) with 26
ton payload
Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (10,668 m)





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