Service entry: the BelugaXL supports Airbus’ production ramp-up with a “smile”

here’s a new shape in the sky as the next-generation BelugaXL begins regular operations in facilitating Airbus’ production ramp-up across the company’s commercial aircraft programmes.

The initial BelugaXL – featuring a livery with distinctive whale-type smile – was delivered for operation in December, and it entered service earlier this month. Ultimately, six of the highly modified twin-engine A330 airliners will operate from 11 destinations in Europe, providing Airbus with additional transport capacity as these oversize cargo airlifters gradually replace the five Beluga ST prececessors – which are derived from the company’s cornerstone A300 aircraft. All Beluga operations are managed by Airbus Transport International (ATI), an Airbus subsidiary.

According to Philippe Sabo, ATI’s Head of Oversize Air Transport, the BelugaXL’s service entry represents a step-change in the way aircraft components are transported across Europe.

“With 30% more capacity than the existing Beluga ST, it really will help us to better support the production ramp-up for A350 XWBs and the single-aisle A320 Family,” explained Sabo. “And its high-speed cargo loading system means we can significantly reduce turnaround times – something which is key to achieving our targets.”

Enhancing Airbus’ production network

The BelugaXL’s greater size enables the new-generation airlifter to accommodate a set of A350 XWB wings, for example, speeding up their transport from the Broughton, UK production site to the programme's final assembly line in Toulouse. The aircraft also can carry the A350 XWB's largest fuselage section with room to spare.

“We are really impressed with the aircraft,” Sabo added. “The way it behaves is fantastic and I particularly like the livery – it feels like the aircraft is looking at me when I’m close to it!”

ATI will operate a combined ST/XL fleet until mid-2023 as the remaining five BelugaXLs enter service. Airbus’ programme, customer support, engineering and ATI teams will work together in supporting the start of operations and subsequent ramp-up, with a second BelugaXL to be delivered in mid-2020, followed by a third in early 2021.

Air transport is Airbus’ primary method for moving large aircraft components across its European production network – including sites in France, Germany, Spain and the UK – which is complemented by the company’s use of road, rail and sea.

Airbus BelugaXL enters service, adding XL capacity to the fleet

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.

The aircraft, which is an integral part of Airbus’ industrial system, made its first operational flight on 9 January. This is the first of six BelugaXL to begin work alongside the BelugaST predecessors, with the additional aircraft being introduced between 2020 and 2023.

Launched just over five years ago, in November 2014, the entry into service milestone marks yet another successful achievement for the internal aircraft programme that was awarded Type Certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in November 2019, following an intensive flight test campaign that saw the BelugaXL complete more than 200 flight tests, clocking over 700 flight hours.

At 63 metres long and 8 metres wide, the BelugaXL has the largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft worldwide. The BelugaXL can carry two A350 XWB wings compared to the BelugaST, which can only carry one. With a maximum payload of 51 tonnes, the BelugaXL has a range of 4,000 km. (2200nm).

The BelugaXL is based on an A330-200 Freighter, enabling the re-use of existing components and equipment, and is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. The lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail were newly developed jointly with partners, giving the aircraft its distinctive look.



The BelugaXL is the latest addition to Airbus’ transportation portfolio. While air transport remains the primary method for transporting large aircraft components, Airbus also uses road, rail and sea transport to move parts between its production sites. Like the BelugaST, the aircraft will operate from 11 destinations in Europe, continuing to strengthen industrial capabilities and enabling Airbus to deliver on its commitments.

Lächeln! BelugaXL arrives at Airbus’ Bremen site for the first time

The no. 1 aircraft in Airbus’ new-generation airlifter fleet brought a big smile (“lächeln” in German) to the company’s Bremen industrial facility

Touching down in Germany for the first time on 14 November, the BelugaXL will remain at this major Airbus site while performing loading and unloading tests as part of the airlifter’s validation and certification process.

Aboard the aircraft for its milestone landing at Bremen Airport-City were Airbus pilots Karl-Heinz Mai and Bernardo Saenz-Benito, joined by flight test engineers Jean-Michel Pin and Philippe Foucault, as well as loadmaster Jean-Paul Tarantola.

As the first of five upsized transporters to carry complete sections of Airbus aircraft from different production sites around Europe to the company’s final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany, the BelugaXL is a highly modified version of the Airbus A330 freighter variant.

The BelugaXL’s flight test campaign was initiated with the no.1 aircraft’s maiden flight on July 19, 2018 from Airbus’ Toulouse, France headquarters operation. Once all tests are completed and certification is granted, BelugaXLs will begin regular operations starting late next year. The five airlifters will gradually replace a similar number of Beluga STs, which are derived from the smaller A330-600 jetliner version and have been in service since 1995.

Bremen is well-prepared to welcome the BelugaXL. The unloading facility for Belugas at this Airbus industrial site was adapted to the new aircraft’s size, and the loading hangar has been equipped with a new rolling shutter door that completely encloses the front fuselage during the loading process.

On its way to Bremen, the BelugaXL performed a fly-past of the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany, which also will become regular stopover in the airlifter’s transportation rotations. Additionally, it overflew Airbus’ plant in the German city of Stade.

The no. 1 BelugaXL is easily recognizable by its smiling “face,” which reinforces the aircraft’s resemblance to a Beluga whale.



With a length of 63 metres, the BelugaXL is approximately seven metres longer than its Beluga ST predecessor and incorporates a highly-enlarged cargo bay structure and modified rear and tail section. The BelugaXL fleet will increase Airbus’ air transport capacity for the company’s industrial network by about 30%.

AIRBUS Transport International - Beluga XL - F-WBXL

Alain Charpentier - tls

BELUGA XL - F-WBXL

 

       

       

       

Paul Bannwarth - TLS

First BelugaXL successfully completes maiden flight

The first of five BelugaXL aircraft to fly has landed at Toulouse-Blagnac, France at 14:41 hrs local time after successfully completing its first flight lasting four hours and 11 minutes.

The crew in the cockpit on board this flight comprised: Captain Christophe Cail, Co-Pilot Bernardo Saez-Benito Hernandez and Test-Flight Engineer Jean Michel Pin. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real-time at the flight-test-engineer’s (FTE) station were Laurent Lapierre and Philippe Foucault.

Following the first flight, the BelugaXL will undergo some 600 hours of flight test over 10 months to achieve Type Certification and entry into service later in 2019.

The BelugaXL programme was launched in November 2014 to address Airbus’ transport capacity requirements in view of the A350 XWB ramp-up and Single-Aisle production rate increases. Five aircraft will be built between 2019 and 2023 to gradually replace the five BelugaST.

The aircraft will operate from 11 destinations as Airbus’ method of transporting large aircraft components.

Based on an A330-200 Freighter, the BelugaXL is powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines. The lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail were newly developed jointly with suppliers, giving the aircraft its distinctive look.





#BelugaXL

Putting a smile on the BelugaXL’s face

Airbus’ next-gen oversize cargo airlifter receives its colours ahead of a history-making first flight this summer

Airbus’ first BelugaXL is “all smiles” after rolling out from the paint shop in Toulouse, France, where this next-generation oversize cargo airlifter received its distinctive livery – which features beluga whale-inspired eyes and an enthusiastic grin.

With a bulging upper forward fuselage and enormous cargo area, Airbus’ BelugaXL already is highly recognisable. The addition of a cheerful face to the distinctly-shaped airframe will further reinforce it in the public’s mind. The unconventional paint scheme was selected by Airbus employees in a company-wide vote conducted last year.

The BelugaXL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for Airbus beyond 2019. Derived from the freighter version of Airbus’ A330-200 jetliner, the BelugaXL is six metres longer, one metre wider and has a payload lifting capacity four-tonnes-greater than the current Beluga A300-600ST.

Preparing for service entry

To be operated by the Airbus Transport International (ATI) subsidiary, the fleet of five BelugaXLs will take over transporting complete sections of Airbus aircraft among the company’s production sites around Europe and to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain.

The paint shop rollout is another major milestone as Airbus’ first BelugaXL concludes a comprehensive ground testing phase – including a total of 72 specific evaluations required prior to the aircraft’s maiden flight. This included the heavy ground test phase, which focused on introducing loads into the highly modified airframe, followed by an eight-day ground vibration campaign that wrapped up earlier this month.

Scheduled for July, the BelugaXL’s upcoming maiden flight will kick off a 10-month flight test certification campaign leading to planned service entry in 2019.

Heavy ground testing puts Airbus’ BelugaXL on track for first flight

In preparation for its upcoming maiden flight, Airbus’ first BelugaXL is now in its heavy ground test phase – which focuses on the highly modified airframe for this next-generation oversize cargo airlifter.

According to ground test project leader Mathieu Laemle, a total of 72 development and certification ground tests must be performed before the BelugaXL’s high-profile first flight, which is planned for this summer. “With more than 48 tests already completed, we are on time,” he added. “The big challenge was to be able to anticipate or modify the test scheduling so as not to impact final assembly.”

Airbus has succeeded in keeping things on track thanks to early analysis of the requirements and excellent multidisciplinary collaboration between the design office, laboratories, tests and programme teams.

Intensive testing for the BelugaXL

Heavy ground tests started with the team weighing the no. 1 BelugaXL at “pitch zero” and then at “pitch nine,” lifting the aircraft’s nose by 3.5 metres to determine the empty weight centre of gravity. Next, they performed the standard loads and horizontal tailplane tests, which were followed by separate evaluations involving the dorsal fin and vertical tailplane.

The heavy ground test phase involves carrying out tests on the aircraft that would usually be conducted on a static cell. “It is unusual for us to perform tests like load calibration using the generalised finite element method of analysis on an aircraft which will fly, as we usually use a dedicated clean aircraft without any systems inside,” explained BelugaXL aircraft configuration leader Arnaud Puyo.

With the loads calibration test campaign completed, the team then began ground vibration testing performed in conjunction with the French ONERA aerospace research centre and DLR, the German aerospace research centre. The eight-day ground vibration campaign, which began 28 May, saw the BelugaXL tested while both empty and fully loaded. The activity required one week of intensive preparation during which the aircraft was put on pneumatic suspension and special shakers were installed to make it move.

The team identified 30 different locations for the 80-kg. shakers and during tests lasting two-to-three hours, sensors inside and outside the aircraft measured the structure’s response. Vibration data from the test are used in validating and improving structural dynamic models for the aircraft.

Looking ahead

With the ground vibration tests now complete, subsequent steps ahead of the aircraft’s maiden flight include validating the flight test instrumentation and applying the BelugaXL’s special “smiling” livery.



Starting in mid-2019, the BelugaXL 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.

First BelugaXL transporter rolls off assembly line

This next-generation super transporter is one of the largest aircraft in existence

The first structurally complete airframe for the new BelugaXL rolled out from its assembly hangar in Toulouse, France this month. Once operational, a fleet of these next-generation airlifters will be used to transport completed sections of Airbus aircraft among the company’s European production sites and to its final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain.

The BelugaXL is one of the most voluminous aircraft in existence, and everything about it speaks to that fact. With a bulging upper forward fuselage and enormous cargo area, the BelugaXL is hardly recognizable as the outsized airlifter version of the Airbus A330-200 jetliner from which it is derived. “We have the A330 as a foundation,” said Bertrand George, head of the BelugaXL programme, “but many changes have been successfully designed, introduced into the aircraft and tested. Transforming an existing product into a super transporter is not a simple task.”

This initial BelugaXL is expected to be flying by mid-2018. “The whole team is really looking forward to seeing its first flight and, of course, its smiling livery,” said George, referring to the supersized smile that will be painted across the ‘face’ of the transporter, the winning design of six options presented to Airbus employees for a vote in early 2017.

Ground testing for the No. 1 BelugaXL before first flight

Before that can happen, the aircraft will undergo a months-long battery of tests after installation of its two jet engines, ensuring each of the BelugaXL’s systems function as intended. All the while, said George, “We will perform bench tests in Toulouse and Hamburg, Germany – testing our systems on flight simulators and in laboratories” as well as using hydraulic jacks to simulate flight loads on full-scale copies of specific joints between the new upper bubble and A330’s lower fuselage.

“The data from these tests will be used to clear the aircraft for flight and, later on, to attain type certification,” the official pronouncement of the aircraft’s safety and airworthiness, said George.

While the first structurally complete BelugaXL moves into its testing phase, the second A330 to be converted into a BelugaXL arrived on schedule in Toulouse to begin its integration process. George noted that with lessons learned from the production of the first transporter, the assembly time for the second is expected to be about two months shorter.

The BelugaXL programme was launched in November 2014 to address Airbus’ increasing transport requirements. At six metres longer, one metre wider and with a payload lifting capacity six tonnes greater than the BelugaST transporter version it is replacing, the BelugaXL will be able to transport both wings of the A350 XWB jetliner at once, instead of the single wing currently accommodated on the BelugaST. All told, five BelugaXLs are scheduled to enter service for Airbus’ airlift needs.

BelugaXL hits the road

First large sections road convoy reaches final assembly hangar in Toulouse

Toulouse, 12 April 2017 – The first large sections of Airbus’ next generation new transport aircraft, the BelugaXL, have arrived at the aircraft Final Assembly facility (L34) in Toulouse.
Following a five night long road convoy from Aernnova’s factory in Berantevilla, north eastern Spain, the panels (two laterals, one central) are required to complete the rear section of the BelugaXL.

Together with further work packages built by various other partners, the sections will eventually form the first BelugaXL. The design concept of the aircraft is similar to the current Beluga with the cargo bay structure, the aircraft’s rear-end and tail being some of the sections newly developed.

The BelugaXL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for Airbus beyond 2019. The new oversize air transporters are based on the A330-200 Freighter, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment. The first of five BelugaXLs will fly mid-2018 and enter into service in 2019.

Airbus Beluga XL production starts

The first cut of the Beluga XL MSN001 rear fuselage has been successfully achieved in Spain, paving the way for the final assembly to begin in early 2017. MSN001 will be the first Beluga XL to fly.

The rear fuselage, produced by Aernnova, will be the first part to be delivered to the Beluga Final Assembly Line in Toulouse. The Beluga XL entry into service is planned in mid-2019.

The Beluga XL was launched in November 2014 to address the transport capacity requirements in view of 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.