The BelugaXL airlifter brings a “smile” to Airbus’ production network

The successful first flight of Airbus’ BelugaXL oversize airlifter marks an important milestone in further enhancing the company’s industrial network to support its production output – including the ramp-up in assembly rates for single-aisle and widebody commercial jetliners.

With an instantly recognisable livery – featuring a whale-type smile that was chosen by Airbus employees in a vote that attracted almost 21,000 participants – the no. 1 BelugaXL’s 19 July maiden takeoff initiated a 10-month, 750-flight hour certification campaign that will use two of the highly modified derivates of Airbus’ A330-200 freighter.

"The aircraft behaves really well in flight," said Christophe Cail, Airbus Chief Test Pilot and captain for the four-hour, 11-minute first flight from the company’s Toulouse, France headquarters site. "It's impressive how close the BelugaXL’s performance is to what we experienced in the ground-based flight simulators. First flights take a lot of preparation and we are just the tip of the iceberg, so ‘thank you’ to the entire team. It's only together that we can make it fly."

The BelugaXL has 30 percent more capacity than Airbus’ current Beluga ST airlifters.

As the replacement for Airbus’ current Beluga ST airlifters – which were derived from earlier-production A300-600 jetliners – the BelugaXL features a fuselage that is seven metres longer and an enlarged upper fuselage that is one metre wider.

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. Additionally, the BelugaXL’s 30 percent extra capacity compared to the Beluga ST provides potential to meet ramp-up needs in meeting the global customer demand for Airbus single-aisle and widebody jetliners.

Once in service, the fleet of five BelugaXLs will replace the similar number of Beluga A300-600 ST airlifters operated by Airbus Transport International – Airbus' fully-owned oversize transport subsidiary. Each aircraft will perform between 900 and 1,000 flights per year, logging some 1,700 to 1,800 hours annually in servicing 11 line stations at locations across the company’s European industrial network.

The initial BelugaXL to enter operation in 2019 with Airbus Transport International will be the second-built aircraft, followed by two BelugaXLs during 2020, and one each in 2021 and 2022 – enabling the Beluga STs to be retired during the 2021-2023 timeframe.

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. 

El primer Airbus BelugaXL pasa la prueba de vibración en suelo

El nuevo avión de transporte está un paso más cerca de su primer vuelo en este verano de 2018

El primer BelugaXL ha pasado la prueba de vibración terrestre (GVT, Ground Vibration Test), un requisito para la certificación de la aeronave que allana el camino hacia su primer vuelo en el verano de este 2018.

El objetivo de esta prueba es medir el comportamiento dinámico de la aeronave y confirmar modelos teóricos en varias condiciones de vuelo; como maniobras, vuelos bajo diferentes condiciones de vientos y aterrizaje. Los datos de prueba también ayudan a obtener información sobre la envolvente de vuelo.

La GVT del BelugaXL fue realizada por ONERA en colaboración con DLR durante ocho días de prueba, utilizando para ello varios cientos de acelerómetros externos mientras el avión era estimulado por vibradores externos o excitadores sísmicos.

El BelugaXL se lanzó en noviembre de 2014 para abordar la capacidad de transporte y aceleración de la misma en vistas a las necesidades de Airbus más allá del 2019. 

Los nuevos transportes aéreos de gran tamaño se basan en el A330-200 Freighter, reutilizando gran parte de los componentes y equipos existentes. El primero de los cinco aviones BelugaXL volará este verano y entrará en servicio en 2019.