This gigantic whale-shaped plane is capable of transporting parts of other planes

When the airline company Airbus began to have problems transporting aircraft parts from one continent to another, it had to find a quick solution. to this solution technological They baptized it as Beluga XL, a 127-ton aircraft that can perform the assigned task and also resembles a whale.

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The Beluga XL construction began in 2014 on a platform that already existed: that of the A330 aircraft. According to Xataka, “The idea of ​​the engineers was, literally, cut the plane in half. While the lower part retained the original fuselage, the upper part received new panels that They shaped a huge cargo hold and gave the plane the appearance of a whale.”.

The plane weighs 127 tons empty, It has a length of 63.1 meters and a height of 18.9 meters. In addition, it is capable of loading up to 51 tons and has a range of 4,000 kilometers.

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Different parts of the plane were built in different countries. According to Aerospace Technology, the cabin, the main cargo doors and the nose, were made in France, under the signature Stelia Aerospace.

On the other hand, the upper rear panels were made in Spain and the Trent 700 turbofan engines in the United Kingdom. Once finished, they all flew to the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France to start the assembly.

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Were 1,000 engineers who dedicated themselves to the union of all parties to give life to the Beluga XL. By 2019, the plane had its first ground tests for months and they also trained the pilots in simulators. On July 19, he made his first flight in front of company executives, such as the international press.

The aircraft is currently operated by two pilots and has been part of Airbus Transport since January 9, 2020. It continues to carry out the transport of different aviation parts in different parts of Europe.

Source: Elcomercio

James

I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years and have written for various news outlets. I currently work as an author at 24 News Recorder, mostly covering entertainment news. I have a keen interest in the industry and enjoy writing about the latest news and gossip. I am also a member of the National Association of Journalists.