Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

The Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter), or Beluga, is a specialised wide-body airliner used to transport aircraft parts and outsize cargoes. It received the official name of Super Transporter early on; however, the name Beluga, for a whale it resembles, gained popularity and has since been officially adopted.

The A300-600ST Beluga shares many design similarities, although differing substantially in appearance, to the Airbus A300 upon which it was based. 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% 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 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. The tailplane trim tank was also deleted.

In January 1996, the Beluga formally entered service, ferrying components from various aerospace sites to the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg. On 24 October 1997, the last of Airbus'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

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Airbus A300-600 ST Beluga

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Capacity: 47,000 kg (103,617 lb) typical load
Length: 56.15 m (184 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 44.84 m (147 ft 1 in)
Height: 17.24 m (56 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 260 m² (2,800 sq ft)

Powerplants

Empty weight: 86,500 kg
Max takeoff weight: 155,000 kg
Fuel capacity: 23,860 L (6,303 US gal)
Fuselage external diameter: 7.31 m (24 ft) (including lower fuselage)
Cargo cross-section diameter: 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) in cargo compartment
Cargo hold – volume 1,500 m³, 37.7 m (124 ft) long × 7.04 m wide × 7.08 m
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CF6-80C2A8 turbofan, 257 kN (58,000 lbf) thrust each

Specifications

Maximum speed: Mach 0.7 Maximum Operating Mach – MMO
Range: 2,779 km (1,727 mi, 1,501 nmi) with 40 t (88,000 lb) payload - 4,632 km (2,501 nmi) with 26 t (57,000 lb) payload
Service ceiling: 10,668 m (35,000 ft)

Aircraft of comparable role

Aero Spacelines Super Guppy – Turboprop conversion and enlarged version of outsize cargo carrier Pregnant Guppy
Antonov An-124 Ruslan – Soviet large military transport aircraft
Antonov An-225 Mriya – Soviet/Ukrainian heavy strategic cargo aircraft
Boeing Dreamlifter – Outsize cargo conversion of the 747-400

Special Links Airbus Industries, Airbus A300-600 ST Beluga

Links to Youtube & Others

On 25 January 2022, Airbus announced a service offering outsize cargo transportation using its BelugaST fleet. Airbus Beluga Transport saw additional demand after sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Airbus A300-600 Beluga

In January 1996, the Beluga formally entered service, ferrying components from various aerospace sites to the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg

Youtube Link

Since entering service, the Beluga has been subject to several infrastructure upgrades. In 2011, Pau Pyrénées Airport.

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Airbus A300-600 ST Beluga

Airbus A300-600 ST
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Airbus A300-600 ST Beluga

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