Beluga XL

Airbus has awarded a $700m contract to Rolls-Royce to provide Trent 700 engines for five new Beluga XL air transporter aircraft.

The agreement also includes long-term TotalCare engine service support for the cargo jets.

Airbus senior vice-president, Beluga XL programmes head Bertrand George said: "We look forward to the Trent 700 powering this important development in our air transport strategy.

"The engine has an excellent record on the A330 and is suited to our requirements for this aircraft."

Launched in November 2014, the Beluga XL is based on the A330 design. It will serve the A350 XWB ramp-up and transport capacity requirements of other programmes.

"The engine has an excellent record on the A330 and is suited to our requirements for this aircraft."

The aircraft will feature increased dimensions of 1m-wide and 6m-long, compared with the existing Belugas in operation. It will expand Airbus’ industrial air transport capability by 30%.

The new Beluga fleet will replace the existing aircraft, which will gradually retire by 2025.

Rolls-Royce strategy and future programmes – civil large engines executive vice-president Simon Carlisle said: "We welcome this decision to select an engine that is the clear market leader on the A330 and offers outstanding performance in terms of fuel burn, reliability, emissions and noise."

So far, the company’s Trent 700 has logged more than 60% of new orders over the last three years, and more than 1,500 engines are in service or on firm order.

The latest contract comes after Airbus selected Ascent Aerospace for Beluga XL’s final assembly system.

Stelia Aerospace, Aernnova, Deharde, P3 Voith Aerospace, and Aciturri were also awarded contracts to supply aero-structures for the transport aircraft, including fuselage, main cargo door, dorsal fin, and fuselage of the cargo bay.

Image: Beluga XL oversize aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Rolls-Royce plc.