Airbus A300-600ST Beluga
Also known as A300 Beluga, A300-600ST, Beluga, Airbus Beluga, Airbus A300F4-600ST, Airbus A300F4-608ST, A300-608ST, A300F4-608ST
1994 outsize cargo aircraft
Key facts
- Type
- Oversized freight aircraft
- Manufacturer
- Airbus
- Status
- In limited service
- Primary user
- Airbus Transport International
- Manufactured
- 1992– c. 1999
- First flight
- 13 September 1994 ; 31 years ago ( 1994-09-13 )
- In service
- September 1995
- Developed from
- Airbus A300-600
- Developed into
- Airbus BelugaXL
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official website
- www.airbus.com/aircraft/freighter/beluga.html
Article
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, but its nickname, after the beluga whale, which it resembles, gained popularity and has since been officially adopted.
Due to Airbus's manufacturing facilities being dispersed, the company had a long term need to transport sizeable components, such as wings and fuselage sections, to their final assembly lines. This had been met by a small fleet of Aero Spacelines "Super Guppies", but these aircraft were aged and increasingly maintenance-intensive to keep in operation. While several different existing aircraft were studied, none were found to be fully satisfactory. Instead, the company came to favour developing a derivative of its standard A300-600. In August 1991, a new joint venture company, Super Airbus Transport International (SATIC), was formed to pursue the venture.