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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 2235.PDF
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT mmmtmiiim-iimwiL Shanghai Aviation Industrial Group of China (SAIC), 2650 ZhongShan Bei Road, Shanghai 200436, China; tcl: +86 (21) 257 3351; fax: +86 (21) 257 3350. SAIC is the prime (Chinese contractor for the TrunkLiner co-production programme with Boeing, under which it is assembling 20 MD- 90-30s for the Chinese market in Shanghai. Chinese industrial participation in the SAIC MD-90 programme involves three Chinese companies producing subassemblies - Xian Aircraft: wing and fuselage sections; Chengdu Aircraft: nose; and Shenyang Aircraft: the empennage and electrical-power svstems. China originally concluded a licensed pro duction deal with MDC in April 1985 which ultimately resulted in some 35 MD-80s being assembled at Shanghai from kits supplied by MDC. The last aircraft was completed and delivered in October 1994. 30 of the aircraft (MD-82 s) were delivered to Chinese operators, with the remaining five (MD-83s) sold back to MDC for onward sale. SAIC also has ten sepa- SATIC rate subassembly contracts for MD-80 compo nents, which it supplies to Long Beach, includ ing landing gear, cargo, service and nose-access doors, horizontal stabiliser and inboard-flap roller-box assemblies. Plans to build an additional 20 MD-82s were scrapped in 1994,with China instead negotiat- ingto buy an interim batch of 20MD-90s direct from the Long Beach plant. Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) is con ducting an intensive marketing effort to place the 20 MD-90 TrunkLiners with Chinese oper ators, the first of which is scheduled for deliver)' in April 1998. As a two-year stopgap work mea sure, an initial twoMD-90sare being assembled in Shanghai from kits supplied by Douglas. In early 1997 McDonnell Douglas (MDC) proposed an MD-80 cargo conversion plan to Aviation Industries of China (AVIC), as part of the supply ofMD-90s to China Eastern and China Northern airlines. The deal involves die trade-in of the carrier's combined fleet of 35 MD-80s which would be converted by AVIC into freighters, using a conversion similar to that used for the DC-9 cargo aircraft operated by US freight specialist, Airborne Express. AVIC, meanwhile, has been working on plans to develop a 100-to 140-seat family of regional jets, dubbed the AirExpress AE-100, in partner ship with Aero International .Asia (consisting of Aerospatiale of France, Italy's Alenia and BAe) and Singapore Technologies Aerospace. The European participation has now been taken over by Airbus Industrie, and for details of the programme, and the project now dubbed AE3IX, see Airbus Industrie Asia/AVIC/Singa- pore Technologies in part one (Flight Inter national, 21 August-2 September, P52). Special Aircraft Transport International, 9 rue Guynemer.Colombiers F31770, France. SATIC A300-600ST "BELUGA" SUPER TRANSPORTER Development of an outsized version of the Airbus A300-600R to carry large aircraft sub assemblies was initiated by Airbus Industrie, which needed a replacement for its ageing fleet of four Aero Spacelines Super Guppy turbo- props employed to ferry subassemblies between Airbus partner plants. The Aerospatiale/Dasa 50:50 consortium Super Airbus Transport International Com pany (SATIC) was selected for the project, with the work carried out at Toulouse. The type is based on new-build A300-600R airframes and has an upward-opening nose-section, 7.4m- diameter fuselage, and a lowered flightdeck structure. An enlarged fin and horizontal-tail end-plates improve directional stability. The aircraft has 400m' greater volume tiian that of the Super Guppy and 22.5t greater payload capacity. The first A300-600ST "Beluga", powered by General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, was flown in September 1994. Certification was awarded in October 1995, after which the first of four air craft was delivered to Airbus. The fourth and final aircraft is due in June 1998. The Beluga is being marketed commercially, with Airbus has set up a division - Airbus Transport International - to operate the Beluga on commercial cargo charters, in between com mitments to the Airbus production schedule. It is estimated that die division could earn up to Si5 million in revenue annually using spare capacity on the fleet, The Beluga is being also marketed as a prod uct in its own right to customers needing out- sized-cargo handling capability. Ordered 4 Delivered 3 Airbus now has three of its planned fleet of four Belugas in service, replacing the ageing Super Guppies Model Dimensions Span (m) Length M Height (m) wing area Engines Landing Accomodation Max gear weights (kg) Track (m) Seats Take-off Wheelbase (ml Pitch Landing Tum Zero radius (m) Abreast fuel Cabin Operating width empty Fuel (Btres) Standard Optional FAR field lengths take-off landing ISA sea-level ISA+20c sea-level ISA 5,000ft ISA +20 c 5,000ft ISA sea-level ISA+20°c sea-level ISA 5,000ft ISA +20 c 5,000ft Speeds (Id) (mach) Vno Vmo Vne Mno Mmo Mne Cruise performance Max cruise Long range speed (kt) speed (kt) Max alt At alt (ft) (ft) Max cruise Long range fuel cons fuel cons (kg/h) (kg/h) Payload details Max (kg) Range with maxn/I(km) Payload with max fuel (kg) range with max fuel A300-600ST Super Transporter (Beluga) 2 x 262kN GE CF680C2A8 turbofan 44.84 9.6 56.16 18.6 17.25 20.6 260 7.4 Held lengths at max weights, speeds. Fuel consumption at max weights 155,000 140,000 133.800 86,500 62.000 1,950 2.100 2,200 2.350 1,176 1,280 1.352 1,450 295 295 355 0.7 0.7 0.77 295 350.000 4.500 47,300 1,666 49,600 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3 - 9 September 1997 51
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