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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 2366.PDF
AIRTRANSPORT IMi'K'i'Vtt'Kitt'ilittiil'lfr A340-500/600 changes compared to A340-300 A340-300 1m fin tip extension and10% chord extension A340-600 Three frame (1.6m) wing box extension/ fuselage plug Tapered wing insert 1.6m wingtip extensions New larger tailplane 5.87m (eleven frames) fuselage plug Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines 3.2m (six frames) fuselage plug FLIGHT Dimension Overall Length Wingspan Height Wing area Maximum takeoff Maximum landing Operating empty Maximum payload -500 67.8m 63.5m 17.8m 437m2 365t 236t 170.4t 43.3t -600 75.3m 63.5m 17.8m 437m: 365! 254t 177t 55.8t Dimension Fuel capacity -500 213,120litres -600 195,620litres Powerplant Rolls-Royce Trent 553 Trent 556 Thrust 53.0001b 56,0001b Three class 313 380 One class 440 485 Optimum cruise speed Mach 0.83 Mach 0.83 Maximum cruise speedMach 0.86 Mach 0.86 early 1996, followed by two more during 1997. A fifth will take place during the Farnborough air show this month. Around 15 airlines are usu ally represented, including both existing and prospective customers. One of the first focus group-inspired changes was the decision to study a larger, 20-frame (10.6m) stretch of the A340, says vice-president marketing Colin Stuart. "Then British Aero space came up with a modified wing solution incorporating an insert and providing 20% more area," says Brown. CAPACITY AND RANGE The 20-frame stretch, combined with larger wing and higher thrust engines "... provided die best balance of capacity and range", says Stuart. Dubbed the A340-600, the new model can carry some 380 passengers over similar ranges to those of the A340-300. At about the same time, Airbus also began examining a model slightly larger than the 2 95-seat A34O-300, but with the -600's bigger wing and engines. The outcome is the ultra-long-range 313-seatA340-500. General Electric signed a six-month exclu sive agreement in April 1996 to study the devel opment of a new engine for die stretched A340. By now, Airbus was looking for an engine in the 50,000/60,0001b-thrust bracket. The talks fell Range 15,750km (313 pax) 13,900km (380 pax) Source Airbus Industrie through in early 1997 when die two organisa tions could not agree on key issues, including commercial terms. After considering an offer from Pratt & Whitney, Airbus selected Rolls- Royce to provide its Trent 500 - a derivative of the Trent 700/800 - announcing die agreement at the Paris air show in June 1997, when the A340-500/600 programme also received the commercial go-ahead. Aldiough the deal widi R-R is effectively exclusive in die medium term, P&Wcontinues to discuss die possibility offer ing an engine of the PW4000 on the A340- 500/600 with Airbus. The Trent 500 will be offered at dirust ratings between 5 2,0001b and 60,0001b. It incorporates •tfc«*<,l,W.;,mfa».lAIJ:IIIA»UMm<EBMi Orders Options -500 -600 -500 -600 Total Air Canada 2 3 10 15 Egyptair Emirates* 6 Eva Air 6 Lufthansa Singapore Airlines 5 Swissair Virgin Atlantic Total 19 2 10 9 8 32 6 6 5 17 * customer undisclosed by Airbus Industrie * 'commitment (firm contract not signed) 2 10 10 8 40 4 12** 12** 20 10* 19 16 108 die 2.47m-diameter fan, case and accessories of die A330's Trent 700, with scaled intermediate pressure (IP) and high pressure (HP) compres sors and die high-speed, low-loading HP and IP turbines of the Trent 800. These elements are combined widi an all-new high-lift low pres sure turbine. Aldiough a full launch was not announced at Paris, die Airbus board's amber light cleared die way for die aircraft to be offered to airlines. By the time of die full commercial go-ahead last December, commitments stood at around 100 aircraft from seven customers. The programme will require an investment of some $2.5 billion, and die consortium is aiming to capture at least half of die 1,500 sales forecast for die category diroughto2010. LATEST REQUIREMENTS During 1997, die baseline specifications were tweaked to meet the latest requirements of potential customers, and slight increases in maximum take-off (MTOW), maximum land ing and zero-fuel weights yielded a 370km increase in range. At diat time, Airbus was bat tling against Boeing, offering die 777-200X to provide Singapore Airlines (SIA) widi a 206- seat aircraft with a range of 16,2 60km to fly non stop between Singapore and Los Angeles. The tweaks clearly achieved their aim, as SIA confirmed its selection of die A34O-500 in May, widi an order for up to 10 aircraft. The A340-600 is some 10.6m longer dian die -300 and will be able to carry 380 passengers (diree-class) over 13,900km, some 370km fur ther than today's A340-300. The A340-500 has a slighdy stretched -3 00 airframe (to balance die enlarged wing) and extra fuel capacity, creating a 313-seater with a range of over 15,750km. The -500 will be powered by die baseline 53,0001b-thrust Trent 553, while the -600 will have the Trent 556, rated at 56,0001b. Both variants are offered with a baseline MTOW of 365t, some 90t greater than the heaviest -300 now available. To cater for the increased weights, Airbus has replaced the A340's existing twin-wheel centre main gear widi a four-wheel unit. The consortium revised die centre gear installation after input from the CFG, which wanted more cargo space. The gear had originally been designed to retract aft, but will now stow forward, enabling the rear cargo hold to be extended forward and provid ing space for two additional pallet positions. Michel Delort, A340-500/600 chief project engineer, says that Airbus is working to finalise the systems design on the new models, a task which should be concluded by year-end. "The focus group meetings are running in parallel widi working groups and design/build teams to ensure diat we have a 'mature' aircraft at entry into service. Specific topics include systems, flight operations, structure, cabin, cargo and ground handling and engine nacelles," he says. Delort says wing aerodynamic design was frozen in January 1997. Since dien Aerospatiale, 126 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 September 1998
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