First Beluga XL ran ground vibration test and is close to his first flight

Ground Vibration tests have been passed successfully by the Airbus Beluga XL. Tests have been performed by the French aerospace research center ONERA and German aerospace center DLR. They did over 8 testing days using several hundred of external acceleratrometre while the aircraft was simulated by external shakers of seismic exciters.

Beluga XL

These tests provide European Aircraft manufacturer valuable information regarding the behavior of their aircraft before the maiden flight takes place which is a crucial step for the certification of the large transport aircraft.

“ONERA, teamed with DLR, is proud to bring its unique expertise to Airbus for this crucial step towards certification of a new aircraft. This role is complementary to ONERA’s more traditional one of providing the government with expert advice, including the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority), where it contributes to improving aircraft safety.” said Bruno Sainjon, CEO of ONERA

Beluga XL program was launched in November 2014 by the European aircraft manufacturer to address additional transport and increase capacity requirements for Airbus from 2019. The new oversized air transporters are based on the A330-200 freighter with extensive re-use of existing components and equipment. The first Beluga XL in the air will be during summer 2018 and enter in service in 2019.

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