Ahead of everyone: Airbus is testing an ultra-long airliner
Airbus has begun flight tests of a new passenger aircraft, the A350-900ULR. A distinctive feature of the new airliner is a significantly greater range in comparison with analogues.
The first flight of the A350 took place on April 23 of this year, and was recognized as successful. The new Airbus will increase the possible number of direct flights. The company has already received an impressive order from Singapore Airlines (Singapore Airlines) for 7 aircraft of the new model. Thus, they expect to increase the number of flights on the route Singapore - New York, with a length of more than 15 km.
In the design of the A350, Airbus engineers revised a number of aerodynamic elements. So, the end wings of the new aircraft will become longer by half a meter, and the flaps by 30 centimeters. In addition, the sweep of the wing was changed. But it was not possible to manage with some changes in the wing design, and the main, and perhaps the most significant innovation was the installation of a more capacious fuel tank. As a result, the maximum take-off weight of the airliner increased by 5 tons compared to the previous model and reached 280 tons, and the flight range increased by almost 3 thousand kilometers - the estimated range of the A350 is 17,9 thousand kilometers.
In addition to Singapore Airlines, Australians are also interested in the development of long-range passenger aviation, which plan to use the new airliner on the world's longest non-stop Sydney – London route, which is 16 thousand kilometers long. Such a flight takes 20 hours, which is as much as 3 hours less than the current route. In addition to Airbus, the main competitor of the company, Boeing, with its 777X, is engaged in similar developments. The American company plans to take its liner into operation at the end of next year.
The first flight of the A350 took place on April 23 of this year, and was recognized as successful. The new Airbus will increase the possible number of direct flights. The company has already received an impressive order from Singapore Airlines (Singapore Airlines) for 7 aircraft of the new model. Thus, they expect to increase the number of flights on the route Singapore - New York, with a length of more than 15 km.
In the design of the A350, Airbus engineers revised a number of aerodynamic elements. So, the end wings of the new aircraft will become longer by half a meter, and the flaps by 30 centimeters. In addition, the sweep of the wing was changed. But it was not possible to manage with some changes in the wing design, and the main, and perhaps the most significant innovation was the installation of a more capacious fuel tank. As a result, the maximum take-off weight of the airliner increased by 5 tons compared to the previous model and reached 280 tons, and the flight range increased by almost 3 thousand kilometers - the estimated range of the A350 is 17,9 thousand kilometers.
In addition to Singapore Airlines, Australians are also interested in the development of long-range passenger aviation, which plan to use the new airliner on the world's longest non-stop Sydney – London route, which is 16 thousand kilometers long. Such a flight takes 20 hours, which is as much as 3 hours less than the current route. In addition to Airbus, the main competitor of the company, Boeing, with its 777X, is engaged in similar developments. The American company plans to take its liner into operation at the end of next year.
- https://cbsistatic.com
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