Airbus A300-600ST facts for kids

Airbus A300-600ST

The Airbus A300-600ST, often called the Beluga, is a very special type of cargo aircraft. It's like a giant flying truck designed to carry huge and unusual loads. Only five of these unique planes were ever built. They are mainly used by Airbus, the company that makes them, to move large parts of their other airplanes between different factories. All of these planes are registered in France.

What is the Beluga?

The Airbus A300-600ST is a civil aircraft that was specially designed to transport very large items. The "ST" in its name stands for "Super Transporter." It's a bigger version of the regular A300 passenger and cargo plane. Its main job is to help build other Airbus planes by moving their large sections, like wings or parts of the body, from one factory to another.

Why Does It Look So Different?

The most noticeable thing about the Beluga is its unusual shape. It has a huge, bulging upper fuselage that looks a bit like a whale. This unique design allows it to carry oversized cargo that wouldn't fit in a normal cargo plane. The cockpit is also placed lower than usual, so the entire front of the plane can swing open. This makes it easy to load and unload very large items directly into its massive cargo bay.

How It Got Its Name

The plane's nickname, "Beluga," comes from the Beluga whale. This type of whale is known for its distinctive white color and a large, rounded head, which the aircraft's front section resembles. The name stuck because it perfectly describes the plane's appearance.

What Does the Beluga Carry?

The Beluga's primary mission is to transport parts of Airbus aircraft. For example, it might carry the wings of an Airbus A380 from a factory in the United Kingdom to a final assembly line in France. It also transports other large components, like parts of the fuselage or tail sections. Sometimes, it even carries special cargo like modules for the ISS, as it did with the Columbus module.

The Beluga Family

Only five original Airbus A300-600ST Beluga planes were built. They first started flying in 1994. Because Airbus continued to grow and needed to transport even more parts, they later developed a newer, even larger version called the Airbus BelugaXL. This shows how important these unique planes are for building the world's largest aircraft.

Images for kids

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  Airbus Skylink Super Guppy in 1984

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  Unloading Columbus module from top

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  Side view, climbing with gear retracting

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  Upward-swinging hinged door

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  Unloading the ISS Columbus module in 2006

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  The cargo space of Beluga, F-GSTC; AirExpo 2008, Toulouse Francazal Airport, France

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  Fuselage nose sections being unloaded at Hamburg Finkenwerder, 2013

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  Front view of an inflight Beluga showing its bulbous fuselage

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  Layout of A300-600ST Beluga

See also

In Spanish: Airbus A300-600ST Beluga para niños