The North American company Radia wants to show what it's capable of at the 2025 Paris Air Show. From June 16 to 22, it will unveil the first model of WindRunner, billed as the world's largest cargo plane, with a payload capacity twelve times that of a Boeing 747, equivalent to 7,700 cubic meters. Its fuselage will be able to transport wind turbine blades as well as deliver satellite systems to launch sites. Armed forces are also targeted for use of such a cargo plane.
WindRunner has not yet been assembled, but a first model will be on display at the Paris Air Show, which will launch its 55th edition in three weeks. This will be a way to meet its future manufacturing partners, many of whom are coming from Europe. Radia has reportedly signed partnerships with Leonardo and Magroup Magnaghi Aerospoace in Italy, Aernova in Spain, and agreements are reportedly being discussed with France and Germany.
By working together on the world's largest aircraft in terms of payload capacity, WindRunner, Radia and its partners would aim to create 4,000 highly skilled jobs within the European Union. Aernova, in Spain, would be responsible for developing the aircraft's wing and engine pylons. Leonardo, in Italy, would be responsible for the fuselage. Finally, a New York-based company called AFuzion would be responsible for assisting Radia with safety and certification.
"France is a key market for Radia's future – not only as a center of aerospace excellence, but also as a strategic partner in energy and defense innovation,"said Mark Lemke, Vice President of Supply Chain at Radia."We look forward to building lasting industrial relationships here and throughout the region."
The WindRunner's Dimensions and Purpose
The WindRunner aircraft is expected to be 108 m long, 24 m high, and have a wingspan of 80 m. Radia plans to be able to carry 100 m long wind turbine blades on board, with a capacity of 105 m long and 7.3 m high. On its website, the company highlighted the infrastructure challenges involved in transporting 70 m wind turbine blades. With WindRunner, Radia would open up the possibility of installing more efficient wind turbines. The cargo plane should also be able to land on unpaved runways 1,800 m long, to get as close as possible to the wind farms.
It is no coincidence that in its portfolio of activities, Radia is also active in the development of wind projects, notably with the GigaWind project, "one of the main applications of WindRunner", which should prove that onshore wind (land-based) is more practical than offshore wind (at sea), particularly due to its ease of construction and maintenance. With its 100 m blades, it should offer 6 MW more capacity than a wind turbine with 70 m blades.
The carbon footprint of such a behemoth remains to be seen. Radia has, of course, announced that it intends to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in its four engines.
Source: Air Journal
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