Battle Of The Beasts: Boeing's Dreamlifter Vs Airbus' Beluga XL

Boeing and Airbus have both developed fuselage transporter aircraft based on their commercial aircraft series. These are designed to carry components for their aircraft to central assembly locations. Here, we’ll take a look at both the Boeing Dreamlifter and Airbus Beluga XL, focussing on the differences between the two programs and aircraft.

Simple Flying:

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[spongebubatz]

I consider myself lucky as the windows of my room are facing the approach path of Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport. I see Belugas as well as all kinds of Airbus aircraft on test flights on a daily basis!

[Feynman]

I like the Belugas more than the Dreamlifter. They are well constructed and don’t look like an afterthought.

[Helpmefly]

Is it only me or does the Beluga look a whole lot more refined and almost like a commercial product from Airbus, compared to the “patched together” Dreamlifter?

[sevenlux]

Both are impressive aircraft.
Compared to the Beluga XL, the Dreamlifter looks like a box nailed together.

[MrJimheeren]

Here we see the quality difference. Airbus builds its Beluga’s in-house on a brand new A330 freighter optimized for its needs. Boeing goes in cheap, buys a couple of old 747s from China and converts them in Taiwan. And although the original Belugas have been around for more them twice as long as the Dreamlifter, Boeing managed to make it look like they’ve been around since the late 80s

[Abracor]

I work at the Bremen Airport where the Airbus plant for wing equipment of A330 and A350 takes place if I'm not wrong. I see Belugas and the XLs landing and taking off up close. That's always impressing and I'm always happy to spot them

[ericsson_motorsports]

The Beluga is much better simply because of the beluga paintjob

[グロ猫]

I've been seeing the belugas live at bremen airport in germany eversince i've been a kid. They are really impressive, but i wish they'd build a beluga xxl on a380 base. That thing would be MASSIVE!

[marsaustralis]

Personally, I want to see a "Great Beluga", built using an A380 double-decker as the basis. Used to help move plenty of large payloads whether it's rocket boosters for EU space agencies or parts for a massive wind turbine.

[neilpickup]

As for looks, neither is a great beauty, although the Beluga with its 'smile' is really rather cute in a funny sort of way - unfortunately the Dreamlifter is just plain ugly!

However, as well explained in the video, they are designed to do a job and need to be judged on that and that alone.

What would be interesting is if Boeing and Airbus were to do a swap and see how each others products met (or didn't meet) their needs. If they both did, then judging them on cost of operation would then be an appropriate way of determining which is the winner.

[naturallyherb]

A few things to consider which is the better aircraft:

In terms of volume, Airbus Beluga < Boeing Dreamlifter < Airbus Beluga XL

In terms of MTOW, Beluga (155 t) < Beluga XL (227 t) < Dreamlifter (364 t)

In terms of range, Beluga (2000 km) < Beluga XL (4500 km) < Dreamlifter (7800 km)

In terms of operations:
The Airbus Beluga and XL are totally self-sufficient. The cargo door has electrical motors that allows the door to operate without any ground equipment. For the crew to access the aircraft, there's no need for external airstairs as the entry hatch below the fuselage also contains deployable stairs. In the event of cargo shifting loose, it would impact the cargo door, rather than the crew cabin as on the Dreamlifter. Unlike the Dreamlifter, the Beluga and XL has an APU, allowing self-sufficient engine starts.

The Boeing Dreamlifter is not self-sufficient. It needs a special ground jig to open the swing tail door, which is not powered at all. The locking system is also a lot more complex and heavier than on the Beluga. The crew also needs external airstairs to access through the normal passenger entry doors (as on a regular 747), therefore disallowing the aircraft from operating from an airport without airstairs. In the event of cargo shifting loose, the aircraft requires a very strong bulkhead to prevent loose cargo from penetrating the crew compartment. Unlike the Beluga, the Dreamlifter does not have an APU, requiring an air-start unit to start the engines.

[arfamortis]

I see Beluga's regularly, they often fly over my house entering or leaving Toulouse Blagnac Airport, I live about 65km (45miles) away in the mountains. I have seen my house in a promo film by Airbus when they flew A380, A350, A400M and a Beluga plus 3 smaller chase/camera aircraft, circling the mountains for about an hour.

[Chssl]

I remember seeing the Dreamlifter in person when it accidentally landed at a local airport a couple years ago. It's a pretty impressive aircraft to see in person

[markcreager]

Nice comparison. I'm surprised there was no mention of pressurization or about the structural modifications to keep the cockpit and passenger compartments pressurized while the cargo compartment is not pressurized.

[TheOvenCook]

I live near Broughton UK, and I see the Beluga daily. It's still very cool / exciting to see!

[thibs]

Based in the south-est of Toulouse, France, we see all belugas quite often while they turn in the sky to align with the runway in their descent. The XL is really a beautiful aircraft.

[KarmaFlight]

I was based at KPAE flying the LCF for Atlas. I have quite a bit of time these. I miss my NGO layovers.

[Rollermonkey]

I live pretty close to the approach of 34L at Paine Field in Everett, WA, so I see the Boeing Dreamlifters not infrequently. It's still impressive, even after several years of seeing them.

[Gameflyer]

While it is true that Boeing hadn't utilized a swing-tail design before, that's not to say the company was starting completely from scratch. Back when they acquired McDonnell Douglas, they also acquired their then-decades-old design of the DC-6's rare swing-tail variant (DC-6B-ST) (of which only two or so airworthy examples exist today; both with Buffalo Airways if I remember correctly).

[toysoldier]

A further historical note--the Boeing Stratocruiser was based on the WWII B-29.