The US Department of Defense is looking at how it might use a huge airlifter almost six times larger than the Antonov An-225 that is being developed to transport wind turbine blades.
Radia’s WindRunnner is 356ft (109m) in length with a wingspan of 261ft (80m and a payload capacity of 272,000ft³, twelve times more than a 747 freighter. It is also designed to land on short and unpaved runways down to 6,000ft.
Colorado-based Radia was founded in 2016 to build an aircraft capable of transporting the parts of massive wind turbines, such as blades of up to 105m (345ft) in length. Larger wind turbines produce electricity more cost-effectively and are installed offshore, but are more difficult to move and build onshore.
The Antonov An-225 was the largest air cargo carrier ever made until 2022, when it was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The research partnership with the US Department of Defense (DOD) will explore how suitable WindRunner would be for carrying military personnel and cargo as part of the USA’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).
The CRAF is a group of US airlines that are contractually committed to providing aircraft to the DOD if it needs them during emergencies and it does not have enough available military aircraft.
Researchers will consider how suitable the WindRunner concept is for handling DOD cargo, such as space launch materials, oversized equipment and humanitarian aid, and how it will integrate with airports, ground handlers and the DOD’s systems. They will also create possible mission profiles and assess how the aircraft will perform in different operational scenarios.
Findings from the research will inform future strategy decisions and operational planning for dual-use civilian and military airlift capabilities.
Mark Lundstrom, founder and CEO of Radia said, “The WindRunner allows the world’s biggest things to be delivered to the hardest-to-reach locations. This collaboration demonstrates how commercial capabilities may help to support US national defense by integrating with and addressing military needs.”
“By leveraging WindRunner we can explore innovative solutions for transporting outsized and high volume cargo, enhancing the DoD’s ability to respond to global challenges.”
Radia revealed its design last year at the Farnborough Air Show in July. The company plans for Wind Runner to enter service by the end of the decade.
