US start-up Radia has reaffirmed its 2030 target for the first flights of a huge, planned cargo aircraft. The massive four-engined cargo aircraft concept, called WindRunner, is set to reach its 2030 target date for first certification flights, chief executive Mark Lundstrom told FlightGlobal.
The aircraft will span 108m (354ft) from nose-to-tail. Lundstrom has touted "multi-billions of dollars" in memorandums of understanding from governments.
Engine supplier and cargo capacity
Key to Radia's plans is the pending selection of an engine supplier for its four turbines to power aircraft, which has a planned cargo volume of seven times that of the US air force's highest capacity air lifter.
Lundstrom said the WindRunner will be able to load and unload quickly through its planned lifting nose. "We can move six [Boeing CH-47 Chinooks] at a time, land on a piece of dirt, nose pops open, six come out and they’re ready to fight," he says.
Market outlook and assembly location
No new cargo concepts have been put into service in decades, though their overall need is expected to grow. Boeing's 2026 commercial market outlook forecasts an average annual growth rate of 3.7% through 2045, driven by growth in trade and industrial production. Of the 875 expected large wide-body aircraft deliveries over the next two decades, Boeing predicts more than half will be "next generation, factory-build freighters." "Operators value the superior efficiency, higher utilisation and greater capability offered by new production freighters," the plane maker says.
The final assembly location for WindRunner has not yet been determined, but there could be multiple spread across Europe or America close to ports, depending on how final supplier selection pans out.
