WindRunner - a giant aircraft being built to transport wind turbines around the world. The aircraft can carry wind turbine blades up to 104m long.

The aircraft manufacturer hopes to transmit low-power electricity to remote areas, thereby significantly expanding the scope and scale of the land-based wind energy industry. In addition, it will allow wind turbines to be installed in remote locations where resources are potentially scarce.

Although extensive testing and simulations have been conducted in wind tunnels, commercial operations are not expected until late 2027.

airplane wing copy.jpg
Transporting giant blades is a challenge for wind power. Photo: EN

Why do energy companies build planes?

It may seem unusual for an energy company to move into aviation.

In fact, the energy company Radia ran into a major problem when developing its onshore turbine, called GigaWind. Most of the wind turbine components are transported by road, on specialized trucks, or by rail to more remote locations.

Radia realized this would not be feasible for the super-large turbines, so it built a cargo plane to transport them by air.

Manufacturers have struggled to transport the 70m-long blades, which can cause traffic jams as they move. Streets are closed to traffic, sometimes traversing farmland to avoid narrow country roads, and police escorts are needed because of the vehicle’s width and weight.

The WindRunner aircraft solves this logistical problem and ensures the transport of giant wind turbines, with blades up to 104m long. This makes wind farms more cost-effective and more profitable.

airplane for cargo.jpg
Giant aircraft transporting wind turbine blades. Photo: EN

Before deciding on a dedicated wing aircraft, Radia considered several civil air transport solutions. However, modifying a cargo aircraft to accommodate a larger cargo hold was not practical.

Radia considered floating aircraft such as airships, but ruled out the possibility because of the difficulty in lifting extremely heavy objects, slow speed, and need for a large area for landing and takeoff.

Helicopters were also considered but did not have the payload capacity to lift or land a heavy rotor, or the speed required. It was also dangerous in gusts of wind.

Why not design wind turbines with segmented blades?

Wind turbines are made up of complex components that are assembled on site. However, the blades are always in one piece, making them difficult to transport.

For 20 years, manufacturers have been trying to design wind turbines using segmented blades, but according to Radia, failure rates for these non-integral blades are higher.

The propeller segment is not only limited by manufacturing costs as more raw materials are used, but also by design.

Radia considered manufacturing the super-large blades on-site, but quickly dismissed the idea because turbines require a controlled factory environment, high technology, and highly skilled workers to ensure precision.

Turbine aircraft vs. regular Boeing 747

The WindRunner is huge, measuring 108m long and 80m wide. Its cargo hold is 105m long, 7.3m wide and high, easily accommodating the giant turbine blades. The WindRunner is 239% longer than a Boeing 747-400F.

The aircraft design is 80 times larger than the world's largest military aircraft carrier and longer than the length of Wembley Stadium in England.

WindRunner has a dedicated loading system at the nose of the aircraft so that the blades can be efficiently handled from the cargo door, reducing time spent at wind farms.

(According to EN)