There is a global energy crisis and onshore wind farms are a potential growth option. Larger wind turbines produce more energy than standard ones, but the components are too large to transport by road.
What is the solution? A Colorado energy startup, Radia, has an idea. It is developing the largest aircraft in the history of aviation. This is the WindRunner aircraft, whose mission will be to deliver gigantic 92 meter long blades directly to wind farms.
To help the world meet decarbonisation goals, the plane will use sustainable aviation fuel and will only need a simple dirt or gravel runway to land on. It will operate from regional hubs, Radia says, delivering where needed – and “can land on runways up to 1,800 meters long, which no other large commercial aircraft can do”.
When it comes to carrying the largest payload ever transported by air, simplicity isn’t enough. The WindRunner will have a cargo hold volume of 272,000 cubic feet, enough to hold three Olympic-sized swimming pools. It is 12 times the volume of a Boeing 747-400 and, at 108 meters long, it is also 39 meters longer. The wingspan is 80 meters: equal to four bowling lanes. And if the project goes through, the Antonov An-225, the heaviest plane ever built, which was destroyed at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will lose its record.
The Windrunner loads a wind turbine
The size of the aircraft may be revolutionary, but the engineering is not, and that’s why it was designed. Radia says it is focusing “on existing technology and safety, using, where possible, proven materials, components and manufacturing techniques that have received FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) approval, which are already in mass production and who are at low risk.”
The largest plane in the history of aviation designed: this is how the WindRunner is made
The idea is to hit the ground running with a fleet that is fast, well-built and compliant with aerospace industry standards. Online reports speak of commercial operations as early as 2027, but no timeline is confirmed on Radia’s website.
Radia is banking on the Bloomberg NEF research organization’s estimate that $10 trillion will be spent on onshore wind power until 2050. The development of WindRunner is aimed at the realization of GigaWind, the XXL turbines produced by Radia’s partners, which include five of the six main turbine manufacturers in the world.
Currently, turbine blades are normally 70 meters or less, but Radia wants to implement blades up to 104 meters. The company claims that GigaWind turbines could be two to three times more powerful and two to three times more profitable than those used today.
Who is behind the project
The founder and CEO is Mark Lundstrum, a cross-industry entrepreneur and MIT aerospace engineer who founded Radia in 2016. The company says its team of advisors includes former top brass at Boeing, MIT, Rolls-Royce and FAA, as well as former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull. It’s an impressive team, and the decision to focus on secure, existing technology is smart. Could we see a WindRunner take off before the end of the decade? Could its distinctive shape one day become as popular as the Beluga XL freighters created by Airbus? Keep your eyes on the sky.