Radia Adds Partners for WindRunner Supersized Cargo Lifter

Radia has added more partners to its network of suppliers as it steps up work on its planned WindRunner supersized cargo aircraft. On July 7, the start-up announced agreements with European aerospace groups Latécoère and Stirling Dynamics.

These companies join a list of program partners that already includes Italian aerospace giant Leonardo as well as aerostructures specialists Aciturri, Aernnova, and Akaer; avionics contractor Astronautics Corporation of America; and certification consultancy AFuzion. Radia has yet to confirm which engines it will use for the WindRunner, which is expected to be around 10 times larger than the Boeing 777, but has said that using existing technology is the key to its ambitious target of achieving FAA Part 25 type certification in 2030.

Under the new supplier agreements, France’s Latécoère will develop the electrical wiring interconnection system for the WindRunner. UK-based Stirling Dynamics has agreed to support Radia with work on flight control integration, simulation, and aircraft engineering.

According to Radia, the WindRunner will provide a step change in both commercial and defense logistics, with prospective applications including transporting wind turbine blades of more than 100 meters in length for energy companies, rocket boosters, or military aircraft into war zones. It is expected to replace aircraft such as Antonov heavy lifters, and C-5 and C-17 military transports, while having the operational flexibility of a C-130 with the ability to land on unprepared strips of no more than 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in length.

The four-engined model, which will have the same wingspan as an Airbus A380, is expected to offer a payload limit of 160,000 pounds. However, what should set the WindRunner apart is its vast volume of 240,000 cubic feet—with enough space for four F-16 fighters or six Chinook helicopters.

Radia’s engineering team has already completed initial wind tunnel tests and conceptual design. The company, which was founded in 2016, is giving itself until late 2029 to build what it says will be the first production-conforming aircraft for flight testing. Founder and CEO Mark Lundstrom told AIN there is no need to build prototypes and that the path to type certification will be straightforward because it is using already in-service technology.

Low-risk Technology

“We have designed everything around products already available from Tier 1 suppliers, and so we are already at the industrialization stage,” Lundstrom explained. Radia, which says it is already working with FAA officials on a certification plan, believes the program has no significant technology risks because it is avoiding untried systems such as all-new engines. It has not yet specified which powertrain the aircraft will use.

For its work to date, Radia—which is incorporated in Colorado and also has an office in Italy—is using initial funding provided mainly by private investors. Lundstrom said the company is now targeting U.S. government defense funding to advance the program and that it may opt to prioritize military approvals ahead of commercial type certification.

Radia has not said how much it expects to spend to bring the WindRunner to market or how development costs might be shared with program partners. Embraer is estimated to have spent approximately $2.4 billion to develop the far smaller KC-390 military transport, which uses existing technology such as International Aero Engines’ V2500 turbofans and the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. Boeing’s costs for the 777X airliner, which includes a freighter version, have been far higher.

The Radia business model envisages both direct sales of the WindRunner and plans for it to operate the giant airframe under contract for customers. In late June, Danish logistics group Blue Water Shipping announced what it called a joint marketing collaboration to provide oversized cargo deliveries for multiple industries. In this instance, Radia would be the aircraft operator, and it is now determining whether to establish its own air operator certificate or acquire an existing operator.

The group’s leadership team includes executives with extensive aerospace engineering and aviation management experience. For instance, Giuseppe Giordo, who is president and CEO of its Italian operations, is the former CEO of Leonardo subsidiary Alenia Aermacchi.

Certification efforts will be directed by vice president of regulatory affairs Mel Johnson, who was formerly the director of the compliance and airworthiness division in the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service. Vice president Thad Bibb is a former U.S. Air Force major general with experience managing airlift operations with C-17 aircraft.