Pelican would be the biggest plane that ever built a huge high-capacity cargo plane concept that has military, commercial and even space potential. This would have almost twice the external dimensions of the world's current largest aircraft, the Russian An225. It has the capability to transport more than five times the An225's payload, up to 1,400 tons of cargo.
The Pelican would stretch more than the length of a football field i.e. it would have a wingspan of 500 feet, and a wing area of more than an acre. Designed mainly for long-range, trans-oceanic transport, the Pelican would fly as low as 20 feet above the sea using the latest flight-control technology and taking advantage of an aerodynamic phenomenon called ground effect that reduces drag and fuel burn.
Over land, Pelican would fly at altitudes of 20,000 feet or more higher. Commercially, the aircraft's size and efficiency would allow carrying types of cargo equivalent to the cargo that container ships carry—at more than 10 times the speed. The military can use the Pelican as a mother ship for unmanned vehicles and as a potential first-stage platform for piggybacking reusable space vehicles up to an appropriate launch altitude.
The Boeing Pelican ULTRA (Ultra Large Transport Aircraft) is a planned ground effect airplane under the study by Boeing Phantom Works.
Potential operators include the United States Air Force, allied air forces, and civilian shipping companies.
The Pelican would stretch more than the length of a football field i.e. it would have a wingspan of 500 feet, and a wing area of more than an acre. Designed mainly for long-range, trans-oceanic transport, the Pelican would fly as low as 20 feet above the sea using the latest flight-control technology and taking advantage of an aerodynamic phenomenon called ground effect that reduces drag and fuel burn.
Over land, Pelican would fly at altitudes of 20,000 feet or more higher. Commercially, the aircraft's size and efficiency would allow carrying types of cargo equivalent to the cargo that container ships carry—at more than 10 times the speed. The military can use the Pelican as a mother ship for unmanned vehicles and as a potential first-stage platform for piggybacking reusable space vehicles up to an appropriate launch altitude.
The Boeing Pelican ULTRA (Ultra Large Transport Aircraft) is a planned ground effect airplane under the study by Boeing Phantom Works.
Potential operators include the United States Air Force, allied air forces, and civilian shipping companies.
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