If you ever find yourself in the French city of Toulouse, you might just see one of the oddest-looking aircraft in the world.
如果你去过法国图卢兹，那你可能有缘一睹世界上长得最怪异的飞机之一。

Popularly known as the "Beluga," because of its strong resemblance to the white Arctic whale, the Airbus A300-600ST (ST stands for Super Transporter) is unique not only in appearance, but also for the essential role it performs in European aviation.
空客A300-600ST（ST为超级运输机的缩写）因为形似大白鲸而得了“大白鲸”的绰号，但它的独特之处不仅体现在外表上，它在欧洲航空业中也有着重要地位。

Airbus' production centers are scattered all over the continent, a legacy of its origins as a pan-European consortium.
空客作为欧洲航空公司的联合企业，生产中心分布在欧洲大陆各处。

Each factory specializes in the completion of a specific section of an aircraft.
每家工厂都有自己负责生产的特定飞机部件。

The five Belugas, all operated by Airbus, link these plants and take the different aircraft sections to the final assembly line, either in Toulouse or Hamburg.
五架“大白鲸”全部由空客公司运营。“大白鲸”在工厂之间穿梭，将飞机的各个部件运送到位于图卢兹或汉堡的总装厂。

Belugas have occasionally been chartered to fly satellites, helicopters and even works of art.
有时“大白鲸”也会被租用出去，用于运输火箭、直升机甚至是艺术品。

Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" flew from Paris to Tokyo on a Beluga -- the canvas wouldn't fit into any other plane.
德拉克罗瓦的名画《自由引导人民》就是用“大白鲸”从巴黎运抵东京的。其他任何飞机都没法装下这幅巨大的油画。

With the Beluga nearing two decades of indefatigable service, it's starting to show its age and limitations.
“大白鲸”服役已近20年时间，渐渐出现老化的情况并显现出一些局限性。

Though no decisions have been made, Airbus is looking at potential replacement solutions.
虽然还没有决定，但空客正在寻找潜在的替代方案。

Tentatively called Beluga XL, the Beluga's replacement is likely to be based on the A330 airframe.
“大白鲸”的继任机型暂且命名为“大白鲸XL”，很可能是基于A330机身结构改造而成。

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