Oracle BMW's wing is longer than that of the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus 380. Expand

Oracle BMW's wing is longer than that of the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus 380.

SAN DIEGO - America's Cup challenger BMW Oracle Racing has unveiled what is believed to be the world's largest wing, which it will test as a replacement for a traditional soft-sail rig on its giant trimaran.

Complete with flaps, the wing will tower nearly 58m above the deck when it's installed this week. It is longer than the wing of an Airbus 380, the world's largest passenger airliner.

BMW Oracle Racing yesterday peeled back the flaps of the tent where the wing was assembled during the past several weeks. It was to be slowly wheeled out during the evening and installed in the boat during the next day or two, depending on the weather.

"It's an awesome piece of kit," skipper and chief executive Sir Russell Coutts said.

BMW Oracle Racing hopes the foil will give it the edge against cup-holder Alinghi, of Switzerland.

The wing adds another dimension to an already radical America's Cup, which will feature two of the fastest, most extreme boats built in the event's 158-year history.

A long, bitter court fight between the powerhouse sailing teams has led to a rare head-to-head showdown for the oldest trophy in international sports. The teams met in New York this weekend to try to decide whether the best-of-three series will be sailed in Valencia, Spain, or on Australia's east coast.

They are to report today to a New York State Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the ongoing legal tussle.

Full-scale testing of the wing is expected to begin later in the week. BMW Oracle Racing is due to face Alinghi in a best-of-three showdown beginning on February 8.

The wing was unveiled five days after the trimaran's 61m carbon-fibre mast fell and broke in two during a sail on the Pacific Ocean. No crewmen were injured.

Kiwi Coutts, who has an engineering degree, said the lift co-efficient of a wing could achieve two to three times the power of a soft mainsail.

"It's pretty cool," said Coutts, who sailed undefeated through three straight America's Cup matches.

The primary advantage of the wing over a soft sail is that it's easier to control and does not distort.

That makes it easier for the trimmers to maintain an optimum aerofoil shape in a wide range of conditions. The wing includes a built-in carbon-fibre spar. The wing itself is made of an aeronautical film.

Coutts said the sailors could change the characteristics of the wing instantly, "just like an airplane".

He said it would be a chore for the sailors to handle the wing. "The size and scale are the main challenges."

The wing follows by a few weeks the installation of an engine to run a hydraulics system to trim the sails and perhaps move water ballast from one hull to the other.

- AP