uilding on its 777-300ER, Boeing is evaluating its next moves in the 300 to 415-seat market with its conceptual 777-8X/9X, powered by a smaller GE90-derived engine, composite wing, a possible fuselage stretch and higher economy seating capacity. This marks what is likely to become the second major incremental evolution of the 777 family, 15% better than today's aircraft. Boeing's available options that are now coming into focus look to grow the 213ft metallic wingspan of the long-range twin to as much as 71.3m (234ft) with a carbonfibre design, and 30.5m (10ft) wider than the 747-8. Initial estimates being evaluated by Boeing point to a lower maximum takeoff weight of around 342t (753,000lbs) for the 777-9X, which would anchor the family and preserve the payload range capability of today's aircraft. The move would transform significant portions of the 777's manufacturing footprint with the introduction of composite fabrication to the wing's primary structure. The 777 programme has seen such transformations before, transitioning to a moving U-shaped final assembly line between 2006 and 2010 continually refining and consolidating the manufacturing process. Without confirming details, Boeing said in response to queries that the 777 family "will benefit from years of additional refinements based on customer input and the application of new 787 technologies before the [Airbus] A350-1000 is scheduled to enter service". "We are confident that, when the market demands it, we can develop and deliver a superior airplane that provides unparalleled value to our customers. We have been working hard on developing options and we feel very comfortable with where we are in that process," it said. To power the new jet, Boeing and General Electric look to be investigating a scaled down GE90, part of its GE9X study, by evaluating a 325cm (128in) diameter fan with a lower 99,500lb thrust, a reduction of 15,500lbs from the 343cm (135in) GE90-115B that powers the 777-300ER today. The engine would draw on technology introduced on the GEnx platforms, as well as implement ceramic matrix composites for the turbine section. With a late-decade service entry, the larger wing and its increased lift to drag ratio, coupled with the a 10% improvement in specific fuel consumption for the GE9X engine, along with material improvements across the aircraft would aim to improve fuel burn by 15% on a per seat basis. Boeing is currently studying the entry into service timing of its widebody models to follow the 787-9 in late 2013. In response to the A350-900, Boeing is evaluating the pacing of a larger 787-10X stretch and the 777-8X/9X. As part of the studies, Boeing is examining optimising the fuselage around the new larger wing and looking at both a fuselage stretch and a shrink of the 777-300ER. One conceptualisation of the -9X would be an additional stretch to the 777-300ER, while the -8X would be a shrink of the 365-seat jet, The 777-8X and -9X would allow Boeing to span the products between the proposed 330-seat 787-10X and 467-seat 747-8. Further, as part of the study Boeing would offer a new 787-style interior, with LED lighting and larger overhead bins to the type, as it has done with its 747-8 and 737 families. In the cockpit, Boeing is looking at flight deck and avionics updates for future air traffic management systems, as well as systems architecture upgrades that would bring parts of the 787's ARINC 629 standard and increased electrical usage to the 777. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
uilding on its 777-300ER, Boeing is evaluating its next moves in the 300 to 415-seat market with its conceptual 777-8X/9X, powered by a smaller GE90-derived engine, composite wing, a possible fuselage stretch and higher economy seating capacity.
This marks what is likely to become the second major incremental evolution of the 777 family, 15% better than today's aircraft.
Boeing's available options that are now coming into focus look to grow the 213ft metallic wingspan of the long-range twin to as much as 71.3m (234ft) with a carbonfibre design, and 30.5m (10ft) wider than the 747-8. Initial estimates being evaluated by Boeing point to a lower maximum takeoff weight of around 342t (753,000lbs) for the 777-9X, which would anchor the family and preserve the payload range capability of today's aircraft.
The move would transform significant portions of the 777's manufacturing footprint with the introduction of composite fabrication to the wing's primary structure. The 777 programme has seen such transformations before, transitioning to a moving U-shaped final assembly line between 2006 and 2010 continually refining and consolidating the manufacturing process.
Without confirming details, Boeing said in response to queries that the 777 family "will benefit from years of additional refinements based on customer input and the application of new 787 technologies before the [Airbus] A350-1000 is scheduled to enter service".
"We are confident that, when the market demands it, we can develop and deliver a superior airplane that provides unparalleled value to our customers. We have been working hard on developing options and we feel very comfortable with where we are in that process," it said.
To power the new jet, Boeing and General Electric look to be investigating a scaled down GE90, part of its GE9X study, by evaluating a 325cm (128in) diameter fan with a lower 99,500lb thrust, a reduction of 15,500lbs from the 343cm (135in) GE90-115B that powers the 777-300ER today. The engine would draw on technology introduced on the GEnx platforms, as well as implement ceramic matrix composites for the turbine section.
With a late-decade service entry, the larger wing and its increased lift to drag ratio, coupled with the a 10% improvement in specific fuel consumption for the GE9X engine, along with material improvements across the aircraft would aim to improve fuel burn by 15% on a per seat basis.
Boeing is currently studying the entry into service timing of its widebody models to follow the 787-9 in late 2013. In response to the A350-900, Boeing is evaluating the pacing of a larger 787-10X stretch and the 777-8X/9X.
As part of the studies, Boeing is examining optimising the fuselage around the new larger wing and looking at both a fuselage stretch and a shrink of the 777-300ER. One conceptualisation of the -9X would be an additional stretch to the 777-300ER, while the -8X would be a shrink of the 365-seat jet, The 777-8X and -9X would allow Boeing to span the products between the proposed 330-seat 787-10X and 467-seat 747-8.
Further, as part of the study Boeing would offer a new 787-style interior, with LED lighting and larger overhead bins to the type, as it has done with its 747-8 and 737 families. In the cockpit, Boeing is looking at flight deck and avionics updates for future air traffic management systems, as well as systems architecture upgrades that would bring parts of the 787's ARINC 629 standard and increased electrical usage to the 777.
Good news to hear on a product that could continue to lead the long range twin market for 20 more years!
Specially now than Airbus is in doubt of rolling out the A350-800 and actually is not able to soddisfy all customer trimming the A350-1000 specifications.
The initial A350-800/-900/-1000 could end in a two model family with less commonality than initially promised to customers
The 777-8X/-9X could even be more better fitted to the market than the actual second generation 777 (-300ER/-200LR), where the "overperforming" -200LR seems to have failed to attract a lot of customer like the its older brother -200ER: there are just a couple of airline who took both the -300ER and the -200LR, while there are quite a few mixing the old -200ER with the newer -300ER.
I'm not sure of Boeing's move to reduce MTOW and engine size on the new model. Boeing of course claims that the new frame will permit the same payload range capability of the actual aircraft, instead of using this "buffer" to increse the payload/range performances (Emirates already declared its whish for a 777-300ER sized aircraft to fly the DXB-LAX route with a 50 ton payload, that is I assume about 20 ton over the actual performances of the -300ER).
Of course no one wants an overperforming/overpriced aircraft (we already see it with the -200LR), but we have never assisted to a model developement scaling down this way... any comments on this?