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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 3213.PDF
HEADLINES A 63.7m-long, 6.2m-wide fuselage on a 60m-span wing allows the fly-by-wire 777 to seat up to 440 ten-abreast ANA to follow United's 777 lead RAF considers Nimrod relife The UK Ministry of Defence is considering a "tear-apart rebuild and life extension" — and possible re-engining — of Royal Air Force Nimrod MR.2s. A substantially reworked Nimrod is one of the options being examined to meet the RAF's future requirements. Lockheed and Boeing have also made presentations to the RAF. Replacement of the Nimrods with the Lockheed P-7 had been almost a foregone conclusion until the US Navy cancelled development of its P-3 replace ment earlier this year, a planned mid-life upgrade of its Nimrods having been cancelled in March. The upgrade was originally killed on the grounds that the remaining airframe life did not justify the expenditure. The RAF has also been briefed by Lockheed on a P-3H variant which could be provided either as a green airframe or with Boeing Update IV avionics. Boeing is also believed to have made presentations on a potential 707 variant. The UK MoD will say only that "...all options are being considered". • All Nippon Airways (ANA) is negotiating to join United Airlines as launch customer for the Boeing 777 twinjet, with an order for about 30 aircraft ex pected before the Boeing board meets on 29 October to ratify the launch. Although Boeing will not comment, it is understood that ANA is anxious to join the programme early to take advan tage of the favourable contract terms available to launch cus tomers, but has been waiting for a larger airline to place the first order. The Japanese airline is expected to chose the "A mar ket" 777 which United ordered on 15 October. United's commitment for up to 68 777s forms part of the largest order in aviation history, a $22 billion deal which also includes up to 60 Boeing 747- 400s. The order had been ex pected earlier (Flight Interna tional, 11-17 July), but was de layed at the request of the union team negotiating to buy United's parent, UAL. When the buyout attempt fell through, UAL chairman Stephen Wolf summoned the three major manufacturers to Chicago to present their final proposals on 12 October. The deal represents a coup for Boeing, which had been expected to share the order with either McDonnell Douglas or Airbus Industrie, and for Pratt & Whitney, which will power both the 747s and 777s with versions of its PW4000. There are 30 firm orders for'747-400s, powered by PW4056s, plus 30 on option, and 34 firm 777s, plus 34 options, with 777 deliv eries to begin in May 1995. A PW4000 growth version, the PW4073 initially rated at 328.5kN (73,0001b) thrust,','Will power the 777s. Pratt & Whit ney will supply up to 415 'en gines, worth about $4 billion. The 777 will be the first all-new aircraft programme launched by Boeing since the 757/767 in 1978. The configura tion chosen by United is the first in what Boeing intends to be a family of giant twinjets. A longer-range version of the baseline aircraft is already being offered to airlines such as Brit ish Airways and Qantas, and Boeing is studying future stretched versions. The United aircraft will seat 363 passengers in dual-class configuration, with a maximum take-off weight of 234,000kg and a range of up to 7,700km (4,200nm). There is an optional take-off weight of 233,600kg for the basic aircraft, rising to 267,600kg for the proposed long-range aircraft which would carry 300 to 320 passengers more than 12,200km. With the early 180min ex tended-range operations clear ance planned by Boeing (Flight International, 18-24 July), United would be able to intro duce the 777 onto routes to Honolulu relatively soon after first proving its reliability on domestic services. Although Boeing introduced a folding-wingtip option at United's request, to allow the 777 to operate from existing DC-10 gates at Chicago O'Hare and elsewhere, the airline has not specified folding wings at this point. Boeing's John Roundhill, 777 chief project en gineer for customer require ments says: "The aeroplane is specified with a continuous wing, although United will con tinue to evaluate the wing-fold feature". • JAS39 PROTOTYPES COMPLETED Saab has delivered to the Swedish Government its proposals for a second batch of 110 JAS39 Gripens (30 have been ordered) and for development of the two-seat JAS39B trainer. A decision will be taken by June 1991. All five fighter prototypes are complete. Aircraft 2 has made 22 flights, 3 is on ground test, 4 will fly before the year's end and 5 is testing Gripen's 27mm cannon. The first production aircraft, which replaces the crashed first prototype in the test programme, is in final assembly. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24 - 30 October, 1990 5
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