ANDREW DOYLE / SINGAPORE
The Japanese Government is to decide next month whether to fund the country's aerospace industry ambitions for a major share of the research and development phase of Boeing's Sonic Cruiser high-speed airliner.
The allocation of funding by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) would clear the way for Japanese industry to sign a long-awaited memorandum of understanding with Boeing on Sonic Cruiser co-operation.
Meanwhile, Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory has identified various technologies developed as part of its ongoing next-generation supersonic transport studies, which could find an application on the Sonic Cruiser.
Engineers from Fuji, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have held a series of meetings with Boeing in recent months to discuss how the joint work could be structured, and industry sources say Japan is likely to have a broader role than simply taking on responsibility for specific work packages.
However, with the Sonic Cruiser not now scheduled to enter service until 2008, it is too early to determine what share of manufacturing work will eventually be taken on by Japanese industry. "The discussions are not about who will build which part, but about jointly developing technology," says Boeing.
If METI advances the required funding, responsibility for co-ordinating Japan's Sonic Cruiser work would be handed to Japan Aircraft Development, which has previously managed Japan's 15% industrial stake in the 767programme and 21% share of the 777 work.
Randy Tinseth, Boeing's director of product marketing, said recently that composite materials would feature heavily in the design as a low airframe weight is essential for the high mach-number concept to work.
Source: Flight International
