Boeing is on target to begin major assembly of the 777-300 in late March 1997 after achieving the 25% product-definition milestone at the start of June.
The milestone means that one- quarter of the design information needed for parts and tooling have been released to manufacturing for fabrication or procurement. The company hopes to begin assembly of the 73.8m-long aircraft in time for a roll-out scheduled for late August 1997, with a first flight set for October.
Boeing hopes to reduce flow time on the 777-300 programme by up to 25% compared with that of the development of the 10m-shorter -200. It is also aiming at reducing initial costs by up to 30%. The main market for the stretched aircraft is as a 747-100/200 replacement.
The new 777 will seat up to 394 passengers in a three-class configuration compared with 328 in the standard 777-200.
Boeing has received firm orders for 41 -300s, but is studying production plans aimed at building up to 28 a year by 2002.
Source: Flight International
