Boeing's proposed 7E7 - or Global Cruiser or Dreamliner as it may become, depending on the results of a unique internet-based naming contest with AOL Time Warner - is more than simply a new aircraft. As with the 777 in the mid-1990s, the "super-efficient" 7E7 is the focus for a wide-ranging reinvention of Boeing's design, manufacturing, assembly, support systems and technology.
"It is another transformational aircraft," says BCA chief executive Alan Mulally. "It's a chance to define the future. It will mark another significant improvement in efficiency. How can we miss?" Boeing's analysis suggests a market of between 2,000 and 3,000 aircraft for the 7E7, which will bridge the gap in its future model mix between the 737 and 777. It will also replace the 757 and 767, covering the 200- to 300-seat range and offering an aircraft with 15-20% lower operating costs and ranges up to 11,000-13,000km (6,000-7,000nm).
"We are providing the all-time fragmenter, a point-to-point enabler," says Mulally. "The thing that changed the world with the 767 was its economics and its range, because it could overfly hubs. The 7E7 will be like this. It will be the equivalent of a regional jet for international use."
Defending Boeing's optimistic market analysis for the 7E7, Mulally says the aircraft is more than a 757/767 replacement and so its sales potential cannot be judged by the current drought in orders for these "middle-of-the-market" aircraft. "The point is, when you look at the world, some 88% of all the dollar value will be in this area. If you serve that with the 7E7, that's your market."
Mulally believes the versatility of the 7E7 will allow it to penetrate a much wider range of markets than previous designs, enabling it to replace a wide variety of older widebodies as well as opening up new opportunities of its own. The 7E7 also forms a "rallying call for everything we're going to do for a better value solution", he says. "We will take partnerships to a new level. We'll do less of the detailed work, and we'll have shorter assembly times. The 7E7 will be the next significant improvement in production efficiency."
Although Boeing has decided that final assembly will be in the USA - at a site to be determined competitively - the new risk-sharing business model for the 7E7 opens up the possibility of more work, including fabrication and subassembly, being performed offshore.
Source: Flight International
