TYPE: Wide-bodied airliner
PROGRAMME: Originated in Super Efficient Airliner studies undertaken in 2001-02 in parallel with (then) higher-profile Sonic Cruiser; assumed prominence when latter abandoned in December 2002. Working designation of 7E7 to indicate 'Efficient'; named Dreamliner on 15 June 2003, following public Internet vote. Programme headquarters at Everett.
Airline commitments sought from early 2004 onwards and launch in latter part of that year; configuration freeze in second quarter of 2005; first flight 2007; service entry 2008.
On 15 December 2003, Boeing's Board of Directors approved the start of marketing of the 7E7 in the expectation of receiving sufficient proposals by airlines to warrant a formal launch to the programme during 2004. World market for airliners in the 7E7 class was then estimated as between 2,000 and 3,000 over the following 20 years.
CURRENT VERSIONS: 7E7: Baseline version; length 56.0 m (184 ft); spam 58.8 m (193 ft); height 17.4 m (57 ft); 200 passengers in three-class layout. Range up to 7,800 n miles (14,445 km; 6,778 miles). MTOW 205,400 kg (452,500 lb).
7E7 SR: Short range. Length and height as 7E7, but span reduced to 51.5 m (169 ft). Total 300 passengers in two classes. Range 3,500 n miles (6,480 km; 3,040 miles). MTOW 136,075 kg (300,000 lb), with variant-specific weight-saving measures employed.
7E7 STR: Stretched; length 62.0 m (203 ft); span and height as 7E7. Some 250 passengers in two-class layout. Range up to 8,300 n miles (15,370 km; 9,550 miles). MTOW 223,000 kg (491,625 lb).
CUSTOMERS: Boeing studies show 20-year market for between 2,000 and 3,000 mid-size airliners of 7E7 class.
DESIGN FEATURES: Intended to replace Boeing 767 and reduce seat/mile costs while providing increased versatility by enabling direct operations into smaller airports, there by obviating the inconvenience of passenger transfers at hubs.
Efficiency gains of 15 to 20 per cent, compared to Boeing 767, to be achieved by 17 per cent reduction in fuel burn, aerodynamic improvements and airframe weight reduction. Cruising Mach No 0.85.
Low wing configuration with two pylon-mounted turbofans underwing. Sweptback wing with increased sweep at tips, latter partly upturned. Pronounced sweep on fin leading- and trailing-edges.
FLYING CONTROLS: Outboard and inboard ailerons; two-section elevator; single-piece rudder. Three-section spoilers/airbrakes ahead of outboard flaps; two section spoilers/airbrakes ahead of inboard flaps.
STRUCTURE: Up to 65 per cent of airframe built by external suppliers. Some 35 per cent produced in Japan, with Mitsubishi contributing composites wingbox; Kawasaki the intermediate forward fuselage, main landing gear well and wing fixed trailing edge; Fuji responsible for centre wing box and integration of whellwells. Vought and Alenia team producing 26 per cent, principally centre and rear fuselage sections and tailplane; Boeing producing 35 per cent at Australian, Canadian and US sites (forward fuselage and flight deck at Wichita, wing/fuselage fairings at Winnipeg, wing moving leading – and trailing-edges at Tulsa and Australia, and fin at Frederickson); with 4 per cent unallocated at end of 2003. Composites for "majority" of fuselage and wing, predominantly carbon fibre/epoxy but with titanium-graphite (TiGr) laminate in wings. Possible use of new aluminium alloys for smaller structural pieces. Airframe 50 per cent composites by weight: 20 per cent aluminium; 15 per cent titanium; and 10 per cent steel.
POWER PLANT: Two turbofans, each in 280 to 302 kN (63,000 to 68,000 lb st) class, with bypass ratio between 9 and 12, pressure ratio 50:1 and fan diameter up to 2.92 m (9 ft 7 in). Candidates offered by General Electric, Pratt & Whituey and Rolls-Royce, with two selected as production optiobs. Decision postponed from late 2003 to mid-2004.
ACCOMODATION: Eight-abreast (two-four-two) seating. Cabin max width 5.74 m (18 ft 10 in). Underfloor hold able to carry LD3 containers two abreast. Cabin equivalent altitude 1,830 m (6,000 ft) with 20 to 30 per cent humidity.
SYSTEMS: Real-time structural monitoring by continuous collection of data from embedded sensors. Variable-frequency electrical system; 320 bar (5,000 lb/sq in) hydraulic system.