Blended Wing Body, Geared Turbo Fan powered C-130 Replacement

Boeing X-48B

One way to pave the way for the introduction of the Blended Wing Body into mainline service is as a C-130 replacement and A400M competitor. Using a Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan engine, it can be sized between the C-130 and the A400M.

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Boeing as the one handling the Blended Wing Body experiments with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, can combine it with the Dreamliner technology to produce another game changing airplane. Being a cargo plane, it can fly at a lower safety requirement level as compared to a civilian airliner.

BWB artist concept

After utilization as a cargo plane, it can be matured later as an airliner - the B797, replacement for the venerable 737.

United A350 orders - Boeing needs to offer 777NG to airlines

United’s order for twenty five A350’s instead of 777’s should be a wakeup call for Boeing. United had been the 777’s launch airline almost 15 years ago and will probably now be the US launch airline for the A350.

One interpretation of this purchase may be that United sees the present 777 configuration as inferior to the promised specifications of the A350, as it is still a paper airliner.

Given that, Boeing should now present a 777NG paper airliner to airlines to blunt the inroads of the A350 to this niche market, that has reached more than 500 orders.

Philippine Air Lines 777-300ER

This number of A350 orders can also be explained by the absence of delivery slots with the 787 program. But as the A330 was sidelined by the 787, the 777 will suffer the same fate unless a 777NG will be competitive enough.

Boeing can squeeze the A350 from two directions. From the lower end, by building the 787-10, and from the higher end via a 777NG.

The 777’s advantages over the A350 are:
1. cargo capacity
2. cabin width
3. fuselage crown area
4. mature reliable engine

For the 777NG to keep pace with the A350, it needs to be able to match if not exceed the seat-mile efficiency, the production cost, and the operating/maintenance cost of the A350. And maintain its advantages. This is a tall order for a twenty year older airliner but that is what an NG is about.

Possible 777NG features are:
1. a new composite wing that is also optimized for a possible 777 replacement
2. lightened fuselage through composites and new alloys
3. increased range to cover all airport pairs
4. relocated semi-virtual cockpit in the fuselage crown to increase passenger count
5. Active Electronically Scanned Array radar to optimize passenger count
6. relocate all possible cabin floor level services to the fuselage crown to increase passenger count
7. engine enhancements to lower fuel cost and/or increase range

If Boeing is able to increase the range of the 777NG to cover all airport pairs, it will have again a premium product that can also be priced at a premium like the 747 before.

777-8NG - Competitive Upgrading Of The Boeing 777

The Boeing 777 is on top of its market. It has relegated the A340 to minimal orders already. But here comes the A350XWB challenge in 4 years time. If this A350XWB airliner starts commercial service, it will drastically reduce the 777's new order rates. Unless Boeing makes a 777-8NG, or a new 7107 that will stradle the 777 and 747-400 market.

What would make a 777-8NG competitive to the A350XWB?

1. New engines - GEnx technology to the GE90-115B that may result in 5% better fuel burn

2. New composite wings - lighter and more efficient that may result in 5% better efficiency, that may be used later on the new 7107

3. Attic utilization - to increase seat numbers thereby reducing seat-mile costs

4. Fuselage modification - to decrease weight and better aerodynamics

5. UAV technology for better gate to gate efficiency

Bombardier CS - New Competitor for Boeing and Airbus Single Aisle Arliners

Lufthansa has firmed up its order for 30 Bombardier CS100 single aisle airliners with options for 30 more. The CS100 will be used by its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines to replace its BAe Avrojets in 2014. The CS airliner is offered in 5 models - the CS100, its extended range version CS100ER, the CS300, its extended range version CS300ER and its extra thrust version CS300XT.

BOMBARDIER C-SERIES DRAWING

C-SERIES CABIN MOCKUP

Ryanair's planned 400 single-aisle airliner order to result in GTF-engined versions of B737 and A320?

Ryanair B737-800, just one of the many in the solely 737 Ryanair fleet

The Financial Times has reported that Ryanair is planning to order 300 to 400 single-aisle airplanes within the next 18-24 months for delivery between 2012 and 2017.

Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1000G in B747 tests

This large potential order may provide Boeing and Airbus the impetus to come out with new iterations for their respective single-aisle airplanes, the B737 and A320, respectively. If ever that will be decided on by the two airliner companies, high on their agenda will surely be the possible use of the GTF powerplant from Pratt & Whitney, now called the PurePower PW1000G. The PurePower PW1000G has already been selected for the 2 planned airliners, the Bombardier CSeries and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ). The powerplant has been flight tested in a B747-400 and in an A340 airliner as part of its test regime.

Bombardier CSeries

Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ)

If ever the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1000G GTF powerplant will be used on either the B737 or A320, it has to be uprated to higher thrust ratings as these two planes are heavier than the Bombardier’s CSeries and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ).

A320 taking off

For the new iterations of the B737 and A320, Boeing and Airbus can also use new technologies developed in their B787 and A350 programs. These can include

1. Composite materials

2. Electric and electronic systems

3. Flight planning

4. New seat designs

5. Entertainment systems

6. Some aerodynamic profiling

7. Others

Such a development trigerred by a Ryanair order will benefit the whole airline industry as it will offer lower cost alternatives.

ApproSys Solution to 787 Window Problem

The 787 design is based on connecting together composite fuselage barrels from different factories worldwide. In the areas where the barrels are connected, no passenger windows can be installed due to the structural connections between fuselage barrels. This will result in passenger rows where there will be no natural visual access of passengers seated in those rows.

Appropriate Systems (www.ApproSys.com) has a simple solution to this problem that will not entail much weight and redesign.

This solution entails the fitting of an LCD screen connected to several external cameras, to the window area of the passenger row. The LCD screen will have controls for dimming, choice of view, and zoom, among others. This virtual window will approximate the views of a natural window, and have features that a natural window does not have - choice of view, zoom, PC monitor, etc.

This system can also be connected to the Net and entertainment system of the 787. It can be the precursor of a BWB virtual window system, and a Virtual Cockpit System.

©ApproSys 2008