Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- The Boeing 767 Cross Section, Part 1 November 24, 2022
- Movie Review: Devotion November 21, 2022
- China will accelerate development of its commercial aerospace sector November 21, 2022
- Bjorn’s Corner: Sustainable Air Transport. Part 46. eVTOL comparison with helicopter November 18, 2022
- The economics of a 787-9 and A330-900 at eight or nine abreast November 16, 2022
Updating the KC-X competition
Update: The Mobile Press Register has this story saying that the USAF won’t include the WTO dispute in the KC-X competition because WTO rules prohibit doing so while the case is pending–something we’ve been telling the doggone politicians since they started their campaign to include it.
Original Post:
While the drama over the 787 Line 2 siting dominated the news last week, there was some stuff happening on the KC-X tanker front.
Boeing released this video about its tanker program. Note that KC-767 is shown with winglets, which in airline service are improving fuel burn by more than 4%.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYIY2I3jQdE]
In other news: Northrop hints at exiting KC-X competition
We were waiting for this: see this story.
US questions China aviation subsidies
Here is a story we wrote for Commercial Aviation Online October 26:
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has filed a series of questions with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over national, multi-industry state subsidies in China, including the development of the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) ARJ21 and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) C919, the first serious challenges by China to Western airliners.
United nearing decision on refleeting
Update, November 12:
We’ve learned United is splitting the wide-body and narrow-body RFPs into two, now planning to make two purchases instead of one. The wide-body order will come first. Boeing has recently become aggressive with 787 offers and now this is a real competition between the 787 and A350. The narrow-body RFP will almost certainly slip to 2010.
Original Post:
United Airlines is nearing a decision on refleeting, replacing Boeing 747s, 777s 767s and 757s. Flight International has this detail. Flightglobal’s ACAS database shows United operates 25 747-400s, 34 767-300ERs, 19 777-200s, 33 777-200ERs and 94 757s.
This would be a huge order for Airbus or Boeing. United previously said it plans to stick with one supplier.
The original RFP drew hoots from the industry. United sought terms that were considered ridiculous by many, particularly given United’s own financial condition and the existing backlogs at Airbus and Boeing. Industry sources said UA wanted the winning manufacturer to buy the 767s and 757s at above market valuations and lease them back at below market rental rates; to finance 100% of the new airplanes; and require no down payment or progress payments.
Boeing “leaning” toward KC-767
Boeing is “leaning” toward offering the KC-767 to the US Air Force in the KC-X competition, an executive revealed at a conference in Everett (WA) today. Boeing previously has been coy about whether it will offer the KC-767, or a tanker based on the 777 or two separate bids, one for each airplane.
George Maffeo, Vice President of Supplier Manager for all the 7-Series commercial programs except the 787, told the annual Aerospace Conference of the British-American Business Council-Pacific Northwest that the tanker development team of Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) unit has moved over to Boeing Commercial Aircraft (BCA) to learn from their experiences to offer better technologies and cost efficiencies to beat the Northrop Grumman/EADS/Airbus KC-30.
“We want competition”
There is a competition underway for a military airplane in which the government is leaning toward a sole-source selection. The competition to the favored airplane company is advocating for a competition, saying the government will get a better price and a better airplane.
Boeing, Airbus advance
There actually was other news last week besides the corporate food fight over the KC-X tanker involving Boeing and Airbus.
787 Line 2
This article from South Carolina wonders whether the competition between Charleston and Everett is SC Gov. Mark Sanford’s “last stand” to save his job. Sanford, of course, was caught lying to his family and his constituency over where he disappeared (he said initially he was on a hike in the Appalachian mountains; turns out he was in Argentina with his mistress). Republicans and Democrats alike have called on Sanford to resign. He won’t, and the effort to persuade Boeing to locate 787 Line 2 to Charleston may be the Republican governor’s last chance to save his job, the news article speculates.
A320 upgrades on the way
Airbus has decided to proceed with a winglet program for the A320 family and will decide by the end of 2010 whether to re-engine the family. Also: CFM International is ready to advance its schedule for the LEAP-X program to meet a requirement by China’s Comac for the C919. This also opens the way to potentially re-engine the Boeing 737.
Below are stories we did for Commercial Aviation Online.
Airbus: A400M, Future funding
With tanker news dominating this week, there are a few Airbus items that haven’t received much attention: the A400M, future airplane program funding and the A350.
(Updated September 26.)
A400M
This disastrous program appears heading for some resolution. Aviation Week has this report. It looks like Airbus is headed toward a new agreement with the A400M customers (most of which are Airbus member-states) that will restructure the contract, terms and conditions in a program which has already cost Airbus billions of dollars in cost overruns. The program costs the company $100m a month, and it–along with the A380–has been a huge financial drag.
UBS estimated that the restructured contract could add 5bn Euros to the charges Airbus has already taken. We spoke with Airbus CEO Tom Enders earlier this month and he said the estimate is “completely unreasonable.” While he would not offer a “reasonable” number, published reports suggest a 3.5bn Euro figure.
The program has been a perfect example of political interference, notably on the engine selection at the start, which speaks more than ever why Airbus and EADS should divorce from ownership by the French and German governments.
The ever-candid Enders said the A400M should have stuck with the proposed Pratt & Whitney turbo prop rather than having a new design forged in Europe forced upon the airplane. “The choice was made under political pressure,” he said.