The contest between the big three engine manufacturers to power Boeing's proposed super-long-range 777X was decided last week as Boeing made a surprising exclusive engine deal with General Electric.
The order is valued at more than $25 billion over a 20-year period. GE will develop a 115,000 pound-thrust derivative engine, the GE90-115B, for the longer-range Boeing 777-200X and -300X derivatives. Losing the contest were Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney.
Boeing's move to an exclusive engine supplier on its long-range widebody jets is unusual, although somewhat expected after reports surfaced recently that GE offered to substantially contribute to the development costs of the 777X derivatives. Boeing's original 777 model is powered by engines from GE, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney - with Rolls winning the lion's share of the engine orders and GE selling the fewest 777 powerplants.
For the 777X, GE demanded exclusive rights to supply the engine in order to avoid the laborious three-way battle for engines seen so often with the original 777. Rolls and Pratt & Whitney, in contrast, made no exclusivity demands on Boeing.
"All three commercial engine companies offered good solutions for the new longer-range 777 airplanes," said Alan Mulally, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president. "GE was chosen to develop a GE90 derivative engine because it best met the overall evaluation criteria, including technical, schedule, customer service, and business requirements."
GE Aircraft Engines president James McNerney called the 777X win one of the most significant wins in the division's history.
"The GE90-115B engine for the 777-200X and -300X will be the world's most powerful engine, using the most advanced engine technologies in commercial aviation history," McNerney said.
The news is a blow to Rolls-Royce, whose Trent 800 engines have secured a 45% share of the 777 engine market. Although Rolls said its long-term strategy would not be affected by the order loss, the company said the development would place increased pressure on the engine market to consolidate.
There are those who already suspect that three engine manufacturers is one too many, as was the case for airframe manufacturers not too long ago.
Airlines are also unlikely to be pleased with Boeing's move toward engine exclusivity on the 777X, particularly those that don't already operate GE-powered 777s. The more engine models in an airline's fleet increases training and maintenance costs, and the battle to contain unit costs remains a top priority for today's airlines.
Boeing says it's currently in discussions with airlines that are considering the longer-range 777s. Their input will decide the timing of the program's go-ahead.
"For planning purposes, we are currently assuming entry into service in 2003," said Boeing's John Roundhill.
Boeing projects a market demand for the 777-200X and -300X to be about 500 planes. The marketing strategy behind the 777X assumes airlines will move to more frequent non-stop flights between more cities, as opposed to opting for the superjumbo airliner proposed by rival Airbus Industrie. Boeing also sees the 777-300X as an efficient replacement for the early Boeing 747s.
The 777-200X would be the longest-range commercial airplane ever designed. It would fly 10,100 statute miles - 1,200 miles farther than today's 777-200ER, currently the longest range airliner in service. The same size as the 777-200, it would carry about 300 passengers in a three-class configuration.
The 777-300X would fly 8,300 statute miles - about 1,800 miles more than the 777-300 that entered service in 1998. The new derivative would be the same size as the 777-300 and carry about 360 passengers in a three-class configuration.
Both models would have increased MTOW up to 750,000 pounds, with engine thrust up to 115,000 on the -300X. Changes would include a strengthened fuselage, tail and main landing gear, and a new wing tip section with 76 inches additional span on each side.
Boeing would design the new derivatives simultaneously.
