Japan Aircraft Development Corporation and Five Japanese Companies sign Memorandum on Participation in Development and Mass Production of Boeing 777X Next-generation Large-size Passenger Jet

Japan Aircraft Development Corporation (JADC) and five Japan Aircraft Industries (JAI) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI); Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI); Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI); ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd. (SMIC); and NIPPI Corporation (NIPPI) – have signed Memorandum of Agreement for their participation in the project to develop and produce The Boeing Company’s next-generation large-size passenger jet, the Boeing 777X.

Plans call for responsibility for the 777X’s various structural components basically to carry over from the participants’ corresponding tasks undertaken for the current 777 model. Presently MHI is in charge of aft fuselages, fuselage tail sections and passenger entry doors; KHI, forward and center fuselages, main landing gear wheel wells, cargo doors and pressure bulkheads; FHI, center wing section, integration of the center wing section with the main landing gear wheel wells, main landing gear doors and wing-to-body fairings (forward); SMIC, wing-to-body fairings (center and aft); and NIPPI, wing components. Due to bigger fuselage section, JAI’s collective work package will be larger in volume than that of today’s 777.

The 777X will be a successor to Boeing’s 777 series of large-size twin-engine passenger jets that have been well received by passengers, enabling them to play a leading role within the air transportation market. Two models will be offered: the 777-8X and 777-9X. Currently the 777-9X is under development, with plans calling for commencement of production in 2017 and delivery of the first aircraft in 2020.