Hawker wins 7E7 trailing edge contract

Boeing’s Australian subsidiary Hawker de Havilland will be the supplier for the 7E7’s wing trailing edges, but the big winner in Boeing’s recently announced work share arrangements for major structural sections of the proposed 7E7 airliner is the Japanese aerospace industry, which has won a 35% share of work, equal to Boeing’s own total.

The structures team partners, which were named earlier this year, will build large sections of the airliner at sites in the United States, Japan, Italy, Australia and Canada, then transport those parts to a yet to be chosen 7E7 final assembly location in the US. Boeing will provide major structure to the program through work at its facilities in Frederickson, Washington State; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wichita, Kansas; Winnipeg, Canada; and Hawker de Havilland in Australia.

Other work packages have been assigned to Japan’s Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI); Vought Aircraft Industries of Dallas, Texas; and Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica.

Boeing will supply approximately 35% of the 7E7 structure including the vertical fin from Frederickson, the fixed and movable leading edges of the wing from Tulsa, the flightdeck and part of the forward fuselage section from Wichita, the movable trailing edges from Australia and the wing-to-body fairing from Winnipeg.

MHI will be responsible for the wing box. KHI will provide the remaining part of the forward fuselage, the main landing gear wheel well and the main wing fixed trailing edge. FHI is focused on the centre wing box and integration of the centre wing box with the main landing gear wheel well.

Vought and Alenia are teaming on their work packages, with details of where they will build different elements expected at a later date. Together, they will build the 7E7 horizontal stabiliser and the centre and aft fuselage. The Vought/Alenia work statement accounts for approximately 26% of the 7E7 structure.

Discussions are ongoing on placement of the remaining 4% of structures work.

Boeing confirmed that the 7E7 program headquarters and development and design integration centre will be in Everett, Washington. The company expects to make decisions regarding the placement of 7E7 systems and other work throughout 2004. A decision regarding which engine or engines will be offered on the airliner is now expected in mid 2004.