Aviation / Aerospace

Boeing 777X

Twin-Engine Passenger Jet Airliner [ 2021 ]

The Boeing 777X family is an offshoot of the Triple Seven line and has secured over 240 orders into 2015.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/18/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from official Boeing marketing material.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The original Boeing 777 wide-body passenger jet airliner was introduced in 1995 (with United Airlines) and became a commercial success for the company with over 1,320 examples completed to date and operators spanning the globe. Building upon this established and successful framework, Boeing is set to introduce a follow-on design in the series as the advanced "777X" - marketed as the "most efficient twin-engine jet in the world" by Boeing. The model also utilizes lessons learned and qualities featured in the newer 787 "Dreamliner" series.

The 777X continues the fine lines established by the 777 and 787 with its slim, rounded fuselage, upward-canted wing mainplanes and single-finned tail. The cockpit sits a short distance away from the nose cone, offering excellent vision for the cockpit crew of two. Each wing fits an underslung engine nacelle of considerable diameter. The wings themselves utilized lightweight, but strong, composites in their construction offering a good balance of function and efficiency. Inspiration drawn from the Dreamliner is obvious in the twin-aisle passenger cabin with its large viewing windows positioned along the fuselage sides.

The engine of choice t power the new product is the General Electric Aviation "GE9X" turbofan developed exclusively with the 777X in mind - some of the largest propulsion systems ever fitted to a two-engined passenger jet airliner.

One of the more interesting design qualities of the 777X is in its wingtips which are designed to fold up when ground running. This provides the longer span assemblies with an inherent self-shortening feature giving the new aircraft the capability to operate in any existing major airport despite its added span when flying. Unfolded, the wings hold a span of 235.4 feet while, when folded, the span decreases to 212.7 feet to allow access to any standard passenger gate area.

Currently (2015), the 777X is set to be represented by two distinct model forms, the 777-8X (the standard offering) and the 777-9X (featuring a stretched fuselage with three-class passenger configuration). The former showcases an inherent range of 8,700 nautical miles with passenger seating from 350 to 375 persons and the latter sports a shorter range of 7,600 nautical miles though with seating for 400 to 425 passengers. Stated individual unit prices are $371 million and $400 million respectively.

Service introduction for the 777X is planned for 2020 as development is being undertaken as of this writing (2015). Confirmed orders of the 777-8X total 53 while the 777-9X has reached 243 examples for a total of 306 aircraft with operators in Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Qatar and the UAE. The 777-8X is in direct competition with the French Airbus A350-100 product (detailed elsewhere on this site). The 777-9X is said by Boeing representatives to have no true existing industry match as of yet.

July 2016 - Boeing engineers are contemplating a stretched version of the 777X twin-engined transport to fill the gap between -8X and -9X models. The new addition is tentatively recognized as the 777-10X.

February 2018 - Boeing plans early-2019 for a first-flight of its 777X.

September 2018 - The first fully-assembled 777X (777-9), to serve as the program's test article, was rolled out at Boeing's Everett, Washington facility. The project's schedule is on pace to deliver a first-flight sometime in 2019.

January 2019 - Boeing mechanics have installed the GE9X engines on its 777X test aircraft.

January 2019 - The 777X test aircraft is nearing major components integration with its roll-out expected in early-2019. Flight testing is set to begin before the end of March 2019.

March 2019 - The 777-9, (777-9X) the first of the 777X series, was unveiled at a Boeing event in Everett, Washington on March 13th, 2019. Four 777-9 aircraft are set to be used in the flight-testing/type certification phase to commence later in 2019.

March 2019 - International Airlines Group has placed an order for up to eighteen 777-9 production models with an option for twenty-four additional airframes. These will be used to succeed a fleet of 747-400 and 777-200 in-service aircraft.

June 2019 - It was announced that a first-flight of the 777X has been delayed by several months due to engine reliability issues with the GE9X propulsion systems.

June 2019 - At Paris Air Show 2019, Qatar Airways has announced the purchase of an additional five 777F model aircraft totaling $1.8 billion USD. At least sixteen of the type are already operated by the company.

June 2019 - Qatar Airways has offered to become the launch customer for a yet-unannounced freighter version of the Boeing 777X airplane. These would be used to succeed and aging line of aircraft already used by the company.

August 2019 - Development of the 777-8 has been delayed according to sources, mainly due to delays incurred in the development and certification of the 777-9 series.

October 2019 - Boeing has announced that it will begin deliveries of its Model 777X in the early part of 2021.

January 2020 - To date, there are 309 total committed orders for the Boeing 777X from various carriers: Lufthansa (20), Etihad (25), Cathay Pacific (21), Emirates (115), Qatar Airways (60), All Nippon Airways (20), Singapore Airlines (20), British Airways (18), and those carrier(s) yet to be identified (10).

January 2020 - The Boeing 777X-9 made its maiden flight on January 25th, 2020 from Paine Field just north of Seattle. The aircraft is the longest and largest twin-engine airliner in operation today.

Specifications

Service Year

2021

Origin

United States

Status

IN-DEVELOPMENT
Program in Progress.

Crew

2

Production

1
UNITS

Boeing Company - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

National flag of the United Arab Emirates

Germany; Hong Kong; Japan; Qatar; Singapore; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

Length

251.6 ft
(76.70 m)

Width/Span

235.6 ft
(71.80 m)

Height

64.6 ft
(19.70 m)

Empty Wgt

362,003 lb
(164,202 kg)

MTOW

774,925 lb
(351,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+412,921 lb
(+187,298 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Boeing 777-9X production variant)

Installed: 2 x General Electric GE9X turbofan engines of 105,000 lb thrust each.

Range

8,746 mi
(14,075 km | 26,067 nm)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Boeing 777-9X production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

777X - Base Series Designation; folding wingtip feature

777-8X - 350 passenger seating capacity; 9,300 mile range; service scheduled for 2022.

777-9X - 400+ passenger seating capacity; 8,200 mile range; service scheduled for 2020.

777-10X - Proposed extended version.

777-XF - Proposed freighter variant for Qatar Airways; based on the 777-8 airframe.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.