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Pioneering Environmental Technologies
Improving Product Performance
Photo: Boeing Photo
In addition to developing fuel-efficient new airplanes, such as the 787 Dreamliner, we are improving the environmental performance of other airplanes including the 737, 767, 777, the Boeing NewGen Tanker and the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Boeing currently is flight-testing the world’s two newest commercial airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner and the 747-8. We remain on track to begin delivering these new airplanes by the end of 2010.
The 787, with its composite fuselage and wings, is designed to be 20 percent more fuel-efficient than today’s airplanes of comparable size. The 747-8, with its advanced engines and systems, is designed to be 16 percent more fuel-efficient than the previous generation of jumbo jets.
Improved fuel consumption is at the core of our research-and-development efforts. Each kilogram of fuel not burned equates to 3.16 kilograms of CO2 not emitted, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations body that establishes standards for global air travel.
These innovations continue a long trend in commercial aviation. Compared to the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8 and other early jetliners, today’s commercial airplanes generate 70 percent fewer emissions and have a 90 percent smaller noise footprint. We continue embedding environmental design considerations in our products, and are committed to deliver at least a 15 percent improvement in fuel and CO2 efficiency with each new generation of commercial airplane.
We also are making improvements to our existing airplanes to improve fuel efficiency while reducing CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Boeing has announced performance enhancements to the Next-Generation 737 to improve fuel efficiency of the world’s most-popular airplane by 2 percent. Airplane structural improvements will reduce drag on the 737, increasing fuel efficiency by approximately 1 percent. Hardware changes to the CFM engines will contribute the other 1 percent fuel savings. We will begin delivering 737s with these improvements starting next year.
For 767s in commercial service, Boeing offers a retrofit winglet package to improve fuel efficiency by approximately 5.5 percent.
We are prepared to offer winglets as an option to the U.S. Air Force on the Boeing NewGen 767 Tanker.
Boeing is offering operators of 777-200, -200ER and -300 airplanes a retrofit package to improve fuel efficiency by 1 percent.
Working with key members of the Hornet Industry Team, we are also making various environmental improvements to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.