The team has also made skin panels and stringers for the wings, which together with spars, give the wings strength and shape.
Production of major assemblies for the 777-8 Freighter is underway at Boeing and key suppliers, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Subaru, in support of the first delivery planned for 2028.
Building momentum: “We’re excited to be building wings for the new freighter and see this program succeed,” said Dan Truong, process center leader. “I’m looking forward to seeing the airplane fly, knowing we contributed.”
What’s next: Engineers have completed more than 80% of the drawings that define the configuration of the 777-8 Freighter and are continuing detailed design of systems and parts. Teams are also testing systems in laboratories to help demonstrate they perform as intended.
Why it matters: “Customers have a definite preference to choose Boeing – Boeing’s family of freighters serve 90% of the global freighter market,” said Ben Linder, 777 and 777-8 Freighter chief project engineer. “We’ve earned that, and customers are counting on us to deliver the first 777-8 Freighter to expand their operations and replace retiring 747-400 Freighters.”
777X family: The 777X family – the 777-9, the 777-8 Freighter and the 777-8 passenger airplane – are the newest members of Boeing’s market-leading widebody family.