A spar is born: Team builds first 777-8 Freighter wing parts
Teammates at the Composite Wing Center join suppliers in building assemblies for the newest 777X model.
Mechanics at the controls of an automated fiber placement machine laid down plies of composite material as they created the first spar, the long beam that forms the critical load-bearing support, for the first 777-8 Freighter wing.
The team has also made skin panels and stringers for the wings, which together with spars, give the wings strength and shape.
- For the 777-8F, wing spars measure more than 100 feet (30.5 meters) long.
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.
- Customers have ordered 59 777-8 Freighters since Boeing launched the program in 2022.
- The 777-8F’s payload capacity is nearly identical to those airplanes, and the new twin jet will have 30% lower fuel use and emissions, 25% better operating costs per tonne and a 60% smaller noise footprint.
- Boeing’s newly released 2025 Current Market Outlook projects a two-thirds increase in the global freighter fleet by 2044, including approximately 885 large widebody freighters such as the new 777-8 Freighter.