Boeing Puts X-66A On Backburner

Boeing has put new projects, such as its X-66A, on the back burner as it manages continued difficulties with its current commercial aeroplanes division.

The American plane maker has confirmed that it must meet its commitments to customers who have experienced a delayed delivery of an uncertified aircraft type.

Most notably, the focus is on the 737-7, 737-10, and, for the company’s widebody portfolio, the 777X series. All these variants remain uncertified and thus have many hefty associated delays, impacting airline customers.

In response to the difficulties, Boeing is removing some of its engineers from projects such as the X-66A to get its other programs back on track. These steps are deemed necessary as the company faces difficulties across the board.

What Is The X-66A?

The X-66A, as it has been given, is a development study by Boeing and NASA to test Transonic Truss-Braced Wing designs on an aircraft or TTBW. The pair hopes that through these studies, they will be able to determine whether such a wing design would be plausible for future aircraft.

Aircraft manufacturers like Boeing have been moving along with their current offerings and understand the importance of studying the future. The X-66A is widely considered the future, with the hope of a first flight in 2028 on a full-scale demonstrator.

While it is unclear if such a demonstrator will provide adequate results, this aircraft could easily form into the next era of flight and aircraft.

NASA and Boeing highlighted that the TTBW could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 30% over current airframes. These benefits would be huge in enabling airlines to meet their various sustainability goals.

However, because of persistent issues impacting Boeing, engineers must step away from this development study to rectify the countless problems. Despite this, Boeing stated that NASA and the U.S. space agency had offered additional resources to the X-66A out of fear of progress falling behind if neglected.

The Problems At Boeing

Boeing’s X-66A remains the least of its concerns. As airlines continue to order aircraft and production increases are barred, the planemaker is having a rough time working through its backlog.

Delays are ever-increasing at the manufacturer and harm airlines’ finances and business planning. Furthermore, considering the severity of delays associated with uncertified aircraft, it becomes a bottomless pit for Boeing.

The hope is that by moving engineers over, the planemaker will enjoy stability across its operations and get slowly but surely back on track.