7E7 Front And Back End Cost$

Boeing plans to spend $5.8 billion to develop its 7E7 Dreamliner, The Seattle Times reported on Friday, plus about $3 billion more that will come from partners in the project. Last week, Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher was in Moscow to cement an agreement to invest $2.5 billion in the Russian aerospace industry, in return for help in launching the 7E7, AFP reported. Sales of the airplane, expected to cost about $120 million, have been soft in the U.S., where airlines are struggling, but Boeing has about 200 or more orders from around the world, the Times said. Pilots at Northwest Airlines, if they ever get to fly one, would be paid $213 an hour, under a new contract that stipulates pay rates … even for aircraft that don’t yet exist. First deliveries are expected in 2008. The cockpit will be similar to the 777 cockpit, to ease transition training. Various configurations of the airplane will carry up to about 300 passengers on routes up to 8,500 nautical miles, bringing big-jet ranges to midsize airplanes, Boeing says. It will use 20 percent less fuel than other comparable aircraft, and the majority of the primary structure — including the fuselage and wing — will be made of composite materials. Boeing is also incorporating advancements in design and technology to reduce weight and complexity.