Published: 9 July, 2007, 05:50
Edited: 9 July, 2007, 05:50
One of the world's biggest producers of commercial jetliners, Boeing, has unveiled its new high-tech jet, called the 787 Dreamliner. It's a milestone for the U.S. aircraft industry and for Russia too. The plane contains a high proportion of Russian titani
Plane enthusiasts all over the world have been waiting to catch a glimpse of the 787 Dreamliner. It's Boeing's first new plane in more than a decade.
Industry experts gathered for the premiere at the U.S. manufacturer's plant north of Seattle.
Rivals Airbus congratulated Boeing, describing it as a great day in aviation history.
Lighter, stronger and able fly longer distances on less fuel, Boeing's Dreamliner is the result of the company's highest ambitions. Builders of the aircraft say the Dreamliner is revolutionary in terms of the technology used in its construction.
The long-haul, mid-size aircraft has been billed as the most environmentally-friendly jet ever built because of its lightweight and fuel efficient design.
For its latest model, Boeing is using a one-piece fuselage section, eliminating 1,500 aluminum sheets and about 50,000 fasteners. This will make the plane's production period much shorter. The company says when the production hits its full speed it will take only three days for a jet's body to be assembled.
The Dreamliner is the first plane of which half consists of composite materials, which are lighter and more durable than aluminum. And about 15% of its structure is made of Russian titanium, brought to the U.S. from the small Russian town of Verkhnyaya Salda located in the Sverdlovsk region in the Urals.
“A joint facility has been established here to produce not only the titanium alloy itself but titanium components as well. We are proud of this collaboration and I think it's a great example of joint production,” Anton Kantor from the VSMPO-Avisma company, Verkhnyaya Salda, said.
Russian titanium producers say Boeing's Dreamliner is one of the first airliners which uses titanium as one of its major components.
“That's a breakthrough, a great step forward. I think all aircraft producers will gradually use less and less aluminum. Composite materials and alloys are the future of aircraft building. And our company hopes to have an opportunity to collaborate with Airbus in the future,” Anton Kantor stressed.
Meanwhile, the 787 Dreamliner is already the fastest-selling aircraft in Boeing's history. Over the past few years airlines have ordered more than 600 of the planes. The first test flight is expected in September. But the Dreamliner will be able to open its doors to the first passengers as soon as May 2008.