Tue, Aug 26, 2008
Kawasaki Considers Entering Fray
What was once the exclusive domain
of airliner manufacturers Airbus and Boeing is fast becoming the
most competitive segment in the market. Japanese manufacturing
conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries is reportedly considering
entering the 150-seat segment, with a concept called the YPX.
According to the Montreal Gazette, Kawasaki aims to take attract
buyers who may have considered Bombardier's upcoming CSeries
airliner, which is slated to enter service in 2013 and offer
between 110-149 seats. The similarly-sized YPX would sport largely
composite construction, allowing it to fly 2,300 nautical miles
while sporting a lower takeoff weight than the aluminum-bodied
CSeries.
Like the CSeries (shown below), the YPX would compete in a
segment largely abandoned by Boeing and Airbus; the most recent
110-seat airliner was Boeing's 717, itself a much-modernized
derivative of the original Douglas DC-9 and later McDonnell Douglas
MD-80 series. Boeing stopped building 717s in 2005.
Larger variants of the Kawasaki and Bombardier planes would also
compete against smaller types of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320
Family... the most popular airliners in the world.
Kawasaki already produces a number of components used on
commercial aircraft, including fuselage segments for Boeing's
upcoming 787 Dreamliner. The company is also the primary contractor
for the upcoming P-X Patrol and C-X cargo planes, both slated to
enter service with Japan's military in 2011.
While it's unlikely Kawasaki could match Bombardier's scheduled
EOS, the company would be able to speed development and cut costs
on the YPX by using components from those programs. Fellow Japanese
manufacturers Mitsubishi -- which is developing its own 70-90 seat
airliner, the MRJ -- and Fuji would also likely be tapped for their
assistance.
To date, the YPX exists only in some concept drawings... but
Kawasaki has shown those designs to several airlines, which are
reportedly interested in the plane, especially if it's powered by
the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan. That engine --
which aims to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by double-digit
percentages -- has already been selected by Bombardier and
Mitsubishi for their respective jet programs.
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