Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2001

Japanese firms join Boeing supersonic venture

Associated Press

TOKYO — Three Japanese manufacturers will provide next-generation aeronautic technology to Boeing Co. for use in a planned passenger jet expected to fly at nearly the speed of sound, company officials said Tuesday.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industrial Ltd. were still in talks, said Kawasaki spokesman Tsutomu Abe. He declined to comment further.

The three firms and Japan Aircraft Development Corp. — a company formed to coordinate the project — were to sign a tentative agreement as early as this month, the Nihon Keizai financial newspaper said Tuesday, without citing sources.

Officials at the companies, however, declined to confirm the report or comment on how much the deal was worth.

Boeing's Sonic Cruiser will be able to fly at Mach 0.98 or just shy of Mach 1, the speed of sound, Abe said. He added that the airplane, with seating capacity of up to 300 passengers, is expected to enter service between 2006 and 2008.

In the deal, the Japanese companies will pass on techniques for using computers to design aircraft with low wind resistance and know-how on manufacturing strong materials that weigh less than aluminum and other light metals, the Nihon Keizai report said.

Separately, the three Japanese manufacturers have joined in the development of Boeing's B767 and B777 passenger planes, together shouldering about 20 percent of the total cost of the projects.