Boeing will decide within six months whether to proceed with development of a low-cost all-composite wing for the 737, according to Phantom Works VP and general manager George Muellner. The wing could be developed within 12-18 months of a go-ahead, and would then replace the standard metal wing in production as early as 2004 or 2005.

The goal of the project is to reduce costs by producing a wing with fewer parts and less "touch labor" in assembly. The 737 is the leading candidate for a composite wing, says Muellner, because its 24-per-month production rate offers a faster payoff than other Boeing aircraft.

Boeing is looking both at conventional composite structures and a stitched/resin film infusion (RFI) design. The latter has been under development at Long Beach since the early 1990s, and involves the use of dry fibers reinforced with fiber threads to give the material greater resistance to delamination. A 42-foot stitched RFI wing section produced by the Phantom Works has just completed structural tests at NASA Langley. According to Boeing, the structure is 25% lighter and 20% cheaper than a metal wing.

The composite 737 wing is the largest of several Phantom Works projects which are aimed at reducing costs in Boeing's Commercial Airplanes group. A reorganization last year, in which Phantom Works president David Swain moved to Seattle, was specifically aimed at improving links between Phantom Works and the airliner division. Other new Phantom Works projects include the redesign of the Boeing 747's nose section and a study focused on reducing the cost of engine struts and nacelles.

By Bill Sweetman