Ukrainian Progresstech and Boeing: a New Boeing 777X Finally Took Off
On January 25, 2020, Boeing lifted the first experimental model of the new 777X widebody aircraft with serial number WH001.
The airliner took off at 10:09 a.m. on Saturday from Pine Field Airport in Everett, flew over the state of Washington lasting 3 hours 51 minutes and successfully returned.
At this time, the 777X, running a test program, was controlled by two Boeing pilots. Live data was transmitted to the ground and analyzed by a special team of people.
Boeing 777X: Capacity, Price and Specifications
The Boeing 777X is the latest in a series of long-range, wide-body, twin-engine aircraft of the Boeing 777 family developed by this American company. It accommodates from 384 to 426 passengers and is capable of flying from 13,500 to 16,200 kilometers, depending on the configuration and number of passengers. According to Deutsche Welle, Boeing has already received about 340 newbie orders. Customers include Emirates, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways. The catalog price of the Boeing 777X is from 410 to 442 million US dollars (from 371 to 400 million euros). The first aircraft will arrive at customers no earlier than the beginning of 2021.
“A new, now composite, wing with folding tips characterize this plane. The world's most powerful engines and many other improvements are the key features of the Boeing 777X. All these are the guarantee that the brainchild of the concern will also take its rightful place in the global market for wide-body aircraft and in the history of aviation,” the representatives of the company said. A separate subject of pride is participation in the development of specialists from Ukraine. Some of them continue to work on improving the Boeing 777X.
Boeing launched the 777X program in 2013 as the development of its most successful twin-engine aircraft. Specialists of the Ukrainian company Progresstech-Ukraine participated in the design.
The updated 777X received new GE Aviation engines from GE Aviation and an extended wing to improve aerodynamics . According to Boeing, this will allow the new model to become 10% more economical in fuel consumption and operating costs compared with its competitor from Airbus.
The wingspan of the new aircraft is 71.8 meters, which could create problems when using the existing infrastructure at airports . For example, models of the previous generation 777-200 / 300 have a wingspan of 60.9 meters, 777-200LR / 300ER ⎼ 64.8 meters.
To solve the problem, Boeing has developed folding wingtips that rise up after landing and reduce the wingspan to 64.8 meters.
In addition to efficiency, innovations will also affect comfort in the cabin. Boeing increased the size of the windows and provided access to portholes for each row of seats. Due to the processing of the project, while maintaining the outer diameter of the fuselage, the diameter of the cabin became larger.
The project also includes the installation of new shelves for hand luggage, maintaining higher humidity, better sound insulation, and maintaining pressure closer to ground level pressure.
The number of seats in the 2-class cabin layout in various liner modifications is as follows: 777-8 ⎼ 384 passengers, 777-9 ⎼ 426 passengers. The range, respectively, is 16,170 km and 13,500 km.
Progresstech participated in modeling and strength analysis of airframe structures and a number of other works. Ukrainian engineers have gained unique experience working on the most modern project, with the most modern technologies, which means that their qualifications have improved.
The Collaboration of Progresstech Engineers on Developing of Software
Progresstech Ukraine engineers have begun to develop IT software for the aerospace industry as well.
"The professional qualities of Ukrainian programmers using modern technologies in project management , enhanced by the accumulated knowledge of Progresstech-Ukraine, made it possible for the company to receive the first portfolio of IT orders, as well as the status of an official provider of engineering services to the largest player in the air navigation sector," the company said.
Earlier, Progresstech specialists implemented a number of demonstration projects to create software products and applications that are in demand in the industry.
According to the company, the first aerospace project was the prototyping of technical and architectural validation interfaces, as well as the development of a human-in-the-loop assessment system.
What Is Progresstech-Ukraine?
The company "Progresstech-Ukraine" was established in 2007 with the aim of increasing engineering services and attracting additional resources in the CIS countries.
Having become the first engineering company in Ukraine, for over thirteen years now, it has been the undisputed leader in this industry, providing engineering and service and consulting services to large manufacturing companies in the engineering industry, airport technology, and civil engineering. The leadership of the company is marked not only by its customers but also at the state level. Progresstech-Ukraine has been recognized as the Industry Leader in the National Business Ranking of Ukraine.
Since 2012, Progresstech-Ukraine has expanded its cooperation with the largest technical universities and gradually launched a range of educational projects and training programs. Their common goal is the development of engineering education in Ukraine, modernization of the educational process taking into consideration the modern requirements of the global market of intellectual services. This is important for Progresstech, as a number of training programs are aimed directly at preparing graduates of technical universities to work in the company.
The first partner of the company among universities was Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) named after Igor Sikorsky. The joint training center "Progresstech-Ukraine" and KPI became the basic platform for the implementation of most dual training programs. The center was opened in the summer of 2014 and is equipped with modern technology with access to the latest computer-aided design system.
Progresstech-Ukraine has engaged its main partner, Boeing, to support key educational projects. Since 2016, with the assistance of Boeing, the training base of the Joint Center "Progresstech-Ukraine" and KPI has been doubled. With the participation of Boeing, new modern aviation specializations were created, and a program of retraining and certification of the teaching staff was launched. Educational projects, masterclasses, and informative tours for students of technical universities of Ukraine have been launched. And at the end of 2016, a group of teachers from Ukrainian universities involved in new joint curricula underwent an internship at Boeing assembly plants in the United States.