Before we get into how much it costs to develop and build a clean sheet aircraft, let’s first look at what a clean sheet design is and why it is much more expensive than improving on a test-proven aircraft. It is easy to improve aircraft you already have, as is evident with Airbus and its new engine option (NEO) for the A320 and A330 family of planes.
Boeing has followed a similar process with the Boeing 737-800 by redesigning it as the Boeing 737 MAX. The same with its triple seven that now has larger, more efficient GE9X engines and composite wings with folding tips called the Boeing 777X.
It’s quicker and cheaper to improve an existing design
While initially thinking of a clean sheet design, Boeing was caught short when Airbus introduced the Airbus A320neo. Fitted with new, more fuel-efficient engines, the Airbus A320neo was less expensive to operate than a comparable Boeing 737. Designing and building a new aircraft would have taken the Seattle-based plane maker five to eight years, so instead, they decided to copy Airbus and fit the Boeing 737 with new engines.
Aircraft manufacturers do not reveal how much it costs to build a plane
Unfortunately, aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing do not reveal detailed information on the cost of building the planes. The plane makers outsource many aircraft parts, like engines, and want to keep information about contracts and how much they pay for components and engineering private.
Photo: Boeing
To give you an idea of how many subcontractors were used to help build the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, here is a list of some of the 45 companies that supply parts for the plane:
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) Wing and center wing box
- Subaru (Japan) horizontal stabilizers
- Alenia Aeronautica (Italy) and Korea Aerospace Industries (South Korea) fuselage sections
- Rockwell Collins (USA) communications and pilot control systems
- Honeywell (USA) navigation systems and flight control electronics
- General Electric (USA) engines
- Messier-Dowty (France) landing-gear system
- Diehl Luftfahrt Elektronik (Germany) Aircraft cabin lighting
- Saab Aerostructures (Sweden) aircraft access doors
- Jamco (Japan) cabin interior and lavatories
- Thales (France) electrical power conversion system
A clean sheet design takes considerably longer and costs multiple times more than designing and building an aircraft from scratch.
Why build a clean sheet plane?
The only reason an aircraft manufacturer will not improve on an existing design is to fill a void in the market or if new technology cannot be fitted into current aircraft. In the 1990s, Boeing looked at various designs to replace its Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 aircraft. Following the September terrorist attacks in 2001 and data obtained from focus groups, Boeing developed what would later be the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
When it comes to clean sheet designs, there are three stages:
- Conceptual: A sketch of the aircraft design details the aircraft’s structure, aerodynamics, control systems, and propulsion.
- Preliminary: Engineers conduct wind tunnel tests and perform contractual and control analysis based on the conceptual design. During this phase, engineers look for problems and how to overcome them.
- Detail design: Aircraft aspects are finalized so a first prototype can be built.
Prototypes
The next phase is building prototypes to ensure that the aircraft performs as it is supposed to. During this period, aircraft manufacturers also streamline the process so that at a later date, the planes could be mass-produced.
Aircraft airworthiness certification
Photo: Boeing
Before a plane is certified, it must undergo many ground and air tests to prove it is safe to fly. Once these are complete, it will be sent off to various places around the globe to see how it operates in harsh hot and cold conditions.