India’s Bharat Forge Ltd. has earned a new contract from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to supply four titanium closed-die forgings for the forthcoming 777X, a redesigned version of the 777 long-range, wide-body jet that is the world’s largest twin-engine aircraft. It will be available in two models, the 777-8X and 777-9X.
Boeing reportedly has 320 orders and commitments for the new jets, from Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, All Nippon Airways, and other unidentified carriers. It plans to begin 777X assembly in 2017, and the first deliveries are scheduled for 2020.
The particular application of the new products was not revealed. Bharat Forge is scheduled to begin shipping two of the new forgings to Boeing in late 2016. Deliveries of two more forgings will begin in early 2017.
Earlier this year Bharat Forge began delivering titanium closed-die forgings for Boeing’s 737-Next Generation narrow-body jets, in a supply program that will continue as Boeing transitions to the new 737 MAX version of the aircraft. Those “flap tracks” forgings (a part of the aircraft wing) are heat-treated and rough machined by Bharat in at plants in Pune and Baramati. Finish machining is done at the Boeing Fabrication Division plant in Portland, OR, then shipped to Boeing’s 737 assembly operations in Renton, WA.
“This second contract is the result of our successful partnership with Boeing and brings to forefront our capabilities in precision manufacturing techniques to offer high-end technology and value in the aerospace sector,” stated Bharat Forge executive director Subodh Tandale. “We are well versed in the stringent process requirements for titanium forgings and have mastered the process. We will be supplying critical wing components for one of the most advanced Boeing aircrafts. This also confirms our commitment to meet the aspirations of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”
The terms of Bharat Forge’s new contract were not detailed, though it emphasized its significance to Boeing’s global supply-chain strategy. Earlier, it noted that it is the jet builder’s only Indian supplier of globally approved titanium forgings.
