McDonnell Douglas MD-12
The McDonnell Douglas MD-12 was an aircraft design study undertaken by the McDonnell Douglas company in the 1990s, though it should be noted that this was a revival of an earlier Douglas study of the 1960s for a double-decker widebody, reprinted in Air International in 2001.
Development
Initially it was to be a stretched, higher capacity version of the trijet MD-11. The design then grew into a much larger aircraft with 4 engines and two passenger decks extending the length of the fuselage, and was announced in April 1992. This was similar in concept to the Airbus A380 and Boeing NLA, and would have been larger than the Boeing 747.
Despite aggressive marketing and initial excitement, especially in the aviation press, no orders were placed for the aircraft. The study was perceived as merely as a public relations exercise to disguise the fact that MDC was struggling under intense pressure from Boeing and Airbus. It was clear to most in the industry that MDC had neither the resources nor the money to develop such a large aircraft, and the study quickly sank without trace. No orders were placed for the aircraft, and it was quietly forgotten after the 1997 merger between McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
In retrospect, a new double-decker widebody has proved to be extremely expensive and complex to develop, even for the remaining aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus. A similar concept to the MD-12, the massive Airbus A380 has been successfully brought to fruition. However, the A380 project has been hit with delays and significant cost overruns since 2005.[1][2]
Specifications (MD-12 HC, as designed)
Data from MDC brochure[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 (1 pilot, 1 copilot)
- Capacity: 430 Passengers in 3-class arrangement, up to 511 passengers in high-capacity layout
Performance
References
External links
- MD11/MD12-undeveloped models at MD-Eleven.net
Related content
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era