Mitsubishi Heavy to build wing plant for Boeing

KUN0034 4 GEN 0220 KUWAIT /KUNA-OIR0 ECO-JAPAN-MITSUBISHI Mitsubishi Heavy to build wing plant for Boeing TOKYO, Aug 30 (KUNA) -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has decided to buy a plot of land in Nagoya, central Japan, from Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to build a plant to manufacture wings for Boeing Co.'s 7E7 airplane, scheduled for launch in 2008, a major business daily here reported on Monday. Mitsubishi Heavy is in charge of manufacturing the wing, made of composite materials using carbon fiber to make the key part lighter. This will be the first carbon fiber wing to be used in passenger airplanes, the Nikkei Shimbun said. Production of the state-of-the-art wing will require advanced machines and facilities, including autoclaves to compress the carbon fiber materials by heat and under heavy pressure. Construction of the plane wing plant at a cost of at least JPY 35 billion (USD 319 million) is also intended to further cement ties with the US aircraft manufacturer, according to the daily, quoting sources close to the matter. Mitsubishi Heavy plans to supply wings for 2,000 Boeing 7E7s over a span of 20 years. The move is part of Mitsubishi Heavy's strategy to expand its aerospace business to make up for slow-growing or declining shipbuilding and nuclear power facility operations, the report said. (end) mk.mab KUNA 301329 Aug 04NNNN