Originally Posted by
tdracer
You do know that Boeing discontinued the 757 15 years ago because no one was buying it, and the 757-300 was a major flop (40 aircraft built, they needed about 200 to break even).
To do a 757NG , it would need a new engine, meaning a new engine would have needed to exist in that thrust class (~40k lbs.). Not only was that not the case, none of the engine manufactures saw a business case for developing one. In fact that's still the case - for the NMA to be viable someone will need to step forward and develop the engine.
Pretty sure RR were planning an updated engine if the 757 NG had been launched
It looked like an outstanding aircraft from the proposals I saw, 767-400 cockpit, 2000 gallon fuel tank in the horizontal stabilizer, reinforced 757-300 wing and landing gear for a 275K gross weight would have yielded at least a 4500 NM range
There was a temporary slump in sales for the 757 but ending the line was the biggest mistake Boeing have made in the civilian airliner business
Slowing production to a bare minimum, like they’ve done with the 747, or just keeping the line warm would have given the market the breather it needed, the whole, long, thin concept was just starting to really take off and a NG 757 would have been very popular, I think there’d be a ‘Max’ version by now
Instead they’ve ceded this niche to Airbus and are faced with billions in development costs for a replacement when what Boeing really needs to invest in is a clean sheet 737
replacement