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The following year no new orders for the DC-10 were received. The production line was kept active thanks to earlier orders from the United States Air Force for 60 KC-10A tankers. McDonnell Douglas was still convinced that a new derivative for the DC-10 was needed, as shown by the second-hand market for their Series 30 and the heavier DC-10-30ER version.
A Delta Airlines MD-11
Thus, in 1984 a new derivative aircraft version of the DC-10 was designated MD-11. From the very beginning, the MD-11X was conceived in two different versions.
The MD-11X-10, based on a DC-10-30 airframe, offered a range of 6,500 nautical miles( 12,000 km) with passengers. That first version would have had a maximum takeoff weight( MTOW) of 580,000 pounds( 260,000 kg) and would have used CF6-80C2 or PW4000 engines. The MD-11X-20 was to have a longer fuselage, accommodating up to 331 passengers in a mixed-class layout, and a range of 6,000 nautical miles( 11,000 km).
As more orders for the DC-10 were received, McDonnell Douglas used the time gained before the end of DC-10 production to consult with potential customers and to refine the proposed new trijet. In July 1985, the Board of Directors authorized the Long Beach plant to offer the MD-11 to potential customers. At the time, the aircraft was still proposed in two versions, both with the same fuselage length, a stretch of 22 ft 3 in( 6.78 m) over the DC-10 airframe, as well as the same engine choice as the MD-11X. One version would have a range of 4,780 nautical miles( 8,850 km) with a gross weight of 500,000 pounds( 230,000 kg) and transport up to 337 passengers, while the second would carry 331 passengers over 6,900 nautical miles( 12,800 km).
MD 11
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