Boeing 747SP Special Performance Family
The Boeing 747SP is a shortened, long-range variant of the original 747 designed to fly farther with a smaller passenger load. Its reduced fuselage, modified tail, and lower weight supported ultra-long-range airline and government transport. One 747SP became SOFIA, a joint NASA and German Aerospace Center airborne observatory whose large infrared telescope operated above most of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Boeing's SP drawing gives 56.31 m overall length and 59.64 m span. The listed 317,500 kg MTOW is the 700,000 lb JT9D-7A option; other engine and weight combinations differ. The 331-seat figure is the manual's basic mixed-class arrangement of 28 first-class and 303 economy seats, rather than a government, research, or individual airline cabin.
Future launches and major activity directly linked to this vehicle family.
Identity
- Aliases
- 747SPBoeing 747 Special PerformanceB74S
- Family Name
- Boeing 747SP
- Full Name
- Boeing 747SP Special Performance Family
- Roles
- airlinerbusinessresearchobservatory
- Status
- retired
- Type
- aircraft
- Variant Name
- SP
Details
- Aircraft Specs
- Configuration
- fixed_wing
- Max Takeoff Mass
- …
- Operating Modes
- land
- Passenger Capacity
- 331
- Takeoff Landing Capabilities
- conventional
- Description
- The Boeing 747SP is a shortened, long-range variant of the original 747 designed to fly farther with a smaller passenger load. Its reduced fuselage, modified tail, and lower weight supported ultra-long-range airline and government transport. One 747SP became SOFIA, a joint NASA and German Aerospace Center airborne observatory whose large infrared telescope operated above most of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Boeing's SP drawing gives 56.31 m overall length and 59.64 m span. The listed 317,500 kg MTOW is the 700,000 lb JT9D-7A option; other engine and weight combinations differ. The 331-seat figure is the manual's basic mixed-class arrangement of 28 first-class and 303 economy seats, rather than a government, research, or individual airline cabin.
- Dimensions
- Length
- …
- Wingspan
- …
- First Flight Year
- 1,975
- Manufacturer
- Parent Vehicle Family
- Propulsion Configurations
- Entries
- Count
- 4
- Placement
- nacelle
- Propulsion System
- Role
- main
- Variant Notes
- FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet A20WE, section VI (747SP), lists JT9D-3, JT9D-3A, JT9D-7, JT9D-7A, JT9D-7F and JT9D-7J. The canonical node is the existing JT9D family; no individual JT9D variant is invented here.
- Name
- 747SP Pratt & Whitney JT9D option set
- Notes
- The FAA Boeing 747 type certificate lists four Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines for the 747SP and names JT9D-3, JT9D-3A, JT9D-7, JT9D-7A, JT9D-7F and JT9D-7J as approved options. The separate Rolls-Royce RB211-524 option set remains unmodeled.
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 29, 2026 at 12:46:11 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 17, 2026 at 12:03:39 UTC