An early casualty of the contraction of the regional jet market could get a new lease on life, as European authorities consider approving a €20 million ($27 million) loan by the Dutch government to NG Aircraft to
revive the Fokker 100. The initial capital injection would help jump-start an effort to upgrade the program’s original prototype with new powerplants and avionics, additional fuel capacity, a stronger wing and winglets. All told, the project’s first phase would require $120 million, said NG director Jaap Rosen Jacobson, who declined to comment on indications that the company has already selected the Rolls-Royce BR725 engine.
Phase 1 covers production and certification “issues and risks,” and selection of suppliers. Dubbed the “NG Aircraft XF100,” the project needs a further Phase 2 tranche of some $675 million to establish series production, according to Jacobson. He also told of “substantial” interest in an updated, new-build version that his company would assemble in the Netherlands. Jacobson said he sees development of retrofit kits for existing F100s as only a “fall-back scenario.”
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