The Next Narrowbody Is Already Being Decided

Architecture decisions made now will decide who has content on programmes a decade out.

The next narrowbody may not enter service for another decade, but the decisions that will shape it are already being made.

Airbus and Boeing may be working to different timelines, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer: future single-aisle aircraft will rely more heavily on electric power, actuation and control. Airbus has confirmed its next-generation single-aisle programme is on track for a 2030 launch decision, with entry into service in the second half of the 2030s, and has named open-fan engines, foldable wings, next-generation batteries and lightweight materials as its core technology bricks. Boeing is taking a more cautious view of timing. CEO Kelly Ortberg has said the market for a next generation narrowbody is less ready than it was a year ago and that the timeline is moving later, possibly beyond the 2030s. Leeham News has reported that Boeing does not currently expect a 737 replacement before 2040. It's a difference in timing, not a rejection of more-electric architectures.

Independent market data backs that up. Mordor Intelligence puts the more electric aircraft market at $5.6 billion in 2025, growing to nearly $10 billion by 2030 - and within that, electromechanical actuation is the fastest-growing segment of all, at close to 12% a year. None of that comes from an OEM. It's an outside read on how fast the architecture shift is already moving.

The real question isn't whether the trend is real - it's whether suppliers are ready to contribute while the architecture is still being defined. Suppliers who align their technical direction, qualification path, and manufacturing strategy well before a formal RFQ can contribute meaningfully in early design reviews. Those waiting for a formal RFQ to make those decisions may arrive after the key choices have already been made.

RFQ Stage is Too Late to Start Connecting the Pieces

Power architecture, manufacturability, qualification, production scale and aftermarket support cannot be planned as separate workstreams and successfully joined together at the end. At TT Electronics, our power electronics teams engage across that entire path.

Our power engineers work with customers early in the development stage, turning platform requirements into aerospace-grade power and control designs. Our electronics engineers engage alongside them to address Design for Manufacture (DFM), design for test, sourcing, process readiness, and NPI before the design is locked-in. This early involvement cuts the risk of discovering late - during qualification or production ramp - that a technically sound design is difficult to build, test, source or scale.

Manufacturing scale cannot be treated as a separate downstream step. Materials, supply chain, test development, and production processes need to be considered while the architecture is still flexible. TT Electronics collaborates with customers from early engineering and NPI through to delivery of qualified, repeatable high-mix production, of power conversion solutions, advanced magnetics, microelectronics and complex electronic assemblies - scaling production seamlessly as demand grows.

The same joined-up planning extends beyond entry into service. Aftermarket requirements, repairability, configuration control, and obsolescence should influence early design and manufacturing decisions, not be added later. We support aerospace aftermarket across many of our 20 global locations including our Cleveland, Ohio facility which operates an FAA-certified repair station.

That's what's actually at stake here. The suppliers still standing on this programme when it enters service will be the ones who showed up early enough to help shape it - not the ones who waited for an RFQ to tell them what the requirements were.

Explore TT Electronics’ power conversion capabilities and global electronics manufacturing services, or contact our team to discuss how integrated engineering, qualification and manufacturing support can help move your next aerospace programme from early development through scalable production and lifecycle support.