What is Boeing's history and which aircraft has it produced?
Boeing began in Seattle in 1916, founded by timber businessman William E. Boeing, and grew from seaplanes into a major maker of airliners, bombers, tankers, rotorcraft and space systems. Its best-known aircraft include the B-17, B-52, 707, 737, 747, 777 and 787, plus programmes inherited through major acquisitions.
For Aviation & Real-World Flying readers, one distinction matters: Boeing has built hundreds of models, variants, prototypes and derivatives, but not every aircraft associated with the company was originally designed by Boeing. The list below covers its principal production families rather than every experimental type or subcontracted component.
How did Boeing begin and grow?
Boeing began with the B&W seaplane built by William Boeing and US Navy engineer George Conrad Westervelt. Boeing incorporated Pacific Aero Products Company on 15 July 1916 and renamed it Boeing Airplane Company in 1917. The Model C trainer brought an early US Navy order and established the young manufacturer.
During the 1920s, Boeing expanded into airmail and passenger transport with the Model 40 and Model 80. It also created Boeing Air Transport, which became part of the vertically integrated United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. US airmail legislation forced that group apart in 1934, leaving separate aircraft-manufacturing, engine and airline businesses; William Boeing then withdrew from the company.
The 1930s brought the Boeing 247, one of the first modern all-metal airliners, and the four-engined B-17 Flying Fortress. During the Second World War, Boeing and partner factories produced large numbers of B-17s and B-29 Superfortresses. The post-war B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress then established Boeing as a leading builder of swept-wing jet bombers.
The jet and jumbo eras
Boeing entered the commercial jet age through the privately funded Model 367-80, usually called the Dash 80. It led to the 707 airliner and the KC-135 tanker, although those production aircraft were related designs rather than identical versions of one airframe. Simmers can experience that early jetliner period through our flyable Pan Am 707-420 for FS2004.
The 727 followed for shorter routes, while the 737 became Boeing's longest-running airliner family. The wide-body 747 entered airline service in 1970 and changed long-haul economics by carrying far more passengers than first-generation jets. Its later development can be explored by those who want to fly a Boeing 747-400 in FSX.
Boeing added the 757 and 767 in the 1980s, followed by the 777 in the 1990s. The 787 Dreamliner entered service in 2011, using an unusually high proportion of composite structure for a large commercial aircraft and adopting electrically powered systems for several functions traditionally supplied pneumatically.
Merger, 787 and 737 MAX
Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, adding major military programmes and the MD-95 airliner, subsequently sold as the Boeing 717. The company moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001 and then to Arlington, Virginia, in 2022, although aircraft engineering and production remained distributed across several US locations.
Two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people and led to a worldwide grounding. The aircraft returned to service following certification, software and training changes, while Boeing's safety culture, regulatory relationships and manufacturing quality received sustained scrutiny. Our technical explanation of MCAS and its operation covers the flight-control system without treating it as the sole issue examined by the accident investigations.
Which commercial aircraft has Boeing produced?
Boeing's main commercial and transport aircraft extend from interwar mailplanes to today's 7-series jet families. This table groups the significant types without listing every subvariant, freighter conversion or military derivative.
| Period or category | Major Boeing aircraft | Why they matter |
|---|---|---|
| Early company aircraft | B&W, Model C | Seaplanes and trainers that established the company |
| Mail and piston transports | Model 40, Model 80, 247, 314 Clipper, 307 Stratoliner, 377 Stratocruiser | Developed scheduled passenger transport, long-range flying boats and pressurised cabins |
| First jetliners | 707, 720, 727 | Introduced Boeing's jetliner range for long-, medium- and shorter-haul routes |
| Narrow-body families | 737, 757 | The 737 spans Original, Classic, Next Generation and MAX generations; the larger 757 served medium-haul and thin long-haul routes |
| Wide-body families | 747, 767, 777 and 787 | Cover four-engine jumbo, twin-engine passenger, freighter and long-range markets |
| Merger-derived airliner | 717 | Developed as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95 before receiving a Boeing designation |
The 720 was a shorter, lighter derivative of the 707, not a completely separate generation suggested by its number. Likewise, 777X aircraft belong to the wider 777 family. Readers comparing capacities and intended roles can use our guide to Boeing's principal commercial families.
Not every familiar number became a production aircraft. The 2707 supersonic transport was cancelled before a flying prototype was completed, while the proposed 7J7 remained a development project. The Dash 80, by contrast, was a real flying demonstrator but not an airline production model.
Which military aircraft and helicopters did Boeing build?
Boeing has produced major military aircraft ranging from biplane fighters and strategic bombers to tankers, surveillance aircraft and helicopters. Several were built with partner companies, and some entered Boeing's portfolio through mergers.
- Early fighters and trainers: Model 15/PW-9, P-12 and naval F4B, P-26 Peashooter, and the Stearman Model 75 Kaydet from Boeing's Stearman operation.
- Bombers: B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress, B-50, B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. Other manufacturers also built B-17s and B-29s under wartime production arrangements.
- Transports and tankers: C-97 Stratofreighter, KC-97, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-17 Globemaster III and KC-46 Pegasus.
- Surveillance and special-mission aircraft: E-3 Sentry, E-4, E-6 Mercury, E-7 Wedgetail and P-8 Poseidon. These use airliner-derived airframes but carry specialised military systems.
- Combat aircraft inherited from McDonnell Douglas: F-15 Eagle variants, the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet families, and the EA-18G Growler.
- Rotorcraft: CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-47 Chinook from Boeing Vertol, AH-64 Apache through the McDonnell Douglas lineage, and the V-22 Osprey produced jointly with Bell.
Operational longevity does not mean an aircraft is still being manufactured. The B-52 remains in service even though its production ended in 1962, and the last KC-135 was built in 1965. Conversely, newer aircraft such as the KC-46 and P-8 adapt existing commercial-airliner technology for specialised missions.
Did Boeing make Douglas and McDonnell Douglas aircraft?
Aircraft completed before the 1997 merger remain Douglas or McDonnell Douglas products, not original Boeing designs. Calling a DC-3 or DC-10 a Boeing aircraft rewrites its manufacturing history, even though Boeing later acquired the corporate lineage and supports parts of the inherited fleet.
After the merger, Boeing briefly continued programmes including the MD-90 and MD-11, renamed the MD-95 as the Boeing 717, and retained military lines such as the F-15, F/A-18, C-17 and AH-64. A mistake we see regularly is assuming the 717 was designed as a smaller successor to the 707; it was actually the final development of the Douglas DC-9 family.
The same attribution rule applies to Rockwell and Vertol programmes. Boeing may have manufactured, upgraded or supported an acquired aircraft without having created the original design. Spacecraft, missiles and experimental vehicles also form a substantial part of Boeing's history, but they are separate from the production-aircraft families listed here.