The 747-400 is a radically improved version of the 'Jumbo Jet'. During the 1980s Boeing needed to revamp the 747 because of the emergence of smaller competitors like the Airbus A340 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.
Changes compared to the earlier versions include increased wingspan plus winglets, improved engines, a two-crew digital cockpit, a new interior, higher weights and more range. The fuselage dimensions are the same as the 747-300's, including the stretched upper deck. Boeing offered a choice of three engine types: Pratt & Whitney PW4056, Rolls-Royce RB211-524G and General Electric CF6-80C2.
Boeing announced the go-ahead of the development of the 747-400 in May 1985 and the first flight took place on April 29 1988. In early 1989 Northwest Airlines became the first user. Boeing developed several variants, including the 747-400D for the domestic market in Japan, the 747-400M (Combi), the 747-400F (Freighter) which has the short upper deck of the earliest 747-versions, the 747-400ER with extended range and the 747-400ERF (Extended Range Freighter). Of all Boeing 747-400 variants 694 have been sold.
 A very special version is the Boeing 747LCF (Large Cargo Freighter) or 'Dreamlifter', a modified 747-400 specially developed for the transport of large outsize structures for the Boeing 787 Dreamlifter like fuselage sections and wings. The modifications include a much wider fuselage offering three times the volume of a standard 747-400F and a swing tail section allowing easy loading of big items. More about the Dreamlifter: here.
The newest version of the Jumbo Jet is the Boeing 747-8, with a slightly stretched fuselage, much improved engines and many other innovations. This version is under development and will enter service in September 2009. Boeing uses technology derived from the 787 Dreamliner in the new version and has planned two variants: the 747-8I Intercontinental passenger aircraft for which Lufthansa is the first customer and the 747-8F Freighter, the most popular version so far among airlines.
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