The McDonnell Douglas MD-94X was a proposed long-range trijet airliner developed in the 1990s as part of an ambitious plan to modernize the DC-10/MD-11 lineage. Envisioned as a more fuel-efficient and technologically advanced successor, the MD-94X aimed to compete in the widebody market against industry heavyweights. Although it never progressed beyond the conceptual stage, the MD-94X remains a fascinating “what-if” aircraft in commercial aviation history. McDonnell Douglas MD-94X The Origins of the MD-94X Program In the early 1990s, McDonnell Douglas faced mounting pressure in the widebody segment. The company’s McDonnell Douglas MD-11 had entered service but struggled to meet initial performance promises. Meanwhile, competitors such as Boeing and Airbus were rapidly expanding their long-haul portfolios. To address these challenges, McDonnell Douglas explored several upgrade concepts—among them the MD-94X, which was intended to refine and modernize the trijet platform with impr...