The Dc-10 Twin was a project of short-fuselage twin-engine derivated from the Dc-10. >
It would have been a serious competitor for the Airbus A300/A310 and Boeing 767, but McDonnel-Douglas did not go on with this project.
In the early 1970s McDonnell Douglas considered a short-fuselage, twin-engined derivative of the DC-10, the 'DC-10 Twin', with a range of 4000 km (2160 nm) and 236 seats. >
McDonnell Douglas targeted an in-service date in 1975, but in the end considered the twin a danger for its own DC-10-10 trijet, and didn't develop it. The twin was renamed DC-X-200 later.
The history of widebody aircraft might look quite different if McDonnell Douglas had decided on producing this aircraft, because it would have been a main competitor for the Airbus A300. >
In the late 1970s MDC hardly sold any DC-10-10s any more, and Airbus won most orders for short-haul widebody airliners. Later DC-10-based twinjet proposals also didn't materialise.
As the first DC-10 prototype was coming together in 1970 at Long Beach, MDC engineers were already working on three developments of the basic Series 10 airframe- a 35-foot stretch, a 50-foot stretch, and a long-range variant with the basic DC-10 fuselage but extended wings. However, a fourth study version was also under development which was a radical shortening of the basic DC-10, with an over 15-foot fuselage reduction and twin engines only, using the basic DC-10 wing. >
The in-house designation was D-969C but it came to be known as the "DC-10 Twin". It would have retained the horizontal tail, wings, engines, landing gear and fuselage section/nose as the DC-10 for commonality with the DC-10 line. A new, tall tailfin replaced the DC-10's distinctive fin/tail-mounted engine.
Throughout the early 1970s as the DC-10 entered service, McDonnell Douglas continued to refine the DC-10 Twin, with a further reduction in fuselage length and extensions to range performance. Development costs of the DC-10 Twin were estimated to be very inexpensive thanks to the commonality with the Series 10 and upcoming Series 30 models of the DC-10. >
However, no airlines were willing to commit by late 1972. Most airlines that had already ordered the DC-10-10 felt it was flexible enough and negated the need for another variant to purchase. Only Eastern was serious, but it felt the time frame was too soon.
At this point, Lockheed was also studying a Tristar twin, but development problems preoccupied them from pursuing their twin studies as well as they also felt a long-range version of the Tristar was more important. The new Airbus Industrie consortium in Europe had it's first airliner ready for launch, the A300B4 and by this time had already picked up 13 firm orders from three airlines. >
By the end of 1972 the A300 had made its first flight and the DC-10 Twin studies proceeded in earnest. MDC targeted Swissair, Iberia, Delta, Allegheny, and Eastern as near-term customers. American, TWA, and United were also approached, and US airlines found the DC-10 Twin's ability to fly multiple short/medium sectors without refuelling attractive. Preliminary committments by the airlines were sought for mid-1973.
By 1976, MDC ceased work on the DC-10 Twin as it failed to win any orders in the proceeding three years. Airline managers in the end felt it was too large an aircraft for their needs. Further smaller-scale studies continued on a variant called the DC-X-200, but it, too, was shelved in 1978, ending any hope for the DC-10 Twin. >
The rendering above is what the prototype DC-10 Twin might have looked like around 1979, when it might have first flown. The house colors are modeled after the DC-9 Super 80 prototype's colors, which first flew in 1979. The Super 80 featured cheatlines with two-tone blue and a lower cheatline of gold that swept up to the tail with the MDC logo in white on the tail. On this aircraft, I simplified the sweep of the cheatlines onto the tail, giving it a cheatline look similar to the Japan Air System's aircraft.
United was one of the launch customers for the DC-10 along with American and would have likely used the DC-10 Twin for heavily-traveled domestic sectors. I've always found Saul Bass' stylized "U" one of the classic corporate logos in graphics design. Interestingly, United was the launch customer for the 767-200 in 1979. Had United picked up the DC-10 Twin, perhaps the 767 might have been delayed or have been less successful?
