When asking whether the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was a failure, in the traditional sense of the word, the answer is yes. McDonnell Douglasdeveloped a new long-range airliner to debut in the 1990s, competing against the European Airbus A340 as well as the American Boeing 777. The MD-11 only sold a paltry 200 units, compared to 380Airbus A340s and over 1,700 Boeing 777s (to date).