Scramble 340

Civil News
This Airbus A310 was delivered to Air-India in August 1990. On 9 January 2007, the Airbus was ferried to Dresden for freighterconversion
and was re-delivered to Air-India as freighter on 25 April. The aircraft was not only converted to freighter, but also
painted in the new Air-India colour scheme. (Frankfurt, 11 August 2007, Walter Heukensfeld)
Manufacturers News
Boeing
B767
The tanker competition of the US Air Force has been a long
story. In December the winner will be announced. The battle
for this gigantic order will be between the KC-767 and the
KC-30, with the former being a B767 derivative and the latter
an A330 derivative. The KC-767 will be based on a new design,
the B767-200LRF (Long Range Freighter). Basically this
is a B767-200 with technology from the B767-400ER
incorporated in it. Boeing has announced that winning the tanker
order wil most likely result in an extended life of the B767
production line. Not only will the KC-767 be build in large volumes,
the company also expects civil order for the B767-
200LRF.
B777
With an order from an undisclosed customer, the sales tally of
the B777 has passed the 1,000 aircraft mark. All flying
products of the US airframe maker have passed the 1000
sales mark:
707 1,010
727 1,832
737 over 7,000 and counting
747 over 1,500 and counting
757 1,050
767 over 1000 and counting.
Of the latest Boeing model, the B787, nearly 700 have been
sold. We reckon bookmakers don’t take bets this type not
reaching the 1,000 mark!
B787
The maiden flight of the B787 has been further delayed to
October. Initially the dreamliner would have taken to the skies
in September, but the installation of various systems is
causing some issues. Rolls-Royce has received certification
for the Trent1000 engine that will power the dreamliner. The
other engine option, the Genx from General Electric is
scheduled for certification in September.
Cessna
Scramble 340 - Page 34
Citation XLS+
The first flight of the Citation XLS+ completed early august.The
aircraft performed as expected with the new modifications. In
addition to new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545C FADECequipped
engines and a new Collins Pro Line 21 avionics
system, the airplane also has a slight change to the nose
section. Type certification is expected in the first quarter of next
year, with deliveries to follow in the middle of the year. The
XLS+ is priced at $11.59 million.
Embraer
Embraer announced at the Latin American Business Aviation
Conference & Exhibition that the Brazilian manufacturer plans
to unveil a full-size mockup of its proposed next business jet at
the NBAA Convention in Atlanta. The mockup does not
constitute an official launch of the as yet unnamed, nonderivative
aircraft, which would fill the niche between
Embraer’s Phenom 300 and larger Legacy 600. Embraer also
added that the company is still considering plans for a second
aircraft in that same market segment. Firm orders for the
Phenom 100 have already passed the 500-aircraft mark.
MD Helicopters
MD900
MD Helicopters has recently delivered its 100th Explorer to a
customer. The latest delivery from the Mesa factory is c/n 900-
00120 registered N690BJ to Columbo Yachts Inc in
Florida. This is the 120th serial number, but twenty serial
numbers have never been delivered to customers.
Mil / AugustaWestland
AM159
Mil and AgustaWestland are to team up on a 4.5 ton helicopter
project, dubbed the AM159. A decision on launching the project
is expected later this year. The proposed AM159 is likely to be