Embraer has announced the delivery of a Legacy 450 business jet from a US final assembly line for the first time.
The mid-light business jet, which entered service a year ago, had been exclusively assembled in São José dos Campos, Brazil.
But Embraer last June opened an expansion of the Melbourne, Florida, plant that previously assembled only Phenom 100 and 300 business jets.
The first Legacy 500 business jet will begin final assembly on the same line in Melbourne in early 2017, the company adds. The second Florida-built Legacy 450 is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter next year.
In addition to receiving a Pro Line Fusion avionics package from Rockwell Collins and HTF7500 turbofan engines from Honeywell, Embraer builds the fuselage of the Legacy jets in Botucatu, Brazil, and the wings in Évora, Portugal. Final assembly will continue in both São José dos Campos and Melbourne for both aircraft types.
In an attempt to get closer to the world's largest market for business jets, Embraer launched US manufacturing for business jets in Melbourne with the Phenom series.
The company also assembles the Super Tucano light attack aircraft in Jacksonville, Florida, for prime contractor Sierra Nevada, which in turn supplies them to the US Air Force for export to foreign parnters, such as Afghanistan and Lebanon.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
