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With a gravelkit modification the
737-200 can use unimproved or
unpaved landing strips, such as
gravel runways, that other similarly-
sized jet aircraft cannot. Gravel-kitted
737-200 Combis are currently used
by Canadian North, First Air, Air Inuit, Nolinor
and Air North in northern Canada. For many
years, Alaska Airlines made use of gravel-kitted
737-200s to serve Alaska's many unimproved
runways across the state.
Britannia Airways 737-200 Advanced
Nineteen 737-200s were used to train aircraft navigators for the U.S. Air Force, designated
T-43. Some were modified into CT-43s, which are used to transport passengers, and one
was modified as the NT-43A Radar Test Bed. The first was delivered on July 31, 1973 and
the last on July 19, 1974. The Indonesian Air Force ordered three modified 737-200s,
designated Boeing 737-2x9 Surveiller. They were used as Maritime reconnaissance
(MPA)/transport aircraft, fitted with SLAMMAR (Side-looking Multi-mission Airborne
Radar). The aircraft were delivered between May 1982 and October 1983.
After 40 years the final 737-200 aircraft in the U.S. flying scheduled passenger service
were phased out in March 2008, with the last flights of Aloha Airlines. The variant still sees
regular service through North American charter operators such as Sierra Pacific.
737 Classic series
The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737
after the introduction of the -600/700/800/900 series. The Classic series was originally
introduced as the 'new generation' of the 737. Produced from 1984 to 2000, 1,988
aircraft were delivered.
737 Next Generation
By the early 1990s, it became clear that the new Airbus A320 was a serious threat to
Boeing's market share, as Airbus won previously loyal 737 customers such as Lufthansa
and United Airlines. In November 1993, Boeing's board of directors authorized the Next
Generation program to replace the 737 Classic series. The -600, -700, -800, and -900
series were planned. After engineering