The Convair 990 Coronado was a stretched and faster development of the Convair 880, built to give American Airlines and other carriers a high-speed long-range jetliner. First flown in 1961, it was powered by the unusual aft-fan CJ805-23 turbofan—the first U.S. turbofan to enter airline service—and served American, Swissair, SAS, and other operators. Only 37 aircraft were built, but the 990 remains a distinctive early-jet experiment in speed and drag reduction.
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