KMC completes 777-300ERCF door cutout

Kansas Modification Center has finished cutting the cargo door opening on its prototype 777-300ERCF conversion. KMC will start installing a door surround structure ahead of fitting the cargo door to the 2008-vintage prototype (37704, ex-Emirates), the company said in a social media post yesterday. [caption id="attachment_57293977" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Unit 37704 was shored in Kansas this year. (Courtesy/KMC)[/caption] Certification flight tests are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026, KMC said. Chief Operating Officer Jim Gibbs said at Cargo Facts Symposium 2025 in October that engineering work on unit 37704 was more than 90% complete and that door-cutting would take place by yearend . Unit 37704 has been at the Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research facility in Wichita, Kansas (IAB), since September 2021. It belongs to KMC launch customer and Germany-based lessor Backbone Freighter Leasing . The FAA approved KMC’s 777-300ERCF certification plan in May 2023. The company had previously hoped to get certified by the end of 2024. KMC’s 777-300ERCF is the third 777 conversion project to reach the door-cutting stage. It is the only design with a forward cargo door. IAI’s 777-300ERSF achieved certification on Aug. 31 and eight units have been released for service , while Mammoth Freighters’ 777-200LRMF is closing in on certification , with the prototype aircraft having performed its last test flight on Dec. 12. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in the first half of 2026, starting with Cargo Facts LATAM, on Feb. 10-12. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

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