The first of Embraer’s Phenom 300 light jet has rolled off the production line at the Brazilian manufacturer’s facilities outside Sao Paolo. The Phenom 300 will carry up to eight passengers in flexible interior configurations designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA.

Powered by two Pratt & Whitney turbofans, the plane offers impressive performance in the light jets category with a top speed of around 520 miles per hour. But with a range of 2,072 miles, the plane is just shy of being able to make a nonstop coast to coast flight. With an all-glass cockpit and ample cargo room for a plane of its size, the Phenom 300 at its listed price of $6.25 million, will be a very competitive craft against the likes of the Citation CJ3 and the Hawker 400XP. Last December jet provider Flight Options placed a nearly $1 billion order for Phenom 300 aircraft.

The roll out of the first Phenom 300 comes as Embraer is working towards certification of its Phenom 100 very light jet (VLJ). With 15 deliveries expected in the second half of 2008 and 170 expected in 2009, the four passenger jet has already garnered a lengthy firm order backlog. When the Phenom 100 and 300 enter the market, Embraer will have aircraft in several categories of the business jet market, joining the super midsize Legacy 600 and the heavy jet Linneage 1000. Plans for two additional mid-sized jets, the MLJ and MSJ, to complete the lineup are still being considered, with strong indications that Embraer will move forward with those models.

Embraer’s success in the aviation industry, since its privatization in 1994, has in part stemmed from its development of various commercial aircraft. With the introduction of these new planes, and especially if the MLJ and MSJ move beyond the concept stage, Embraer seems well positioned to emerge as a prominent player in the business jet market as well.