Boeing's classic 767 continues rolling off the company's Everett assembly line

 Even as Boeing Wednesday delivered its first 767-300 Freighter to FedEx Express from the company's Everett flight line, there is no sign that  production of the venerable twin jet will halt anytime soon.

It's been more than 31 years since Boeing delivered its first 767, a passenger version, to United Airlines. In the intervening years, the company has delivered more than 1,050 767s to airlines around the world.

Even as Boeing's mid-sized replacement for the 767, the 787 Dreamliner, rolls out of the adjacent production bays at Boeing, production of the 767 will likely continue well into the next decade.

According to Boeing's website, through the end of July, the company had recorded 1108 orders for the 767 with 1054 delivered.  And those orders were just for commercial versions of the plane.  The U.S. military has plans for Boeing to build at least 179 tanker versions of the 767.

The first of two of those tankers, dubbed the KC46-A, are under construction now in Everett.

Boeing expects that the Air Force as well as foreign military forces may order dozens, if not hundreds, more of those tankers. The first of the Air Force tankers is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.

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