Savannah-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. on Tuesday pulled out all the stops to introduce a pair of all-new business jets, the G500 and G600.
“This is another extraordinary day in the storied history of Gulfstream,” said Larry Flynn, Gulfstream president. “I could not be more pleased to announce the next generation of Gulfstream aircraft. The G500 and G600 build upon the technology present in our G650 and our latest aircraft, the G650ER.”
The new additions to Gulfstream’s product line were designed with the input of Gulfstream owners and pilots to offer customers best-in-class performance, he said
“Once again, our customers played a major role in the development and creation of these aircraft. The G500 and G600 continue the long Gulfstream tradition of being the first original equipment manufacturer to ensure an optimal combination of speed, range, wide-cabin comfort and fuel burn.”
Gulfstream announced the clean-sheet aircraft at its Savannah
headquarters before a crowd of approximately 3,000 people — customers, employees and media from around the world. During the event, the first G500 taxied up under its own power, and Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream’s parent company General Dynamics, revealed a nearly 70-foot mockup of the G600.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates the power of General Dynamics’ consistent and disciplined investment in both Gulfstream’s research and development and manufacturing facilities,” said Novakovic. “The effect of that investment is manifest in the two airplanes we announced today.”
The G500 can fly 5,000 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nautical miles at Mach 0.90. The G600 is capable of traveling 6,200 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 or 4,800 nautical miles at Mach 0.90.
The maximum operating speed for both aircraft is Mach 0.925, the same speed as Gulfstream’s high profile G650 and G650ER. The cabins of both new aircraft feature wide cross-sections designed to maximize passenger comfort with considerable head and shoulder room and many of the same features of the G650, said Scott Neal, Gulfstream’s senior vice president for sales and marketing.
“These are an all-new family of Gulfstream aircraft,” Neal said, emphasizing that the G500 and G600 will expand the company’s product line and are not intended to replace the G450 and G550,
An all-new feature for both aircraft is Gulfstream’s trademarked Symmetry Flight Deck, technology that includes active control sidesticks, integrated touchscreen controllers, a next-generation enhanced vision system and high-tech Honeywell avionics.
Like the G650 and G650ER, the G500 and G600 will offer a digital fly-by-wire system with such benefits as flight-envelope protection, stability augmentation, increased redundancy and reduced maintenance, he said.
The planes will be powered by new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 series engines.
The aircraft will be manufactured in two new facilities off Airways Avenue at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Neal said, with the smaller of the two buildings serving as the production facility for Gulfstream-produced wings and stabilizers.
The G500, which will sell for $43.5 million, will make its first test flight sometime next year, with type certification by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency expected in 2017 and deliveries beginning in 2018.
The G600 flight-test program is projected to begin 12-15 months after the G500’s, with entries-into-service in 2019.
The G600 is projected to sell for $54.5 million.
“I’m especially thrilled and honored to be making this announcement in Savannah,” Flynn said. “Bethpage, N.Y., where we introduced the G1 in 1958, may have given us our roots, but it was in Savannah that we have spread our wings. We’ve been flying high here for more than five decades, starting out with 100 employees and growing to 15,000 worldwide, more than 10,000 of them in Savannah. In the process, we’ve gone from a Savannah-based company that did some international business to an international company with global headquarters in Savannah.
“Thank you to all of our employees for making this possible,” he said, surveying the crowd. “Those who build, design, develop, sell, market, service and support our aircraft — you are the best in the business.”
In conjunction with the introduction of the new G500 and G600, Gulfstream held a signing ceremony with Dallas-based Flexjet LLC, which operates a fleet of more than 150 business jet aircraft, for up to 50 Gulfstream jets, including firm orders and options for G450, G500 and G650 aircraft as well as a long-term service support agreement.
Flexjet, which offers fractional jet ownership and leasing, operates a fleet of 150 business jets.
“Flexjet is privileged to fill the void in the fractional market for new Gulfstream aircraft, becoming the sole and exclusive provider for new Gulfstream aircraft, including the highly anticipated G500,” said Kenn Ricci, chairman of Flexjet. “Our 10-year agreement with Gulfstream will help us meet our owners’ demands for longer-range, larger-cabin aircraft, greatly expanding our global capabilities.
“We are thankful to be starting a new relationship with Gulfstream, marking a milesone in the history of our two companies and the the fractional ownership industry.”
Scott Neal, Gulfstream’s senior vice president for worldwide sales and marketing, said Gulfstream is proud that Flexjet chose to be a launch customer for the G500.
“We’re thrilled to be starting a new relationship with Flexjet and pleased that it will be able to provide the Gulfstream travel experience for its customers,” Neal said.
Also on Tuesday, Gulfstream president Larry Flynn signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar Airways for the purchase of up to 20 aircraft for the airline’s Executive Division, including firm orders and options for the G500 and the flagship G650ER.
“This agreement is evidence of the industry-leading performance of Gulfstream’s flagship aircraft, the G650ER, and of our commitment to deliver on the promises we have made for our new family of aircraft, which includes the G500,” Flynn said. “With their unmatched high-speed capabilities and class-leading cabin comfort, the G650ER and G500 will allow Qatar Airways to introduce a new level of service to their customers.”
Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive for Qatar Airways, signed the memorandum with Flynn.
“Qatar Executive has been on an accelerated growth path since its inception and is held to an exceptional standard of quality that is widely known by our global clientele,” Al Baker said. “In order to keep pace with the future strategic growth plans of our private jet division, the fleet is being expanded with aircraft that meet the needs of our guests, providing a wide range of options. Today’s announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding for G650ERs and G500s signals a next step for Qatar Executive’s relatively young and buoyant history.”