Flight International - 5 June 2018

(C. Jardin) #1

fiightglobal.com 5-11 June 2018 | Flight International | 15


EBACE 2018
Show report

HondaJet’s Elite
upgrade gets its
drive from parent
Show Report P

T


hree years after first flight of
the G500, Gulfstream chief
executive Mark Burns says the
super-large business jet is close to
moving beyond the supplier
problem that delayed certifica-
tion, as the company continues
studying gaps in its portfolio
ranging from a G450 replacement
to a long-term interest in super-
sonic propulsion.
The G500 programme has only
80h of flight testing to complete
before Gulfstream can submit
documents to the US Federal
Aviation Administration to re-
view for airworthiness certifica-
tion, Burns says.
Gulfstream planned to obtain
an airworthiness certificate at the
same time from the FAA and the
European Aviation Safety Agen-
cy, but nacelle supplier Nordam
had underestimated some of the
fire testing requirements imposed
by EASA. “All that’s behind us
now,” Burns says.
EASA validation of the G
now should come after the FAA
approval, but only months later,
rather than previous cycles of one
or two years, he says.
The scheduled first delivery of
the G500 later this year will be
followed by the certification of
the longer-range G600, joining a
portfolio of four large-cabin and
long-range products, including
the G550 and G650. Although the
G550 entered service more than


T


AG Aviation has agreed to
help Aerion sell its AS2 su-
personic business jet as the three-
engined type continues building
momentum toward a formal
launch.
“We think Aerion is about to
change the game,” says TAG
Aviation chief executive Daniel
Christe. “The aircraft is fast and


elegant with a big, comfortable
cabin that meets the standards of
our large-jet customers.”
Farnborough-based TAG Avia-
tion UK will provide sales con-
sulting for Aerion in Europe, Asia
and the Middle East, while coun-
terparts at TAG Asia will offer
representation in China, Hong
Kong and south-west Asia.

Adding the manager of 150
large cabin jets is yet another
major development for the revi-
talised AS2 programme within
the past six months.
Last December, Aerion an-
nounced a partnership with
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works
unit to help design and manufac-
ture the AS2 airframe. The Reno,

Nevada-based company, backed
by Robert Bass, also signed an
agreement with GE Aviation to
define a supersonic engine for the
Mach 1.4-capable AS2.
In February, Aerion unveiled a
cutaway of the GE engine that
confirmed plans to base its con-
figuration on the core of the CFM
International CFM56. ■

14 years ago, the type remains
popular, with Gulfstream’s back-
log now stretching into 2020,
Burns says.
In January, Gulfstream ceased
production of the G450 after a 13-
year run, but it seems unlikely for
the company to abandon the
yawning gap between a 3,600nm
(6,660km)-range G280 and the
5,200nm-range G500. “That mar-
ket is interesting to us,” Burns al-
lows.
The same month that G450 pro-
duction ended, Israeli newspaper
Haaretz reported that Israel Aero-
space Industries lost an average of
$292,500 on each business jet it
delivered to Gulfstream. Since
G150 deliveries stopped in 2017,
IAI assembles all G280s as a Gulf-
stream supplier.
Despite those reported losses,

IAI’s role in the programme is not
declining, Burns says. In fact, he
met with IAI chairman Harel
Locker during the show to dis-
cuss ways to increase output at
the Tel Aviv factory for the G280.
“We’re talking about increasing
rather than decreasing rates,”
Burns says.
At the top end of Gulfstream’s
product range, Burns feels com-
fortable with the G650 and
G650ER. Demand for the ultra-
long-range aircraft remains strong,
with the value of used aircraft ap-
preciating last year, he says.
Bombardier plans to deliver
the first Global 7000 later this
year, offering a cabin with four
zones in a space 2.4m (7.87ft)
longer than the G650. Despite the
difference in size, Gulfstream
also has a four-zone option for the

G650 cabin that is the type’s most
popular layout, Burns says.
With the 7,500nm-range
G650ER, Gulfstream’s product
portfolio is approaching the limit
of customers’ appetite for range.
Its top speed of Mach 0.925, how-
ever, still leaves some buyers
hungry for more.
“A 9,000-mile [range aircraft]
doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,”
Burns says, “but speed does.”
Starting 20 years ago, Gulf-
stream invested in a lengthy re-
search and development cam-
paign for a supersonic business
jet. The company developed a
concept that earned the designa-
tion “X-54”, and Gulfstream engi-
neers received several patents for
a supersonic jet design that uses
its aerodynamic shaping to muffle
the sound of the sonic boom. ■

PROGRAMME


Gulfstream leaves turbulence behind


Chief executive talks of filling gaps in portfolio, delivering G500 and G600 and – in the longer term – going supersonic


DEVELOPMENT


TAG Aviation signs up to help Aerion sell its AS


EASA validation of the G500 will lag FAA certification, but first delivery is still scheduled for this year
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