Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. introduced the new G650ER, an ultra-long-range aircraft that can travel 7,500 nautical miles/13,890 kilometers at Mach 0.85 and 6,400 nm/11,853 km at Mach 0.90, an increase of up to 500 nm/926 km over the range of the G650, which entered service in 2012.
Enhanced Flexibility and Performance
Scott Neal, senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream said: “The G650ER provides our customers with greater mission flexibility and the longest range of any business jet”. “It’s the only business aircraft in the world capable of traveling 7,500 nm. This opens up significant nonstop city pairs, including New York to Hong Kong, Dallas to Dubai and San Francisco to Delhi. G650ER owners in Dubai will be able to reach most of the contiguous United States. From Hong Kong, operators can connect with the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Thanks to the G650ER, the world just got a little smaller.”
Earlier this year, the Gulfstream G650ER set two new speed records during flight testing. The aircraft flew 6,947 nm/12,866 km from Los Angeles International Airport to Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia, at an average speed of Mach 0.86. The flight, into head winds as high as 13 knots, took 14 hours and 58 minutes. After positioning to Hong Kong, the G650ER flew 7,494 nm/13,879 km to Teterboro, N.J., accomplishing the 14-hour and 7-minute journey at an average speed of Mach 0.865.
“The capabilities of the G650ER are due in part to its twin Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the latest and most advanced member of the BR700 engine series,” said Russell Buxton, president, Civil Small and Medium Engines, Rolls-Royce. “The BR725 incorporates technology from the market-leading Trent widebody engine family and was designed with excellent fuel efficiency and ample thrust margins that support the G650ER’s enhanced performance.”
However, nothing new inside the cabin as the G650ER will share the same cabin, avionics and systems as the G650. Fortunately, current G650 owners and order-holders will be able to upgrade their original G650 to a G650ER beginning in the first quarter of 2015.
For the moment, the two speed records are pending approval by the National Aeronautic Association and the G650ER is undergoing Federal Aviation Administration certification. To be continued.
