General Dynamics (GD, Financial), owned by Gulfstream Aerospace, is on a dream run as its flagship offering the G650/ER is something anyone in the elite society would most desire, but it wasn’t enough for the ace business jet maker. The company recently announced two new models – G500 and G600 – aiming to fill any gap left whatsoever. With an increased focus on speed, the company is gaining traction very fast.
The latest from Gulfstream
Gulfstream prides itself on the designs of its jets which has been created keeping in mind that every aspect of the exterior should contribute to the fastest flight possible, and every aspect of the interiors has been designed to deliver utmost luxury with unique variety of personalization. According to the aerospace major, “With the G500, Gulfstream strikes an optimal balance of speed, maneuverability and comfort that helps passengers maximize every minute of their travel time.”
Gulfstream G500. Picture taken from Gulfstream website.
The G500 offers a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles (NM) and can carry up to 18 passengers at a time. The jet can fly almost at the speed of sound at 0.925 mach and can cruise smoothly at an altitude of 51,000 feet. While the maximum operating speed, passenger count and the cruise altitude are same as the epic G650/ER, the jet falls short in terms of maximum range. However, it must be remembered that the focus here is on speed and not distance.
Gulfstream wanted to unveil a jet with the ability to provide the luxury of travelling quickly to those who don’t need to travel too far. The G500 provides the best tradeoff between range and price. The jet is expected to be priced around $43.5 million.
With the G600, the company maintained a similar mindset, but expanded the range a little bit. The G600 is capable of flying 6,200 NM non-stop. The rest of the specifications remain the same. Gulfstream is expected to price the jet at $54.5 million.
Gulfstream G600. Picture taken from Gulfstream website.
Something to please everyone
Both the G500 and the G600 have been developed upon the technology available in the flagship G650/ER. Industry experts and analysts believe this to be a pretty smart move from Gulfstream. This move helps Gulfstream to not only cater to a greater number of customers with diverse needs, but also helps to benefit greatly from the same technology by altering it slightly. In short, more rewards for less work.
While many believed that the jets will be replacing the older G450 and G550, Gulfstream made it very clear that it has no such intentions behind launching the models. The company wants to expand the number of its offerings to cater to a wider number of clients with varied needs. Not everyone needs to travel 7,500 NM.
The G500 is expected to make its first flight sometime in 2015, and receive certifications by 2017 and deliveries are expected to start from 2018. For the G600, the time line is one year behind and deliveries are expected to start from 2019. With these jets, the company wants to maintain its competitive edge. Gulfstream wanted to fill in the gap that was present between the G650/ER and the G450/G550, which was done successfully.
