Gulfstream introduces G650 flagship business jet

Gulfstream Aerospace has announced its new flagship business jet - the G650. Propelled by the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engine, the aerodynamically advanced G650 can climb above air traffic congestion and bad weather to an altitude of 51,000 feet and has a range of 7,000 nautical miles at speeds of 0.85 Mach, with a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach - fast enough to claim the title of the fastest civil aircraft flying. The new jet, which also leads the Gulfstream fleet in terms of cabin space, passenger comfort, reliability and enhanced cockpit technology, is expected to take to the skies for its first flight in the second half of 2009 with customer deliveries slated to begin in 2012.

Cabin comfort Bigger is better inside the new G650, and it applies to just about everything. The space itself is 102 inches wide and 77 inches high, making it the largest business-jet cabin according to Gulfstream and bigger seats (with more leg room), longer living area, larger galleys and larger, independently vented lavatories, plus low cabin altitude combine to enhance passenger comfort. Windows size has also been increased with the G650’s sixteen 28 inch by 20.5 inch cabin windows boosting natural light. The major cabin systems have also been designed with redundancy so that a single-point failure will not result in the loss of cabin functionality, meaning that the toilet always flushes.

New Rolls-Royce engine Exclusive to the G650, the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engine produces 16,100 pounds of thrust at take-off and is more than 4 dB quieter overall and has 4 per cent better specific fuel consumption plus a 21 per cent reduction in NOx emissions over its predecessor the BR710. Design features include a 50-inch diameter fan assembly made up of 24 “swept” titanium blades for improved aerodynamic efficiency and lower noise. The engine combined with the aeronautical design enables the G650 to shave 31 minutes off the 4,788-nautical-mile trip from Los Angeles to London in comparison with existing long-range jets.

Technologically enhanced cockpit Standout features of the G650's PlaneView® II cockpit include four 14-inch, adaptive, liquid-crystal displays; three computer tablets; a standby multifunction controller that combines current display controller functionality with standby flight instruments; and a fully automatic, three-dimensional scanning weather radar with an integral terrain database for efficient ground-clutter elimination.

Standard vision systems include the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS II), the Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD) system and Head-Up Display (HUD II). The systems work together to provide pilots with a superior view of the terrain, obstacles and approaches, regardless of the weather conditions outside the cockpit. EVS uses a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera to capture real-world images and project them on the pilot’s all-digital HUD II, while the SV-PFD uses three-dimensional, color terrain images that are derived from data stored in the Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS).

The aircraft's fly-by-wire system features a quadruple-redundant flight-control computer system for commanding all flight-control surfaces and a separate and dedicated back-up flight-control computer that provides an additional level of safety.

Advanced fuel system The G650 also boasts a new Fuel Quantity Monitoring System (FQMS) designed to maintain fuel-quantity indication in the event of any single sensor failure and a electronically controlled refueling feature that automatically adjusts to provide accurate refueling under varying fuel temperature conditions.

“This is an exciting time in Gulfstream’s history,” said Joe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream Aerospace. “For 50 years, our company has been on the forefront of business-jet aviation. I can think of no better way to celebrate our golden anniversary than to introduce the Gulfstream G650. Created with significant input from customers who participate in our Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team, a subset of our Customer Advisory Board, the G650 offers the most advanced flight deck and the widest array of cabin comforts. Its performance and aesthetics are unprecedented.”

The G650 will be produced in the recently completed 308,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at Gulfstream in Savannah. Gulfstream expects to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification and validation by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in 2011.

For further info see Gulfstream.