G500 / G600 | |
---|---|
G600 test aircraft in flight | |
Role | Business jet |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Gulfstream Aerospace |
First flight | G500: May 18, 2015 G600: December 17, 2016 |
Introduction | G500: late 2017, G600: late 2018 (planned) |
Status | Under development |
Number built | G500: 5 as of May 2016 G600: 3 as of May 2017 |
Unit cost |
G500: $43.5 million, G600: $54.5M
|
The Gulfstream G500 and G600 (GVII) are twin-engine business jets designed and manufactured by Gulfstream Aerospace. The G500 will replace the G450, flying nearly 30 knots (56 km/h) faster and 18% farther with the same fuel burn. The larger G600 will succeed the G550.
Both aircraft were unveiled by Gulfstream Aerospace on October 14, 2014, with the G500 taxiing under its own power. It first flew on May 18, 2015. It is planned to be certified in 2017. It should be delivered from late 2017.
The longer G600 had its first flight at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport on December 17, 2016. Four flight-test aircraft and a production G600 will be used for the test program for a scheduled 2018 introduction:
In May 2017, the test fleet of four G500 prototypes and the first production aircraft, made over 745 flights in two years for 2,900 flight hours, on track for the certification by the end of the year.
Both models have a four circular arcs cross-section fuselage, similar to the Gulfstream G650, with a 7 in (18 cm) reduction in width and height. Similar in dimension to the Dassault Falcon, the G500/600 have 2 in (5.1 cm) more headroom, 7 in (18 cm) more cabin width and 8 in (20 cm) more floor width than Gulfstream's G450 and G550. The fuselage has an external height of 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m), and width of 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m). The production G500 will have 14 windows, two more than the prototype models.
The wing is a supercritical design with a 0.87 to 0.88 drag divergence Mach number depending upon lift coefficient. It is based on the G650's wing design with the same 36° sweep. The G600's wingspan will be 8 ft (2.4 m) wider than the G500, allowing for 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of additional fuel. Both models have a new tail design based on the aerodynamic shape and systems of the G650's tail.