Gulfstream has released photographs and more detail about its in-development G300 super-midsize business jet, confirming the aircraft will be assembled by partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in Tel Aviv.
The Savannah aircraft manufacturer revealed the G300 development programme on 30 September, saying the 3,600nm (6,667km)-range jet will replace its G280, an aircraft also assembled by IAI.
Gulfstream says the new 10-passenger jet will be slightly longer than the G280 and be powered by twin Honeywell HTF7250G turbofans, which also power the G280. Those engines produce 7,624lb (33.9kN) of thrust.
“The G300 will be manufactured in partnership with IAI in Tel Aviv and outfitted at Gulfstream’s Dallas facility,” Gulfstream tells FlightGlobal.
The company puts the G300’s total length at 20.9m (68.6ft) and says its cabin will measure 10.36m front to back, with both figures being about 0.5m more than the G280’s measurements. The aircraft have identical wingspans (19.2m), cabin heights (1.85m) and cabin widths (2.11m), Gulfstream’s figures show.
The G300 and G280 also have similar maximum take-off weights and identical speeds, including maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and long-range cruise speed of M0.80.
Gulfstream says the G300 will have a “Harmony Flight Deck” but is not more specific.
The company declines to estimate when the G300 might achieve certification, but says the programme ”is already progressing well with the first test aircraft built and preparing for first flight”.
With the G300 Gulfstream is sticking with the IAI partnership forged years ago. Gulfstream acquired the G280 programme when it purchased IAI subsidiary Galaxy Aerospace in 2001. It has continued to rely on IAI to build the airframes in Tel Aviv.
Business aviation analyst Brian Foley with Brian Foley Associates notes that introducing the G300 completes a total product refresh by Gulfstream, which in recent years has replaced all its models with new aircraft, including the G400, G500, G600, G700 and G800.
He suspects that introducing the G300 could help Gulfstream attract more interest in its super-midsize offering from charter companies, fractional ownership providers and other operators of large fleets. Such companies in recent years have come to represent a large chunk of aircraft orders.
“The G300 will re-energise the category with its heightened technology and safety enhancements, alongside the legendary comfort and styling of a Gulfstream,” says Gulfstream president Mark Burns.
