Bombardier has increased the planned maximum operating speed of its Global 8000 business jet to Mach 0.95, slightly faster than previously intended, as the company prepares for certification this year.
The tweak, which Bombardier unveiled on 13 October in Las Vegas ahead of the NBAA business aviation trade show, sets “a new benchmark for speed”, says company chief executive Eric Martel.
“I am convinced that today will mark a turning point in the way we travel the world,” he adds. “The people that are buying our product are looking to get to their destination faster.”
The Canadian airframer aims to have the ultra-long-range jet in service this year.
Bombardier had previously listed the Global 8000’s top speed at M0.94, the same as for the Global 7500 from which it is derived. It intends to eventually increase the latter’s top speed under a service bulletin.
Bumping up the top end even slightly requires significant work, partly because engineers must prove the aircraft retains stability at speeds faster than its maximum – typically M0.07 faster, says Bombardier vice-president of engineering and product development Stephen McCullough. “You’re talking about analysing margins that are beyond Mach 1 on a civil aircraft.”
Bombardier in 2021 flew a Global 8000 test aircraft beyond the speed of sound, then in 2023 completed windtunnel tests to M1.02.
“That let us have total confidence [to] bring the certification authorities and regulators along to this new speed,” McCullough says.
A M0.95 maximum operating speed does not mean pilots will regularly fly that fast, however.
“You want to have a good margin between where you are operating and your max,” says McCullough. As such, the speed increase gives the Global 8000 a high-speed cruise of M0.92.
“We are extremely confident in certification and being in service this year,” McCullough says.
Bombardier has also revraled that business aviation company Comlux Aviation, which operates Global 6000s and 6500s, is among the customers for the new flagship, with plans to receive its first of the type next year.
“The Bombardier Global 8000 aircraft integrates perfectly into our long-range fleet”, says Comlux chief executive Andrea Zanetto.