Gulfstream Aerospace has unveiled its new flagship business jet, the Gulfstream G700. At the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Gulfstream President Mark Burns presented a full-scale mock-up of what is billed, with its wingspan of 103 ft (31.39 m), as the largest aircraft ever built by the General Dynamics subsidiary.
Being a business jet, Gulfstream is emphasizing the selling points of the cabin, which it says it the tallest and widest in the industry, coming in at 57 ft (17.35 m) long, over 6 ft (1.91 m) high, and 8 ft (2.49 m) wide. It has up to five living areas that seats up to 19 or sleeps up to 10. There's also a six-place dining/conference area as well as a master suite with a shower.
In addition, there's a large galley with a crew compartment or passenger lounge, 20 Gulfstream panoramic oval windows, pressurization to 4,850 ft (1,478 m) at 51,000 ft (15,545 m), and a new circadian lighting system that reduces jet lag and stress by imitating the rhythms of sunrise and sunset during long flights.
In terms of performance, the G700 uses new winglets that help it to operate from weight-restricted, short-runway, and high-altitude airports. It has a maximum speed of Mach 0.925 (690 mph, 1,110 km/h), a maximum range of 6,400 nm (7,364 mi, 11,853 km), and a top cruising altitude of 51,000 ft (15,545 m).
Powering the G700 are two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines generating 18,250 lb of thrust. Up front, there's the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck with active-control side-sticks, touchscreen controls, the Predictive Landing Performance System to provide warning of runway emergencies, and the company's Enhanced Flight Vision System and Synthetic Vision on dual head-up displays.
Gulfstream says that the G700 has already undergone 14,000 hours of lab testing and that five test aircraft and one fully outfitted production test aircraft are under construction. The first customer delivery is scheduled for 2022.
Source: Gulfstream
