Launched this week, the Bombardier Global 8000 has reached speeds of up to Mach 1.015.
Supersonic Passenger Jets Return
Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier unveiled a new plane said to be the fastest and longest-range business jet ever built. The Bombardier Global 8000 has a maximum speed of Mach 0.94, or (721 miles per hour), and a range of 8000 nautical miles, comparable to a Boeing 747 or an Airbus A340 (which can fly 7,730 and 7,900nm, respectively). The announcement was made on Monday morning at the EBACE 2022 conference, an event for the European business aviation community.
Though its max speed is just shy of Mach 1, the aircraft broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May. The aircraft was able to reach speeds of Mach 1.015 by entering a shallow dive, making it the first civil aircraft to fly supersonically since Concorde. The planemaker is also quick to point out that it’s the first passenger aircraft to break the sound barrier using sustainable aviation fuel.
Updating the flagship
The Global 8000 comes as an upgrade to the company’s current flagship model, the Global 7500. Bombardier CEO Eric Martel says the decision to design the new aircraft was customer-driven: “We listened to the customer. They’re very satisfied with the 7500, but they want more range and more speed. The time is right.”. The 7500 has a max speed of Mach 0.925 and a range of 7700 nautical miles. The firm recently made its 100th delivery of its flagship model.
United Airlines has already purchased 15 Global 8000s in a deal made last year. The carrier announced it could be offering supersonic routes as soon as 2029. Bombardier’s price for the aircraft is $78 million, a little dearer than their 7500, which goes for $75 million. Rival business jets such as the G700 and the Falcon 10X are also priced at $75 million.
Other companies, such as Boom Supersonic, are also working on supersonic passenger jets, so we could start to see them making a return.
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