News
Gulfstream rolls out G650

Oct. 1, 2009, Savannah, GA – On Sept. 29, 2009, Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, rolled out its new flagship business jet, the all-new
Gulfstream G650, at company headquarters in Savannah.  The aircraft
rolled out under its own power.  First announced in March 2008, the
ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650 remains on schedule for
customer deliveries in 2012.

Approximately
7,000 people gathered at the new G650 manufacturing building for the
aircraft’s debut.  The audience included state and local dignitaries,
customers, certifying authorities, supplier representatives, members of
the G650 development team and many other employees at the Savannah
facility.

“We’ve all been looking forward to
this day since we officially announced the G650 program last year,”
said Joe Lombardo, executive vice president, General Dynamics Aerospace
group. “Simply put, the Gulfstream G650 is in a class by itself.  I
want to thank everyone who made this aircraft possible. I share the
tremendous amount of pride you have for this significant piece of
aviation history.  Like you, I am eagerly awaiting the first flight
later this year.”

The G650 offers the
longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most advanced
cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet.  It features an all-new fuselage cross
section, allowing a wider and taller cabin than the previous
top-of-the-line G550 model.  The G650 is capable of traveling 7,000
nautical miles at 0.85 Mach and has a maximum operating speed of 0.925,
which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying.  It can climb to
an altitude of 51,000 feet, which allows it to avoid traffic and
inclement weather.

“Our customers had an
instrumental role in the design of the G650,” said Pres Henne, senior
vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream.  “The G650
will set new levels of performance in aircraft capability, cabin
environment and maintainability.  Customer input was used to guide
fuselage size selection as well as aircraft performance
characteristics. The G650 offers unprecedented speed and range, superb
takeoff performance, an all-new Gulfstream wing, best-in-class
Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, and top-of-the-line aesthetics. It provides
the most technologically advanced flight deck in business aviation with
the PlaneViewTM II cockpit and an advanced aircraft health and trend
monitoring system to support aircraft maintenance planning and improve
availability.  

“Along with traditional
measures of aircraft performance, significant effort has been spent in
ensuring the cabin will be in a class by itself.  The Gulfstream Cabin
EssentialTM systems include redundant fiber optic and wireless
technologies, along with the latest innovations in lighting, seating,
acoustics and cabin systems to provide the most productive cabin
environment in business aviation.  Three-dimensional electronic design
tools were used to design the entire aircraft, facilitating remarkable
part precision, allowing ease of assembly and proper placement of
components for ease of maintenance and shorter downtimes.  The
up-front, detailed engineering effort and its end result are a real
tribute to the engineering and manufacturing teams.”

The
G650 features a cabin that measures 102 inches wide and 77 inches high,
the largest purpose-built cabin in business aviation.  The extra space
allows for larger galleys and lavatories, and increased storage.  The
aircraft, which seats 11-18 passengers, also features 16 panoramic
windows that measure 28 by 20.5 inches, the largest in the industry;
improved sound levels; a vacuum toilet system; and in-flight access to
195 cubic feet of usable volume in the baggage compartment.

Gulfstream
announced the G650 on March 13, 2008, in Savannah.  The aircraft is on
schedule for first flight later this year and is expected to be
certified in 2011.  Entry-into-service is planned for 2012.