The Challenger 300, Bombardier Aerospace's super mid-size business jet, makes its Asian debut at Asian Aerospace today.
Originally named the Continental when it was announced at Le Bourget in 1999, the Challenger 300 is designed to bridge the gap between the Learjet 60 and Challenger 604. Bombardier's stated claim has been to offer more than the competition for less money.
Developing an aircraft that could plug the $10 million price gap between the two required a new design. The Challenger 300, as a result, is an all-new aircraft, as John Holding, executive vice-president, engineering and product development, explains:
Shrinking
"From the outset, neither stretching the former nor shrinking the latter was an option. We have a clean-sheet product with clean-sheet powerplant.
"This is a workhorse aircraft. It needs to be easy to maintain.
"The Honeywell AS907 engines are performing exceptionally well. We haven't had any engine hiccups in testing and they're meeting all our performance requirements."
The flight deck features Rockwell Collins ProLine 21 integrated avionics with four 305x255mm displays.
The aircraft is offered with a 10-year warranty on the airframe and five years on engines and avionics. With training key to the long-term sales success of the project, Bombardier says it has invested heavily in training and will have level D simulators functional "early" in the service life of the aircraft.
The aircraft is capable of a 5,741km (3,100nm) non-stop mission with a full load of eight passengers and IFR fuel reserves. That would take a passenger from Singapore to Tokyo at Mach 0.82 or across the United States in less than 5h.
Service
The first of the type entered service last month with the Bombardier-owned Flexjet programme.
The Challenger 300 has a 7.21m-long cabin with a height of 1.85m - the same as the 604. With a cabin width of 2.19m it is comparable to a Gulfstream 400. Typically it is configured with an eight-passenger double-club arrangement. An optional side-facing divan is available. Certified to 16g, this can be used for take-off and landing and increases seating to nine.
Peter Edwards, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, says he's delighted with the aircraft. "It's competitively priced it offers true transcontinental range and superior long-range speed, combined with a full eight-passenger cabin and operating costs better than current midsize jets. This aircraft will define the super-midsize category."
He believes his development team has met all the demanding criteria set - and kept the programme on schedule despite the downturn in the industry.
"We project it can capture 30% of the super mid-size market over the next five years."
MARK HANNANT
Source: Flight Daily News
