Embraer is launching its Praetor 500 business jet on the Dubai air show static, and says it has already secured significant interest in the high-performance midsize type from customers in the Middle East.
Embraer is launching its Praetor 500 business jet on the Dubai air show static, and says it has already secured significant interest in the high-performance midsize type from customers in the Middle East.
The Praetor 500 was launched in October 2018 alongside its super-midsize stablemate, the Praetor 600, to which Embraer has received “an incredible response from customers in the region”, says Stephen Friedrich, executive jets chief commercial officer. The first example will be delivered to a local, undisclosed customer before the end of the year, he adds.
The Praetor 500 secured certification in August, and is scheduled to enter service this month. Deliveries of the Praetor 600 began in late June, and Embraer expects to deliver 15 examples in 2019.
“The Praetors have totally disrupted the midsize business jet marketplace since their launch,” says Friedrich.
He describes them as “very best-in-class models, which deliver on Embraer’s core principles of “comfort, performance, technology and value”.
Powered by Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans, the Praetors are derivatives of the Legacy 450 and 500, with which they share the same fuselage and wings.
The Praetors are the only midsize and super-midsize business jets with full fly-by-wire technology and active turbulence reduction, with the latter designed to give customers “the smoothest possible ride”, says Friedrich. The pair also have a 5,800ft cabin altitude “for ultimate passenger comfort”, a premium interior called Bossa Nova, a Honeywell Ovation Select cabin management system and a Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flightdeck with an industry-first vertical weather display, “air traffic control-like” situational awareness with automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast in and a predictive windshear radar capability.
The $21 million Praetor 600 improves the capabilities of the Legacy 500 – of which it has sold three in the Middle East – with new winglets and two extra belly fuel tanks. Range is more than 4,000nm (7,400km), “which will easily connect Dubai with London, which is a very popular route”, says Friedrich.
Additional fuel cells in the wings of the $17 million Praetor 500 help to deliver the longest range in the traditional midsize sector at 3,250nm. “That will connect Beirut with London,” says Friedrich.
In terms of comfort and range, the Praetors can compete with many traditional large-cabin jets but without the large expense. “The pair are perfect for the local charter market,” says Friedrich.
