Embraer has made design changes to its business jet version of the RJ-135 regional aircraft as it moves closer to a decision on whether to proceed with development of a corporate variant.
The Brazilian manufacturer has been seeking the input of fractional and individual jet operators since last July. As a result it has extended the range of the 10-seat ECJ-135 business jet to 5,550km (3,000nm) to compete directly against smaller super midsize corporate aircraft. The 37-seat regional jet has a range of 3,275km.
Designers have extended the ERJ-135's belly fairing forward to the main cabin door and moved the luggage compartment aft bulkhead forward to accommodate an additional 3,200kg (7,000lb) of fuel. Earlier ideas to adopt the configuration of the Erieye airborne early warning version with internal cabin tanks have been dropped.
The ECJ-135 would be powered by the larger ERJ-145's Rolls-Royce AE3007AIP, increasing the aircraft's speed to Mach 0.78 and operating ceiling to 39,000ft (11,895m). Maximum take-off weight has been raised by 22,000kg, an increase of 1,816kg.
Embraer is pitching the ECJ-135 as a potential competitor to Bombardier Continental, Raytheon Horizon and Israel Aircraft Industries Galaxy, as well as the Fairchild Envoy 3 version of the 328JET.
A corporate shuttle version of the ERJ-135 is also being considered, to seat up to 22 passengers in all-business-class configuration, although this would be an ERJ-135 with a different interior. Longer-term planning calls for a corporate version of the yet-to-fly larger ERJ-170 regional jet as a competitor to the Fairchild Envoy 7. The ECJ-170 would similarly incorporate auxiliary tanks, more than doubling the range of the 70-seat jet to 8,325km.
Source: Flight International