Bombardier has launched its new business jet, the Global 8000, claiming it will be “the world’s fastest and longest-range purpose-built business jet.”
With a capacity for up to 19 passengers, a range of 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km) and a top speed of Mach 0.94, the upcoming plane is expected to enter service in 2025, according to a statement from the Canadian aerospace manufacturer.
The news comes after a Global 7500 test vehicle broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May, achieving speeds of more than Mach 1.015. The aircraft, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 chase plane, also became the first Transport Category airplane to fly supersonic with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a result of the flight, says Bombardier.
The Global 8000’s wing design, known as Smooth Flĕx, provides flexibility and agility at different speeds and in different flight conditions to optimize operation and improve onboard perception. The aircraft’s cabin will be equipped with advanced HEPA filter technology, and the Soleil lighting system which helps to reduce the impact of time zone changes and lessen the effect of jet lag. Bombardier also highlight the aircraft’s pressurization system, which it states offers the ‘lowest cabin altitude’ on the market. As an example the Global 8000’s cabin characteristics make it possible to experience the sensation of being at an altitude of 2,900 feet when the aircraft is flying at 41,000 feet, a typical cruising level.
Global 8000 is just one of many developments in the numerous efforts to raise the speed of passenger aircraft more than two decades after the iconic Concorde retired. Last year, United Airlines announced it could be offering supersonic routes as early as 2029 after striking a deal to buy 15 supersonic jets. Meanwhile, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic has been completing ground testing on the X-B1 prototype aircraft, designed to seat between 65 and 88 people, which aims to fly on over 500 mainly transoceanic routes that will benefit from the aircraft’s Mach-2.2 speeds.
