Share to twitterEmbraer employees pose for a group picture next to a Praetor 600 after the unveiling of the new model in October 2018.Like Apple with its iPhone updates, business jet manufacturers are notoriously tight-lipped about their next new planes, saving the news to make a splash at major aviation conventions and keeping competitors off-balance. Still, through deduction and observation, one can make a good guess as to what their next products could be.
More importantly though, because it’s a generation older, manufacturing techniques for the G650ER are more inefficient and antiquated compared to Gulfstream’s latest G500 and G600 models, which take fewer labor hours and parts to build. By ditching the old G650ER and replacing it with a longer-ranged derivative of the new G600, the company stands to improve margins while optimizing commonality with G500/G600 parts and tooling.
Their middle-sized aircraft, the Challenger 350 and Challenger 650, are both overdue for other than incremental improvements. When jet buyers can’t distinguish brand new aircraft from used, there’s less incentive to pay the premium for new. With a heritage going back to the 1970s, the Challenger 650 is arguably most due for a makeover.
One might reason that HondaJet’s recent 82,000 sq. ft. facility expansion telegraphs a new announcement forthcoming. Currently it’s only a one-trick-pony with its HondaJet light jet. Manufacturers need to have a family of aircraft to have a meaningful market presence and step-up products for their existing customers. When exploring the company’s online job board, the call is out for engineers with expertise in wing, fuselage and systems design; all indicative of an active in-house skunkworks.