The announcement of the Gulfstream G400 large-cabin business jet had made headlines across various aviation news outlets late last year. According to Gulfstream, the new G400 is “the first new entrant to the large-cabin class in more than a decade”. The company anticipates it to be the best-in-class for range, speed, cabin size, and technological competence when it enters service in 2025 so you have to wait till then to get your hands on one of these.
Key features of the G400
PASSENGERS: 11
RANGE (Max): 4,200 nm
CABIN DIMENSIONS: (H x W x L): 1.8 x 2.3 x 11 m
SPEED: 600 knots
CARGO CAPACITY: 4.96 cu m
MODEL CLASS: Super-midsize
The G400 was conceptualised and engineered with direct customer input, prioritising long-range, high-speed performance, cabin comfort, and unparalleled environmental efficiency.
The innovative wing and winglet design, along with the award-winning Pratt & Whitney PW812GA twin engines, is supposed to provide robust performance. Together, they will give the G400 an anticipated 4,200-nm range at Mach 0.85 or 3,950-nm at a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.88.
Fun Fact: Mach 1 = 1x the speed of sound. For comparison, the fastest private jet in the world is the Gulfstream G700 which can fly up to a speed of 0.99 Mach - though not continuously - almost at the speed of sound!
It will be capable of rising to 1,160 meters and maintain the same 1,445-meter service ceiling of larger Gulfstreams. The acumen behind the release of such an aircraft is that the combination of robust range, technological capability, cabin size and efficiency has been unprecedented in the large-cabin market, especially since the recent manufacturers have been focusing on producing long-range, heavy-metal business jets. The G400 really creates an aircraft category that has never been seen in Asia-Pacific.
So, clearly, Gulfstream's latest attempt to offer a smaller, less expensive alternative to its hugely successful large-cabin jets appears to be a win.
Yes, Gulfstream has done something similar before. It had produced 24 G300/G350 large-cabin planes between 2003 and 2007, which were shorter-range and less powerful versions of its enormously popular G450 series that garnered demand for over 900 units between 1985 and 2018.
The $34.5 million G400 is a shortened version of the $49.5 million G500 which features a perfect fly-by-wire synergic system of computerized flight controls, modern avionics, and new fuel-efficient engines that Gulfstream first released in 2018. It has the same large, finished cabin cross-section as well as seating configurations as the G500. You receive the same 4.96-cubic-meter baggage hold as well as front and aft lavatories, large galley space, all the luxuries, in-flight entertainment, and networking features.
It slots itself perfectly in Gulfstream’s lineup between the G280 as well as the G500 and G600 as a slightly larger aircraft than the company's super-midsize G280.
Fun Fact: Currently, the only military operator of the G280 is the Philippine Air Force, which acquired the jet in September 2020 to replace their sole Learjet 60.
“It’s a sweet spot in the customer base,” said Gulfstream’s president Mark Burns, owing to big demand for an aircraft with a large, stand-up cabin that can cover 4,000 nm and cost around $35 million.
The G400 will compete with Bombardier’s Challenger 650, the oldest competing business jet design that is still in production - flies 4,000 nm at Mach 0.80 but strikes out at Mach 0.85 and 1,160 meters. However, It seems like the Challenger 650 will easily be squeezed out of the market considering other existing competition like Dassault’s Falcon 10X and 6X. Bombardier simply does not have the means to do a clean-sheet replacement of the Challenger 650 as its priorities right now are to pay off debts, minimise costs and increase revenue.
Spoiler alert!
In Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise’s character Maverick opens the movie with an attempt to hit Mach 10 with a specialised aircraft and is successful. However, this is still a cinematic fantasy as no aircraft has been designed to withstand such speed - Mach 10 is equivalent to travelling at 10x the speed of light - but this could soon be a reality as there are engineers working to achieve such a feat
We look forward to the G400’s entry into the market, and when it does you can be assured that APERTUS Aviation will be able to help charter a private flight on one of them. From there you can decide if the G400 is the private jet to own for you, if not, we are always ready to charter a flight on your behalf, just reach out to any of our APERTUS team members or through our email.