Executive jet manufacturer Gulfstream announced last week that it had completed production of the final 650ER.
After being in production since 2012, the type is to be superseded by the 19-seat G800 ultra long-range jet, which is expected to be certified in the coming months.
“Since their inception, the G650 and G650ER have become the industry standard that all others have followed, recently surpassing a staggering 1 million flight hours,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream.
“Beyond the program’s innumerable accolades and 125+ world speed records, innovations introduced with the form, fit and precision manufacturing process of the G650 laid the groundwork for today’s next-generation Gulfstream fleet.”
Gulfstream was awarded the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2014 for the development of the G650 business jet family, and the type went on to achieve numerous flight records, such as a 2015 world circumnavigation accomplished with just one stop. A G650ER flew from Singapore to Tucson, AZ, in 2019, at the time a record for the longest, fastest flight achieved by a business jet.
A G650ER also served as the aircraft of choice in the 2019 “One More Orbit” mission, recognised by the Guinness World Records for achieving the fastest-ever circumnavigation of Earth around both the north and south poles.
“While this will be the final G650 produced, the fleet’s high utilization and dispatch reliability mean these aircraft will serve customers for decades to come," Burns said.
The Gulfstream G800 was designed to succeed the G650 family, featuring increased performance and efficiency. The G800 a range of 8000 nm at Mach 0.85 and 7000 nm at Mach 0.90, and is equipped with Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and Gulfstream’s high-speed wing and winglet.
Around 600 G650 and G650ERs were built during the 13-year production run.