Bombardier Aerospace Jets Bombardier Aerospace is the third largest aircraft manufacturer in the world (after Boeing and Airbus) and is a subsidiary company of Bombardier Inc, a global leader in the business of manufacturing transportation equipment ranging from recreational vehicles, roadsters, personal watercraft, and sport boats, to mass-transit rail systems and vast range of aircraft – firefighters, commuters, business jets, regional jets, and soon, medium-range jetliners. Bombardier's Challenger series of jets origins dates back to 1944 when the Canadian government set out to manufacture PBY Canso flying boats. This laid the foundation for Canadair aircraft which began in a manufacturing center once owned by Canadian Vickers in the Montreal suburb of St-Laurent. The site today known as Bombardier Plant One. Between 1944 and 1986 Canadair went through several changes of ownership, starting with the Electric Boat Company in 1946, General Dynamics in 1952, and the Canadian government in 1976. It remained a crown corporation until 1986 when, having experienced record losses in the development of the Challenger business jet, the government sold it to Bombardier, thus forming the core of today's Bombardier Aerospace. The Canadair name was eventually dropped by Bombardier Aerospace, but the Challenger business jet lives on. Originally designed by Bill Lear in 1976, 7 years after he had resigned as Chairman of Lear Jet, it was originally dubbed the LearStar600. When he sold the rights to produce it to Canadair they renamed in the CL-600 Challenger. Though similar to many of Lear's previous designs, notable changes were made to the Challenger to distinguish it from all private jets that came before it, the most significant being the fact that it was the first business jet to use a widened fuselage, allowing passengers to walk around the cabin. At 8.2' wide, and 6.1' high, the Challenger's cabin was closer to the dimensions of a narrow-body airliner than what was previously considered a conventional business jet. The Challenger 600 evolved into the Challenger 601 in 1983. Improvements to the aerodynamics and performance were made, and the 601 proved just as successful as the 600. While fundamentally the same aircraft at first glance, refinements such as uprated turbofans, winglets to reduce drag, and additional fuel tanks gave the Challenger 601 corporate jet a range of over 3,300 nautical miles at speeds of 424 knots... deciding factors for private jet owners who wanted comfort, space for 8 or 9 people, and the ability to travel virtually anywhere in the U.S. non-stop. When Bombardier acquired the ailing Canadair in 1986 the Challenger program continued to evolve and improve with time. A glass cockpit was added in the first iteration of the 601 marketed by Bombardier, and further changes were made to the jet over time, until the final 601 was produced in 1995. Then, 1996 saw the introduction of the Challenger 604, major upgrade of the 601 design, incorporating more powerful engines, larger fuel supply, including saddle tanks in the rear of the aircraft, new undercarriage for a higher takeoff and landing weight, structural improvements to wings and tail, and a new Collins ProLine 4 avionics system. These upgrades meant that this new jet could carry 8 passengers in style over 4000 nautical miles at a speed of 424 knots. The cabin space can be configured in a double-club or a forward club/half club/divan arrangement. Since the 604 has intercontinental range, a deluxe galley and lavatory, and extremely low noise levels are much appreciated by passengers. Ten years on, Bombardier released to the most recent version of the it's most successful business jet, the Challenger 605. As a continued evolution of their original intercontinental business jet, the 605 continues to respond to the needs of business leaders with a wide, quiet cabin, space for up to 12 passengers, a range of 4000 nautical miles at speeds of up to Mach 0.80. From the cockpit to the lav, everything aboard the Challenger 605 has been upgraded and improved to provide passengers with the comfort and convenience expected from a jet with such outstanding flexibility. The success of the 600-series Challenger saw two other business jet programs come to life under the Challenger name - the 800-series derivative, which is the largest super-mid size business aircraft offered by Bombardier Aerospace, capable of carrying up to 14 passengers on transcontinental voyages, and the “clean sheet” design 300-series, originally called the Bombardier Continental, which is assembled in Bombardier's Learjet plant at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, in Kansas. In 1990 Bombardier Aerospace purchased the Learjet Corporation. This acquisition gave Bombardier access to the American aerospace industry and the most complete range of private jets and business jets on the market. Bombardier promptly launched the Learjet 60 aircraft, the first midsize business jet, which would rank as the top-selling aircraft in its class four years later. An improved version of the Learjet 55, the 60 had a longer fuselage and more powerful turbofan engines. It was also the last legacy jet built by Learjet using the wing shape adapted by Bill Lear from his earliest design, a Swiss ground-attack fighter jet developed in the early 1950s. Sixteen years after the first flight of the Learjet 60, the 60XR variant was launched in 2005. Like all Learjets before it, the 60XR is a true performer. With a range of over 2400 nautical miles, a faster time-to-climb than any other mid-size business jet, and a service ceiling of 51,000 feet, the 60XR can get it's passengers across continents quickly and comfortably. Through the 1990s Bombardier continued to expand the Learjet range. The Learjet 40 and 45 series of mid-size private jet aircraft were smaller alternatives to the 60 and 60XR, but were on par with their larger brothers as far as performance was concerned. The 45 was also the first Learjet developed under the Bombardier Aerospace name. In 2002 the Learjet 40, a shortened 45, was unveiled as a replacement of the discontinued Learjet 31a. The 45XR private jet was introduced in mid 2004 (as was the 40XR just a few months later) with higher performance engines, offering greater takeoff weights, faster cruise speeds and faster time-to-climb rates as compared to the LJ45. In 1991 Bombardier Aerospace began looking into the possibility of an ultra-long-range corporate and VIP business jets and officially launched the Global Express program in 1993. Though similar at first glance to the Canadair Regional Jet, the Global Express is a very different aircraft due to the intended nature of its role. An advanced, supercritical wing, and powerful BMW Rolls Royce turbofans enabled this jet to fly higher, further, and faster than anything previously seen from Bombardier Aerospace. The earliest Global Express jets were able to fly over 600 nautical miles, enabling them to travel between any two points on the globe with only one stop for fuel while carrying up to 17 passengers! In 2001 Bombardier announced the Global 5000, a derivative design that was slightly shorter than the original, but was still able to carry up to 17 passengers in fully berthable seats. A full galley, two lavs, and an optional aft stateroom rounded out the potential options. Though the maximum range of the Global 5000 is 1200 nautical miles less than the original, this aircraft is able to travel at speeds up to mach 0.89, at altitudes over 50,000 feet. In 2003 the Global XRS (later rebranded as the Global 6000) was introduced. With a range 6000 nautical miles at speeds up to mach 0.85 the Global 6000 is the most accomplished, accommodating, and luxurious business jet Bombardier Aerospace produces today and is the current pinnacle of Bombardier's business jet lineup. Click Here for News, Reviews, Images & Forums on Bombardier Jets ***