Turbine Pilot

The Global Express and G-V fight for dominance of a brave new world

Big changes are in store for the heavy jet segment of general aviation. Responding to the four primal urges that compel all business jet manufacturers — to offer ever-larger cabins, more range, technological refinement, and to beat the competition — Canadair and Gulfstream have upped the ante to majestic levels. They'll be building a new generation of super-long range, extra large business jets.

The first of these so-called global jets will take the stage later this year, when Gulfstream rolls out its G-V. In 1997, Canadair's Global Express is due for its first flight. Both these behemoths will have maximum NBAA IFR ranges of 6,500 nautical miles, both will be powered by the same BMW/Rolls Royce engines, their cruise speeds will be roughly comparable, their prices will be similar, and they'll be aimed at the same market niche.

The way it used to be

Heavy jets have always occupied a market segment representing an elite stratum of large, luxurious, very long-range, highly sophisticated airplanes. Heavy jets can be more specifically defined as multiengine, turbofan-powered business jets having maximum takeoff weights of at least 35,000 pounds, NBAA IFR ranges of at least 3,500 nm, and price tags upwards — sometimes well upwards — of $15 million.

We're talking new airplane prices here, and in many cases these airplanes are sold "green," a term referring to the color of the airplane's anti-corrosion primer coat. This means that new heavy jets often come with plenty of fancy cockpit equipment but no interior and no paint job. For that, you'll have to shell out another $3 million or so at a completion center.

There are only three manufacturers of this type of airplane. Canada's Canadair (now a part of Bombardier's Business Aircraft Division, along with Learjet) offers its Challenger 601-3R and 601RJ corporate jetliner. France's Dassault Falcon Jet sells the Falcon 50 and Falcon 900B. The United States' Gulfstream Aerospace weighs in with its G-IVSP.

Only a select pool of buyers can afford to buy and operate these symbols of status and power. It's the Fortune 100 companies, large foreign conglomerates, governments, royalty, and a handful of extremely wealthy individuals that can belly up, and these are the niches that heavy jet salesmen so diligently plumb.

Competition for new heavy jet sales has always been very tough. For manufacturers, it's a high-stakes game that can mean betting the company on a single new product development. As of the end of October, a mere 58 new heavy jets had been shipped in 1994. Imagine, three manufacturers peddling five different airplanes, chasing an annual world market of some five dozen airplanes.

In the past, Canadair, Dassault, and Gulfstream survived not just by certain comparative performance, cabin comfort, and pricing advantages, but by pitching some very definite emotional niches as well.

In brutal oversimplification, here's how those three manufacturers have been competing:

Challenger salesmen emphasize the 601-3R's comparatively inexpensive $18.5 million average-equipped price tag, wide cabin, and fuel-efficient GE CF-34 engines. Its 3,600-nm range and Mach 0.8 cruise speed are touted as adequate for virtually all mission requirements. It's the sensible heavy jet. The Regional Jetliner, with its 30-seat capability, is pushed as an equally efficient corporate shuttle.

Dassault speaks of its Falcon 50s and 900Bs as the best expressions of French aeronautical engineering savvy. Falcons are sold as much on comfort and performance as safety and handling. Their three engines loom large in the sales pitch. With three engines, the argument goes, how could you ever have a power-related problem compromise the safety of flight? With a maximum range of 4,000 nm, Falcon 900Bs outdistance the Challengers. Outprice them, too; an average-equipped Falcon 900B will set you back about $23.4 million. Falcon 50s are like shrunken little brothers to the 900B, with smaller cabins, 3,200-nm maximum ranges, and smaller (about $14.7 million) price tags.

Gulfstreams IVSPs are the monsters of the pack. Physically larger than Challengers and Falcons inside and out, they have more thrust, more payload, and more range (4,200 nm) than the competition. Sure, they cost about $26 million a copy, but as any Gulfstream salesman will tell you, this is the ultimate business airplane. They're the fill-it-with-gas, fill-it-with-people, go-anyplace high-recognition business machines of the world, and the choice of heads of state and the most powerful magnates.

The new order

The G-V and Global Express will change these traditional rules of competitive jostling. For the first time, Canadair and Gulfstream will go toe to toe, each vying to sell their vision of the same basic airplane to the same select group of prospects.

Gulfstream has said it will change from a single product manufacturer to a two-product line, building G-Vs and G-IVSPs simultaneously. Canadair is even more ambitious. It will be running a four-product line by 1998: The Global Express, the Corporate Jetliner, the Regional Jet (RJ), and another new airplane, the Challenger 604. The 604 is a Challenger 601-3R derivative with a 4,000-nm range at a Mach 0.74 cruise power setting.

Once the first 604s are delivered (in December, according to Canadair), production of the 601-3R will cease. This means that Canadair will leave its traditional 3,000- to 3,500-nm niche to such newcomers as the Israeli Aircraft Industries' Galaxy and Cessna's Citation X. The 604 will compete directly with the Falcon 2000, a recently certified Dassault design, and Raytheon's Hawker 800 — airplanes that are all designed to fulfill the same basic mission.

Building and betting

The costs of developing any new airplane are tremendous. With the Global Express and G-V they are downright astronomical. The meter starts running with market surveys, then really kicks in with the design phase. This is where both manufacturers use computers to determine wing planform and profile, airframe drag, airflow interactions, and other forces acting on the airplane in various conditions of flight. As always, the goal is to maximize the smooth, laminar flow of air, minimize drag-producing turbulent air, and predict the airplane's performance in the real world. With the help of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) — software loaded with aerodynamic algorithms — any number of shapes can be tested in a fraction of the time required under old-fashioned techniques. In the old days (25 years ago), you built prototype parts, then tested each one in a wind tunnel. If they didn't behave as you had hoped, you started designing all over again, culminating with another trip to the wind tunnel. With CFD, you design and test the entire airplane on screen. Wind tunnel time is minimized.

Design of subassemblies and systems is also computerized. Canadair and Gulfstream use the CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) interactive, three-dimensional computerized design system. This is a state-of-the-art system developed by Dassault Falcon Jet and now used by virtually all major airframe manufacturers. Using CATIA, Canadair and Gulfstream can build — again, on screen — electronic mockups of their designs, checking to see that system components fit properly and that moving parts operate within specifications. With CATIA, hand-drawn blueprints and "iron bird" full-scale mockups are things of the past.

As for manufacturing these airplanes, both Canadair and Gulfstream are contracting out major subassemblies to risk- and revenue-sharing partners. This is a way of spreading out the risks of such large, expensive development projects and of helping ensure that deadlines are met.

The Global Express' wings and center fuselage will be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; Dowty Aerospace will make the nose and landing gear; Sextant Avionique, the flight control systems and HUD; Parker Bertea, the fuel system; and Lucas Aerospace, the electrical systems. Allied Signal's brand-new RE220 has been chosen as the Global Express' auxiliary power unit. Honeywell will provide the avionics. The glass cockpit will include six 8- x 8-inch CRT displays, EICAS (Engine Instrument/Crew Alerting System), GPS, three inertial reference systems, and dual flight and performance management systems complete with dual autothrottles. Color weather radar, TCAS II, and flight data and cockpit voice recorders are also standard.

The Vought Aircraft Company will make the G-V's wings, and ShinMaywa is making its flaps, spoilers, ailerons, landing gear doors, and fuselage fairings. The Netherlands' Fokker Aircraft will build its empennage. Irony of ironies, the G-V's engine intake nacelles will be built by Short Brothers, the Northern Ireland firm owned by Bombardier Aerospace, Canadair's parent. As with the Global Express, the Allied Signal RE 220 will be the G-V's APU. Honeywell's SPZ 8000 flight management system will be standard in the G-V cockpit, along with six 8- x 8-inch CRT displays and EICAS. And like the Global Express avionics suite, the G-V will have dual "fail operational" autopilots, dual autothrottles, and triple-redundant inertial reference systems. GPS, TCAS, GPWS, and Mode S transponders will also be standard.

It goes without saying that both Canadair and Gulfstream have full confidence in their design and manufacturing capabilities. But history has shown that specifications can change between concept and first flight. By the time an airplane comes to market, it's often heavier and slower than originally advertised, burns more fuel, and has a shorter range. All of this despite the finest engineering efforts.

Obviously, Canadair and Gulfstream are betting that their new global jets will meet their predicted performance targets. If one of the manufacturers fails to meet the all-important 6,500-nm IFR range figure, it could be a sales disaster — and perhaps a blow to that company's financial health.

Reaching that 6,500-nm goal will be a precarious adventure. This kind of range has never before been attempted in the business jet manufacturing community. The Global Express' range is projected to be some 2,900 nm greater than the longest-range airplane Canadair's ever built. The G-V's target range beats the G-IVSP's by 2,300 nm.

Speed and payload are just as important. Both manufacturers are saying that their airplanes will be able to load up with eight passengers and four crewmembers, cruise at Mach 0.8 at altitudes up to 51,000 feet, and still hit the magic 6,500-nm range mark. To do all that, drag must be at a minimum — hence the emphasis on computational analysis — and thrust and fuel consumption levels must be right on the money.

Which brings up the subject of engines. Here we have another unknown: the BMW/Rolls Royce BR 710 engines that will power the Global Express and G-V are brand new. The first engine run was in September 1994, and the first 150-hour endurance run isn't scheduled for completion until May. Even so, Canadair and Gulfstream are counting on BMW/RR's projections as to thrust (14,750 pounds in the G-V application, 14,690 pounds in the Global Express), internal temperatures, fuel consumption, and operating cost. Will the BR 710 perform as advertised? If it can't live up to its promises, then neither jet can live up to theirs.

Building and selling airplanes has never been for the faint of heart, but this competition should prove to be a world-class character builder and a test of nerves for all concerned.

Comparative advantages

Though the Global Express and G-V are being designed with the same objectives in mind, each one claims special advantages.

For Canadair, the Global Express is a clean-sheet design. To make extra sure that the airplane meets all performance and design goals, the company has been involved in a world-class computerized design effort. Using the latest CATIA and CFD software, Canadair's engineers have been slaving away for the past 18 months, performing dozens of simulations and wind tunnel tests, and validating every known performance variable. With more than 120 CATIA workstations in its Montreal engineering facility, the Global Express project is perhaps the biggest civil aircraft engineering effort ever conducted. According to a Canadair official, its scope surpasses even that of Boeing's new 777 airliner project.

Canadair is also relying on its experience in building supercritical wings; i.e., wings that operate at transonic speeds with minimal drag. (The Challenger was the first large business jet to employ a supercritical wing design.) According to Canadair, the Global Express' wing is being optimized for flight at Mach 0.85, which will be the airplane's normal cruise speed. At Mach 0.85, the airplane's NBAA IFR range should be 6,330 nm. It's only at the Mach 0.8 cruise power setting that the Global Express will attain its 6,500-nm range.

Flight at speeds as high as Mach 0.88 will be possible, however, and at this speed, the Global Express should be able to fly 5,000 nm in still air. Maximum speed is Mach 0.9.

While Gulfstream is also using computers to design and validate the G-V, the company emphasizes that the airplane is a growth version of an already-proven airplane — the G-IVSP. The G-V's wingspan is 13 feet longer than the G-IVSP's and has redesigned winglets. Though the fundamental shape and structure of the wings are the same as the G-IVSP's, Gulfstream says it's 10 percent more aerodynamically efficient than its predecessor. This, together with the BR 710's promised efficiency, is what will allow the G-V to reach the magic 6,500-nm mark while flying at Mach 0.8, which is the G-V's long-range cruise speed. At Mach 0.85, the G-V should fly 5,600 nm. Maximum cruise speed is projected at Mach 0.87.

In the runway performance competition, the Global Express appears to be the leader. At maximum takeoff weight and standard conditions, the Global Express claims a takeoff distance of 5,540 feet. The G-V is projected to require 5,870 feet. As for landing distances, Global Express says 2,556 feet will be enough at its projected maximum landing weight. The G-V anticipates a landing distance of 2,950 feet at maximum landing weight.

As for the cabins, both are long on comfort. However, the Global Express' cabin height (6 feet, 3 inches) and width (8 feet, 2 inches at the widest point) should have an edge on the G-V's. Its cabin is listed as 6 feet, 2 inches high and 7 feet, 4 inches wide.

Step right up

Assuming all performance goals are met, still another big question looms very large: How big is the market? The total world demand for jets of this type has been estimated at anywhere from 200 to 900 airplanes over a 10- year production run.

Dassault Falcon Jet believes that there isn't enough demand to justify its going into the global jet business. At the NBAA convention in 1992, Dassault announced it would study the market feasibility of its vision of a global jet, the Falcon 9000. This was to have been a larger version of the Falcon 900 three-engine design, with a range of 6,000 nm at 0.8 Mach cruise power settings.

A few months later, Dassault came to feel that the total market for such a jet would encompass only 200 airplanes — not enough to sustain three competing manufacturers. The 9000 program was abruptly ended, and Dassault Falcon Jet turned its efforts towards its newly conceived Falcon 900EX, a 4,500-nm design that the company feels will have broader appeal. Dassault will continue to build and sell the Falcon 50.

Of the 9000, Dassault's senior vice president of civil aircraft Jean-Francois Georges said "Customers were asking for range and we thought the 9000 would be an excellent solution. Technically, it had all the right features, and would have been a star performer. But market-wise, we made the right choice in stopping its development."

Referring to Canadair and Gulfstream, Georges said, "We think it is best to let the other guys fight with each other in what is going to be a very tight market."

Gulfstream has hinted that it plans to begin cranking out G-Vs at a rate of 29 per year by 1998. Currently, it has deposits for 45 airplanes. Canadair has orders for 40 Global Expresses and says that delivery positions are sold out until the year 2000. Gulfstream has said its break-even point is 60 airplanes; Canadair believes 100 sales will cover its costs.

Sales executives feel that most of the potential buyers will come from a pool of step-up customers who have developed strong brand loyalty. They have owned Challengers and Gulfstreams before and need the extra range for their far-flung enterprises. So far, about half the deposits for Global Expresses and G-Vs are from overseas.

A new type of prospect has also appeared on the scene. A handful of deposits are from firms that have never before owned a corporate airplane. They have the need to travel very long distances, but haven't had the option of buying a jet with true ocean-hopping legs. They used to fly the airlines but, as anyone who's made a Pacific crossing can tell you, they are fed up with the inconvenience, crowding, loss of useful time, and mind-alteration that is synonymous with conventional air travel.

With nonstop city pairs like Los Angeles to Beijing, New York to Riyadh, and London to Manila, the Global Express and G-V are acknowledgements of the growing internationalization of modern business. More to the point, they affirm the emerging economic significance of the Pacific Rim and south Asian nations. There is a more than subliminal hint in the sales brochures. If you want to be a real player in these markets, you need a jet with long legs, a big cabin, a hot shower, and berthable couches.

Whatever the outcome of this lofty competition, all of general aviation will realize significant benefits. Computer-aided design and manufacturing is making giant leaps forward. Glass cockpits are becoming more capable. HUDs are reaching greater popularity and may some day be approved for instrument approaches in Category III weather. GPS navigation will cut new ground as direct routes over thousands of miles are approved.

We'll know by 1996 if the performance claims prove accurate. The G-V's first flight is scheduled for November, and type certification is set for October 1996. Gulfstream will be the first to market and therefore stands to be the first to win the lion's share of the business.

The global jet is the latest in an amazing evolution. Thirty years ago, the very thought of a business jet was dismissed as an unnecessary bit of non-utilitarian flamboyance. Now, an entire industry revolves around the concept, and many businesses have come to rely on their corporate jets and turboprops.

In the near future, perhaps the escalation of expectations will make us wonder how we ever got along without global jets. It makes you wonder what the upper limits of size, speed, and range really can become without violating subsonic or transonic aerodynamic barriers.

In 1989, Allen Paulsen, then chairman and CEO of Gulfstream, came up with the idea of a supersonic business jet; Gulfstream called it the SSBJ for short. It was to have been built in partnership with the then- Soviet Union's Sukhoi Design Bureau and would have flown eight to 12 people as far as 4,000 nm at a sky-searing Mach 2. But the SSBJ's timing was off, and the program was canceled.

However, if the global jets receive a warm reception, can it be long before someone blows the dust off the SSBJ concept?