Gulfstream has announced the renaming of its super midsized G250 jet as the Gulfstream G280 in a move “prompted by the company’s sensitivity to the varied cultures of its international customer base,” as demand grows for business aircraft.
“Since introducing the Gulfstream G250 in 2008 and presenting it to customers around the world, we determined that G280 is a more amenable number sequence in certain cultures,” said Larry Flynn, Gulfstream’s senior vice president of marketing and sales in a news release on the Gulfstream website. “We value our international customers highly, and this change reflects our commitment to understanding the diverse cultures of our global business environment.”
No other in-production Gulfstream aircraft will be renamed, he said.
Introduced in 2008, the G280 offers the largest cabin and longest range at the fastest speed in its class. It is capable of flying 3,400 nautical miles nonstop--from New York to London, or from London to Dubai--at Mach 0.8. The aircraft has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.85, Gulfstream said. The G280 can depart from a 5,000 foot runway at maximum takeoff weight.
Flight testing is under way, with the three test aircraft now having exceeded 1,400 flight hours over 525 flights, Gulfstream said. Manufacture of the first non-test aircraft has been completed, with production acceptance testing in progress at Israel Aerospace Industries.
