I'm pretty sure you've heard this before, but when it comes to things like this there's no getting around it, because it's true: corporate jets are the limousines of the aviation industry. And that usually means it's pretty hard to come up with anything revolutionary in this segment, given how others have probably already done it. Yet one industry player called Gulfstream does it regularly, as it recently did with something called the G400.
The G400 is a name that has been in Gulfstream’s portfolio before. It initially emerged as a derivative of the fourth-generation corporate jets, produced from 1985 to 2018, and then the G550, produced from 2003 to 2021. In its most recent incarnation, the one that brings us here today, the aircraft is part of the same family as the G500 and G600, with which it shares many of the same components and design ideas.
That means we’re talking about a twin-engine metal bird designed to carry well-dressed people. It’s the smallest member of its family, but it’s by no means the least impressive of the bunch. It has a shorter fuselage than the G500 and fewer windows, but it still packs a mighty punch and more comfort than you could dream of.
The plane was announced in 2021 as a bird that would top its class with the largest cabin available, the fastest of its kind in the sky, and the one that would fly the furthest. Since then, it has been undergoing extensive preparations for its first flight, and they appear to have paid off: that was achieved earlier this week when it took to the skies for the first time and officially kicked off the test program that will allow it to enter service.
The plane's maiden flight took place in the skies above Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia, where it departed and returned. The plane remained in the air for nearly three hours, during which time it reached speeds of Mach 0.85 (652 mph/1,049 km/h) and altitudes of 41,000 feet (12,497 meters).
Photo: Gulfstream
These numbers are pretty close to the plane’s maximum capabilities, and to have achieved them on the first flight is quite impressive. Even more so when you consider that the flight used a blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to take off.
The G400 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812GA engines mounted not on the wings, but in the rear, on both sides of the fuselage. The engine range is new to the market (despite being closely related to the commercial GTF jet engine), having received type certification in Canada in 2022. By that time, the engine had already performed 3,400 hours of testing, including 260 in the air.
So far, only Gulfstream has deployed this type of engine, on the G400, but given the family it belongs to, the engine will likely become widespread in the industry in the years to come. In this particular aircraft, especially when combined with a special wing design and the best avionics, the engine should allow the aircraft to generate 30 percent more fuel efficiency than the previous generation.
The two engines will be able to propel the plane through the air at speeds of Mach 0.9 (690 mph/1,111 km/h) and allow it to climb to maximum altitudes of 51,000 feet (15,544 meters). The maximum distance the plane can travel in a single flight is 4,833 miles (7,778 km). This is enough range to ensure non-stop flights between Miami and Sao Paulo, for example.
The plane is an engineering marvel that goes beyond the engines that power it. The cockpit features the aircraft manufacturer’s Symmetry Flight Deck and Predictive Landing Performance System, both designed to help pilots achieve better situational awareness.
Photo: Gulfstream
The Symmetry Flight Deck relies on active side controls and electronically linked touchscreens to allow pilots to control the aircraft and its systems.
For people who will travel by plane, Gulfstream promises “the greatest comfort ever experienced in this segment.” For this purpose, there are systems such as a plasma ionization clean air system that provides never recirculated air, or the ten windows that the fuselage is equipped with. Depending on the configuration (three floor plans are available), the aircraft can accommodate nine to twelve passengers and sleep up to five.
Gulfstream hasn’t said how long the test flight program will last, but last we checked, the G400 was said to be ready to fly commercially as early as 2025. And, as you might imagine, it won’t be cheap. We don’t have official details on the plane’s price, but this impressive flying limousine is expected to sell to operators for upwards of $34 million.