JSfirm Member Press: Bombardier To Launch ‘New Global Family‘ at NBAA

Unable to maintain radio silence of an expected unveiling of a Gulfstream G650 competitor at the NBAA Convention next month, Bombardier this morning announced it will launch a “new Global aircraft family” on the eve of the business aviation show. "It was strategically necessary for Bombardier to announce the program as soon as possible,” business aviation analyst Brian Foley told AIN. “Doing so contains potential customer defections and gives the rest of the market a reason to wait and see before placing an order. Not doing so would have essentially conceded that segment to Gulfstream.” The Canadian aircraft manufacturer today said its board of directors gave an “official go-ahead to launch the expanded Global aircraft family.” Bombardier would not release any details about the new aircraft, saying that will have to wait until its October 18 announcement. However, the use of the term “new Global aircraft family” strongly suggests that it will be a new clean-sheet design–the rumored M170 program–though a Global XRS derivative is possible, but apparently now remote. Potential powerplants for the so-called “Super Global” are said to include the Rolls-Royce BR725 and a GE Tech X-based engine. George Tsopeis, Zenith Jet‘s vice president of aviation services, said an XRS derivative would cost $200 to $300 million to develop and could be in service in 2013, while a clean-sheet Global would cost more than $1 billion and wouldn‘t enter service until at least 2016.