The aircraft that ushered in a new era of performance, safety and efficiency in business aviation has officially completed production.
According to Gulfstream Aerospace, the Savannah, Georgia-based manufacturer, the aircraft will move to the next phase of the completions process at Gulfstream’s Appleton, Wisconsin, facility before making its official delivery to a customer later this year.
“Since their inception, the G650 and G650ER have become the industry standard that all others have followed, recently surpassing a staggering 1 million flight hours,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “Beyond the program’s innumerable accolades and 125+ world speed records, innovations introduced with the form, fit and precision manufacturing process of the G650 laid the groundwork for today’s next-generation Gulfstream fleet.”
Gulfstream was awarded the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2014 for the development of the G650 business jet family. “While this will be the final G650 produced, the fleet’s high utilization and dispatch reliability mean these aircraft will serve customers for decades to come. As with any Gulfstream aircraft completing production, our Customer Support and program management teams will continue to research, develop and deploy advanced technologies and upgrades for retrofit, such as Honeywell Primus Epic Block 3, announced last July, and Starlink high-speed internet, announced in October,” Burns said.
The legendary aircraft family continues to play an active role in Gulfstream’s flight and sustainability testing initiatives. Featuring Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the aircraft served as the pioneering platform for the industry’s first flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2022.
The all-new, 19 pax ultralong-range G800 was designed to succeed the G650 family. Certification by the FAA is expected in the first half of 2025.
