Bombardier unveils Global 5500 and 6500 family

Rolls-Royce has developed the Pearl engine rated at 15,100lb thrust specifically for the Global 5500 and 6500.
Rolls-Royce
Bombardier Business Aircraft President and CEO David Coleal with the Global 6500.
Bombardier

IN A surprise announcement on May 27, 2018, Bombardier Business Aircraft unveiled not one, but two new variants of the Global family of business jets, the Global 5500 and 6500.

The announcement was timed to coincide with the 2018 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, held in Geneva between May 29 and 31.

Global 5500 and Global 6500 aircraft are powered by purposedeveloped Rolls-Royce Pearl engines and feature a redesigned wing, which Bombardier says will deliver ranges of 5,700 and 6,600 nautical miles (10,550 and 12,225km) respectively, and with a maximum speed of Mach 0.90.

The company says the Global 5500 will connect city pairs such as São Paulo and Paris, and Moscow and Los Angeles. Similarly, it says the Global 6500 will be capable of connecting Hong Kong or Singapore with London.

The two aircraft will feature Bombardier’s recently launched Nuage cabin seats and the company’s Vision flight deck, which it says will introduce the “first true combined vision system” that merges enhanced and synthetic images into a single view for presentation to the pilots.

David Coleal, President of Bombardier Business Aircraft, said: “Bombardier’s two newest Global aircraft are the result of our unrelenting commitment to innovation, excellence and, most of all, our desire to deliver unmatched capabilities to our customers … This next generation of performance stems from the winning DNA of our Global family of aircraft, now further enhanced through a newly optimised wing, a fully reimagined cabin and new, purpose-built engines.”

The Pearl engine combines technologies developed through the company’s Advance2 Technology Demonstrator programmes with the proven features of the existing BR700 family of engines. The engine is rated at up to 15,125lb (67.29kN) of thrust (at ISA+15), which is a 9% increase over the BR700 at takeoff thrust, but will be 2dB quieter and deliver a 7% improvement in specific fuel consumption.

Developed at Rolls-Royce’s Centre of Excellence for Business Aviation engines in Dahlewitz, Germany, the Pearl engine has already completed a comprehensive development programme and was granted European Aviation Safety Agency certification on February 28, 2018. It is now undergoing flight testing at Bombardier’s Flight Test Centre in Wichita, Kansas.

Bombardier surprised the business aviation community with the launch of the Global 5500 and 6500 aircraft.
Bombardier

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce’s President – Civil Aerospace, said: “The Pearl engine is a pioneering product, bringing together the most eco-friendly and efficient technologies available today …The combination of outstanding performance, economy and reliability levels make it the perfect fit for Bombardier’s newest Global aircraft.”

Bombardier’s Global 5500 and 6500 are both expected to enter service in 2019 and, in line with its flagship Global 7000, now known as the Global 7500.

The Global 5500 has a top speed of Mach 0.9 and a high-cruise speed of Mach 0.88; max range is 5,700nm (10,550km). The fuselage measures 96ft 10in (29.5m) in length with a 94ft (28.7m) wingspan and a height of 25ft 6in (7.8m). The 5500 has a max take-offiweight of 92,500lb (41,957kg), a max fuel weight of 39,250lb (17,804kg) and a max payload of 7, 139lb (3,283kg).

The 6500’s top speed, highcruise speed, wingspan and height all the same as the 5500. However, its max range is 6,600nm (12,200km) and the fuselage is longer at 99ft 5in (30.5m).

The 6500’s max take-offiweight is 99,500lb (45,132kg), with a max fuel weight of 45,050lb (20,434kg) and a max payload of 5,770lb (2,617kg).

Nigel Pittaway