Bombardier Challenger 3500 Business Jet Makes European Debut at EBACE 2023

Bombardier debuted the award-winning Challenger 3500 business jet to the European market at the 2023 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Challenger 3500 aircraft, which entered service in September 2022, is showcased alongside the company’s flagship, the Global 7500 aircraft, while a Certified Pre-Owned Challenger 605 aircraft also made an appearance.

The most recent iteration of the Challenger family offers a real-world entryway to Bombardier’s eco-design philosophy. The Challenger 3500 aircraft has a high-end product design in the cabin, with a selection of innovative, sustainable materials that minimise environmental impact. The Challenger 3500 joins the Global 5500, Global 6500, and Global 7500 aircraft as the only business jets in the industry to carry an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), providing reliable, comprehensive, and transparent views of their environmental footprint.

“European customers will be able to feel for themselves the high quality that is standard for our aircraft – such as in experiencing Bombardier’s illustrious Nuage seat – all while finding unique design options that are genuinely more sustainable. We are very proud to open the door of the Challenger 3500 aircraft to our European customers for the very first time. This top-of-the-line aircraft demonstrates that exceptional comfort, ultimate performance and lower environmental footprint can go hand in hand.’’

Jean-Christopher Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Bombardier Defense, Bombardier

The aircraft interior features a slew of innovative technologies, including Iridium Certus connectivity, the industry’s first voice-controlled cabin, wireless chargers throughout the cabin, and the only 24-inch, 4K monitors in its class. The Challenger 3500 aircraft has garnered numerous awards for its outstanding interior experience, including Best of the Best at the renowned Red Dot Awards for Product Design in 2022.

The Challenger 3500 aircraft includes more standard amenities in the flight deck than any of its competitors, including a standard auto-throttle system to enhance the experience for Challenger pilots. The introduction of the first eco app* solution in business aviation also enables optimised flight plans, which help operators save fuel and decrease the environmental footprint of the aircraft.

Aside from its remarkable features, the Challenger family’s hallmark is reliability. With over 890 Challenger 300 series business jets in service around the world, totalling more than 3.6 million flying hours and 2.1 million landings, this renowned aircraft family is known for its reliable performance and exceptional safety record.

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Bombardier’s Certified Pre-Owned Aircraft Program Showcases Pristine Challenger 605 Aircraft at EBACE 2023

Bombardier presented its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) aircraft program at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), showcasing a pristine Challenger 605 aircraft. This offering makes Bombardier the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to launch a business jet refurbishment and upgrade service. The program focuses on pre-owned Learjet, Challenger, and Global aircraft that undergo a comprehensive selection process. The chosen aircraft are then meticulously inspected and updated with refurbished interiors, fresh paint, upgraded avionics, and cutting-edge connectivity systems. Throughout this process, Bombardier ensures that the highest quality and safety standards are upheld.

The striking Challenger 605 jet showcased at EBACE exemplifies the qualities of the CPO program with a pristine new interior and paint, state-of-the-art Collins Pro Line 21 advanced avionics in the cockpit, and industry-leading cost-per-flight-hour Smart Parts Preferred and Smart Link Plus connected aircraft programs. Additionally, it is equipped with Ka-Band cabin connectivity. Customers are becoming increasingly interested in Bombardier’s CPO programme. An average of 460 used Bombardier aircraft have been sold annually over the last five years, creating a considerable pool of aircraft to be included in the programme.

“Bombardier customers wanted a certified option beyond the traditional pre-owned aircraft offering and our new CPO program certainly delivers on this premise. As the OEM, we are uniquely positioned to provide them with a best-in-class, turn-key certified aircraft solution – a new and exciting category in the industry.”

Paul Sislian, Executive Vice President, Bombardier Aftermarket Services and Strategy

Bombardier’s Certified Pre-Owned aircraft are completely mission-capable upon delivery, with airframe, engine, and APU programme coverage, a unique one-year OEM warranty*, and all relevant maintenance done. All CPO products include a Level 3 pre-purchase examination and are done at Bombardier locations worldwide. Customers obtain turnkey solutions under Bombardier’s Smart Services coverage programmes, which are similar to the programme available to new aircraft buyers. Coverage programmes for Smart Services are available for Learjet, Challenger, and Global aircraft.

To ensure interested CPO customers have the latest pre-owned information at their fingertips, Bombardier has also created a dedicated pre-owned inventory web page with well-documented spec sheets describing in detail all the modifications, upgrades and maintenance completed on its CPO aircraft. It also produces a comprehensive Bombardier Pre-owned Market Report, highlighting the latest transaction trends, pre-owned inventory saturation levels and market commentaries for all pre-owned Bombardier aircraft.

Bombardier’s Certified Pre-Owned aircraft program is now fully recognized by appraisal authorities such as Aircraft Bluebook, Vref, and AircraftPost, who now report CPO aircraft in a distinct category from other pre-owned aircraft.

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Bombardier Defense and General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada Are Collaborating to Deliver Canada’s Multi-Mission Aircraft

Bombardier Defence and General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada are collaborating together to create the next-generation Multi-Mission and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft that will meet the Government of Canada’s requirements for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) programme. Both long-standing Canadian-based companies are leveraging their considerable networks to position themselves for success in a competitive, open, and transparent procurement process, and are teaming up as Canada’s Multi-Mission Aircraft Team.

Bombardier Defence stands out among special mission aircraft providers due to its extensive and highly successful track record of delivering several specialised aircraft around the world. Bombardier’s products have shown to be reliable and completely interoperable platforms in a variety of projects for some of the world’s largest defence contractors and governments worldwide, including the United States, Germany, and others.

The highly efficient and agile Global 6500 aircraft serves as the foundation for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft Team’s solution, as it is the right-sized jet for the CMMA, with next-generation engines, long range, high endurance, and proven reliability and better fuel efficiency, as documented in the jet’s recently published Environmental Product Declaration. Given its ability to deploy in all weather conditions with full mission payload, its ultimate mix of speed, range, and endurance, and its 24/7 worldwide support infrastructure, the Global family of aircraft is the platform of choice for over ten different mission types around the world.

The aircraft will be outfitted with General Dynamics’ best-in-class integrated mission systems, leveraging Canada’s investment in the recently modernised CP140 Block IV and CH-148 Cyclone. This operationally-proven Canadian design serves as the foundation for the incremental and low-risk integration of modernised sensors and systems, allowing Canada to leapfrog both peers and adversaries. This future-proof basis will also assure continuous operational relevance, allowing Canada to respond to emerging demands until the middle of the century.

“Canadians deserve a leading-edge fleet for their Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft program. Bombardier is eager to take on this opportunity to deliver a state-of-the-art platform.  This is a generational opportunity for a Canadian company to leverage its Made-In-Canada Global 6500 aircraft, renowned for their outstanding performance and customized mission enhancers for each client. Having Bombardier work on CMMA is the right choice from an aircraft performance standpoint, and also, an opportunity for Canada to foster innovation, bolster its capabilities and support talent across Canada’s aerospace industry from coast to coast to coast.”

Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive Vice-President, Aircraft Sales and Bombardier Defense

”For decades, General Dynamics has been proud to provide solutions to Canada’s defense requirements. This new partnership unlocks a generational opportunity to couple our leading edge, trusted mission systems to ultimately provide a made-in-Canada solution that supports Canada’s multi-mission airborne needs into the future, while creating a readily exportable capability that will benefit Canada in so many other ways.”

Joel Houde, Vice President and General Manager, General Dynamics Mission Systems–International

This platform, which brings together the unrivalled experience of both organisations, provides the very latest in airborne mission management technology while maintaining Canada’s continued leadership in the ASW and ISR sectors. 

With Canada’s largest business jet manufacturer and one of the country’s largest defence contractors collaborating to deliver a Canadian Multi-Mission aircraft, the Pan-Canadian aerospace ecosystem will benefit significantly, including the creation of high-quality jobs and numerous opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), scientific communities, and educational institutions across the country. Cross decking of existing mission system capabilities onto a high-performance, modern Global 6500 aircraft, which represents a low-risk, evolutionary strategy to meeting Canada’s multi-purpose aircraft needs, with competitive purchase and much lower operational costs.

General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada provides support to the Government of Canada (GoC) on a variety of programmes, including the CP140 Aurora Incremental Modernization Project (AIMP). This modernisation, together with the earlier Aurora Structural Life Extension Project (ASLEP), will retain the CP140 Aurora at the forefront of ASW capabilities and extend the CP140 Aurora’s operating life into the 2030s. The Department of National Defence prudently developed the published CMMA procurement time frame to allow the Government of Canada to fully engage with industry to explore solutions to satisfy Canada’s multi-mission aircraft demands and to have ample time to evaluate options.

A prominent example is the Canadian-based platform developed by Bombardier Defence and General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, which provides world-leading capabilities in ASW, ISR, and operational efficiencies by leveraging the Global 6500 aircraft.

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Photo credits: Bombardier