IAI Rolls Out Gulfstream’s G150

Gulfstream Aerospace on Jan. 18 rolled out the first copy of its G150 business jet from the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) manufacturing facility in Tel Aviv, Israel. Attending the ceremony were certifying authorities, supplier representatives and members of the G150’s development team. First announced in September 2002, the G150 remains on schedule for customer deliveries in the third quarter of 2006. As successive copies of the G150 are built and certified by both the FAA and the Israel Civil Aviation Authority, examples will be flown to Gulfstream’s Dallas facility for the final phase of its manufacturing. “Our Gulfstream team in Israel has done an excellent job managing the design and build of the first G150,” said Bryan Moss, president of Gulfstream. “They’ve sacrificed time away from their families to ensure this project is on budget and on schedule.” Moshe Keret, president and chief executive officer of Israel Aircraft Industries, added, “Once again, we have proven [IAI’s] technological capabilities, both in engineering and in manufacturing in this exclusive branch of our industry.” The G150 is an entirely new cabin design for Gulfstream, with a cabin height three inches shorter than the company’s large-cabin G450 and G550 series aircraft. The G150 can accommodate six to eight passengers in a choice of several cabin configurations and is powered by two Honeywell 731-40AR engines. The G150’s planned top speed is Mach .85, with a ceiling of FL450. At its long-range cruise speed of Mach .75, the G150 should fly four passengers nonstop up to 2700 nautical miles, the equivalent of Los Angeles to New York, London to Moscow, or Rio de Janeiro to Santiago. Gulfstream has developed a full-size replica of the G150 cabin and cockpit to take on the road to cities throughout the United States.