From the Bombardier Challenger 3500, what might one expect?

Bombardier, based in Canada, continues to enhance and innovate its products and market offerings, as do all private jet builders. On September 14th, 2021, the firm presented its latest model, the Challenger 3500, at a company event in Montreal.

The aircraft will be the latest addition to the Challenger 300 series, although it will include various enhancements like as auto-throttle technology and a greatly redesigned cabin.

The aircraft’s new designation will bring the Challenger 3500 in line with the company’s current nomenclature, which has transitioned to four-digit names such as the Global 7500 and Global 8500.

According to Business Jet Traveller, Bombardier began delivering the next-generation aircraft in 2022, with new versions costing clients roughly $27 million, which is not much different than what buyers would have paid previously for a Challenger 350.

The Challenger 3500, like previous models, is a fairly conventional twin-engine business jet, with a transcontinental range and fewer passengers than the company’s flagship Bombardier Global Express family jets.

However, the aircraft has extraordinary mobility, as it can fly from shorter runways and operate in practically any environment. In this article, we will look in depth at the Bombardier Challenger 3500 and everything it has to offer.

A deeper look at the aircraft’s predecessors

To understand how game-changing the Challenger 3500 is for long-term Bombardier clients, consider the aircraft’s antecedents. The Challenger 300, created in the late 1990s, was intended to fill a capacity gap between the Learjet 60 and the bigger Challenger 604, focusing on a fast expanding super mid-size business jet market sector.

The jet was created from scratch, with important components supplied by Rockwell Collins for the cockpit avionics and AlliedSignal for the sophisticated turbofan engines. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries designed the jet’s wings, while Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation supplied the fuselage.

Bombardier presented the jet at the 1999 Paris Air Show, under the name Bombardier Continental. The plane was originally scheduled to be delivered to customers in 2002. However, production delays occurred, pushing the timeframe backward. The aircraft’s engines struggled to get certified.

The first prototype flew on August 14, 2001, and was quickly certified by Transport Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2003. The aircraft entered service shortly after and was well received by operators, who praised its roomy cabin and modern flight control systems.

Bombardier has already upgraded its Challenger 300 model once

The Challenger 350 was the second model of the Challenger 300 series to join the market, debuting in 2013. It improved on the previous model with canted winglets, a stronger wing, and newer Honeywell HTF7350 engines that gave higher efficiency and 7.3% more takeoff thrust.

These comprehensive enhancements significantly enhanced the jet’s payload capacity and range, allowing it to travel up to 3,200 nautical miles at Mach 0.8. The airplane has improved aerodynamics that lowered transonic drag.

The aircraft’s cabin was also more luxurious than previous models, with windows that were 20% taller. This aircraft’s avionics suite included a number of innovative features, including those that allowed it to land in practically any situation and operate in poor weather.

The aircraft’s maintenance schedule was also improved in contrast to its predecessor, with inspections required only every 600 hours.

The Challenger 350, which began service with launch customer NetJets in May 2014, rapidly became a commercial success. NetJets alone ordered 75 units, with an extra 125 options.

By 2018, the airline had already delivered 60 Challenger 350 series jets, capturing the majority of the market share in this new and more profitable super mid-size sector. By 2019, the firm had delivered more than 300 Challenger 350 aircraft. The jet is presently priced at more than $26 million.

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the manufacturer’s Challenger 350 model had begun to encounter competition from newer versions on the market. As a result, Bombardier chose to invest in the construction of a third-generation Challenger 300 series vehicle, which marks the beginning of the Challenger 3500 saga.

A deeper look at the Bombardier Challenger 3500 and its capabilities

The Bombardier Challenger 3500 was created with customers’ demands in mind, and it blends innovative technologies, great in-flight performance, and unrivaled cabin comfort. Since its introduction, the aircraft has received widespread appreciation from operators for its versatility and operating efficiency, and it is primarily aimed at clients that place a high value on aircraft reliability.

As previously said, one of the plane’s main selling points is its in-flight comfort, with one of the most modern cabins on the market today. The cabin design incorporates the company’s distinctive Nauge seat, which provides zero-gravity positioning, an industry first in private flight.

The interior is also the widest of any super-mid-sized jet available today, with continuous surfaces and a flat-floor design. The manufacturer is quick to emphasize the benefits of its luxurious cabin, stating it as follows on their website:

“Our Challenger 3500 aircraft features the most technologically advanced cabin in its class with productivity enhancing features such as the industry’s first voice-controlled cabin and a completely redesigned interior and Nuage seats for the ultimate combination of comfort, performance and reliability you can count on 365 days a year.”

The cabin is also the quietest of any aircraft of this size, providing passengers with a relaxing environment that allows for optimum productivity.

The cabin’s pressurization altitude is 4,850 feet, and fresh air is cycled every two minutes, resulting in a significantly healthier environment than any commercial airplane. The plane’s galley also includes ice drawers, wine cooler compartments, and coffee machines for passenger comfort.

Bombardier also emphasizes the significant use of technologically advanced technologies in the cabin to improve passenger comfort and in the cockpit to make it easier for pilots to fly.

Wireless charging and haptic touch technologies improve the passenger experience inside the cabin, while a 4K entertainment system with directional audio allows everyone on the plane to watch the same movie or TV show at the same time.

The cockpit features immersive Head-Up Displays (HUDs) and an Enhanced Vision System (EVS), which compliment an advanced avionics package and help make the aircraft one of the easiest and safest to fly.

The avionics suite includes synthetic vision systems, dual flight management systems, MultiScan weather radar, and others. These enhanced capabilities ensure that the aircraft meets navigation and flight safety standards for many years to come.

A deeper look at the Challenger 3500’s performance and other specifications

The Challenger 3500 contains some of Bombardier’s most outstanding engineering, and it is one of the most capable super-mid-sized jets to ever fly. With a top speed of Mach 0.83 and a potential operational range of approximately 3,400 nautical miles, the jet is suitable for both short and long-haul operations.

The plane has Honeywell HTF7350 engines that provide over 7,300 pounds of thrust and allow it to take off from runways that are far too short for typical aircraft of this size. The aircraft can take off safely from a runway of only 4,835 feet and land at an even shorter 2,364 feet, making it suitable for use at nearly any conventional airport.

The plane can also rise with astonishing efficiency, reaching 43,000 feet immediately after takeoff. The plane can also reach a maximum operational altitude of 45,000 feet.

The jet’s maximum payload of 3,400 pounds allows all ten passengers to fully occupy the cabin and have a full baggage compartment without severely compromising range, which is not true for many of the aircraft’s primary competitors.

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