With a five-living-area cabin that includes 20 large windows, as well as a guaranteed range of 7,500 nm, it’s no surprise that Gulfstream Aerospace's new G700 flagship attracted a Middle East operator as its launch customer. Qatar Executive, the executive charter arm of Qatar Airways, is taking 10 G700s worth $750 million at list price, with deliveries to start immediately after aircraft certification in 2022.

“We already see robust interest in the G700 from the Middle East,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Gulfstream (Stand 1364, Chalet A17/18). “Like operators around the world, those in the Middle East appreciate the G700’s performance, comfort, and technology. The new industry flagship gives them all of that in the industry’s most spacious cabin, so customers can meet their business needs around the world while enjoying the same lifestyle they have on the ground.”

Gulfstream’s fly-by-wire G700 is a 10-foot stretch derivative of the G650, with which it also shares the same nose, fuselage cross-section, and wing. It also borrows the G500/600’s Symmetry flight deck, including the active-control sidesticks, while adding a redesigned tail with lower height for easier hangar access, swoopy winglets, and new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines. Because of the similar flight deck, the G700 will share a common pilot type rating with the G500/600.

But it’s the cabin that sets this aircraft apart from its siblings. “This will be the largest airplane we’ve ever built,” Gulfstream president Mark Burns told AIN. “It will have the widest, tallest, and longest cabin in the industry. The G650 set the bar…[and] the G700 is another game-changer.”

A cabin mockup displayed last month at the NBAA-BACE show highlighted its space, comfort, and luxury. Plenty of light permeated the mockup, thanks to the score of large oval windows in the daytime and high-definition LED lighting at night.

The mockup’s first section included a forward lavatory; storage area; three-person divan (instead of an optional crew rest area); and an “ultra-large” galley complete with a 10-foot countertop, refrigerator, microwave, conventional oven, and plenty of storage space.

Its second section offered club-four seating with all-new, fully articulating and berthable seats—available in a number of fabrics, finishes, and firmness levels for improved comfort and aesthetics. The third zone featured an entertainment area with a three-seat divan, pop-up 40-inch 4K flat-screen TV, and immersive 3D sound system. For dining, the fourth section was configured in a club-six layout with a quick-deploy table that spans the entire cross-section.

The aft section contained a master bedroom with a full-size bed and dresser, in addition to an en suite lavatory with a toilet and vanity opposite a floor-to-ceiling storage closet. Aft lavatory options not shown on the mockup include a larger vanity with opposite toilet, as well as a shower. A rear door in the aft lavatory allows in-flight entry to the 195-cu-ft baggage compartment, which can hold up to 2,500 pounds.

At the front end, the G700 features Gulfstream’s touchscreen Symmetry flight deck driven by Honeywell Primus Epic avionics and BAE-developed active-control sidesticks that simulate mechanical linkage to prevent simultaneous pilot input.

Standard avionics include dual head-up displays and EVS III enhanced-vision and synthetic-vision systems, giving it full enhanced flight vision system (EFVS)-to-land capability. It also comes with 3-D Taxi, Honeywell RDR-4000 3D weather radar that provides predictive hazard warnings for lightning and hail, and a predictive landing system that aims to prevent runway overruns.

Power for the G700 comes from two 18,250-pound-thrust Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 turbofans. Compared with the Rolls-Royce BR725 on the G650/650ER, the new model provides 8 percent more thrust while burning 3.5 percent less fuel, in addition to weighing less. It will also meet or exceed Stage 5 noise standards.

According to Gulfstream, the G700 will have a maximum takeoff weight of 107,600 pounds and a maximum fuel load of 49,400 pounds. Balanced field length at mtow is 6,250 feet, while the landing distance is 2,500 feet.

Maximum range is “conservatively” 7,500 nm at a normal cruise speed of Mach 0.85 or 6,400 nm at Mach 0.90 high-speed cruise. Like the G650/650ER and G500/600, the G700 has a maximum speed of Mach 0.925. At Mach 0.87, the G700 will be able to fly nonstop from Dubai to New York City, São Paulo, or Sydney, Australia.

The two first-test aircraft (T1 and T2) have already rolled off the company's G650 production line in Savannah and are undergoing ground tests before a planned first flight next month. Service entry of the G700 is expected to follow in 2022. In total, Gulfstream has already racked up more than $2 billion in orders for the G700.