Bombardier Challenger 600 (series)

Twin-Engined Business Jet

Canada | 1980

"Over 1,000 Challenger 600 series business jets have been produced to date by the Canadian aerospace company Bombardier."

Image from official Bombardier marketing materials; Challenger 650 pictured.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/12/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Challenger 600 is a Cold War-era twin-jet / BizJet designed, developed, and manufactured by Bombardier of Canada. The aircraft's first-flight was recorded on November 8th, 1878 and serial production has been active since 1980. Over 1,000 airframes have been delivered and the line has been evolved into the CRJ100/200 and Global Express series. The original aircraft is based in a Bill Lear design taken up by Canadair for the bizjet market until taken over by Bombardier.

The aircraft sees the twin engine configuration seat the powerplants on wingstubs aft of midships to concentrate power and reduce noise. The operating crew of two are seated side-by-side in the cockpit aft of a sharp, downward-sloping nosecone assembly. The mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage and are swept rearwards and capped by winglets for fuel economy. The tail unit encompasses a single vertical fin with high-mounted horizontal planes (also rearward swept) in the conventional Multhopp "T-style" tailplane arrangement. Ground running is accomplished through a traditional tricycle (retractable) configuration.

The series have seen its share of production variants emerge: the original form was the CL-600 equipped with 2 x Lycoming ALF 502L turbofan engines of 7,500lb thrust each. Production of this mark ran until 1982. The CL-600S introduced the winglets common to the series since. The CC-144 served the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1982 onwards and the CE-144 marked its Electronic Warfare (EW) guise. From these early forms arrived the Challenger 601 with various modifications and revisions including new winglets and additional internal fuel stores.

The CL-604 carried GE CF34-3B turbofan engines and served the Danish military as the CL-504 MMA (Multi-Mission Aircraft). The C-143A was utilized by the USCG beginning in 2005 for over-water work. The CL-605 followed in 2006 and given a new tailcone, updated avionics, and revised cabin windows. The Challenger 650 took to the air for the first time in 2015 and certification followed soon after. This model includes an all-new interior with updated avionics and uprated power specs. The Model 650 has an MTOW of 48,200lb, and is powered by a pair of GE CF34-3B engines of 9,220lb thrust each, propelled the jet to speeds of March 0.85 out to a range of 4,600 miles. Its service ceiling is listed at 41,000 feet.

The series has gone on to be featured in both business and military roles with operators ranging from Algeria and Australia to the UAE and the USA, such is its versatility and reliability under varying operating environments and roles.

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June 2020 - The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is planning to purchase two Challenger 650 aircraft.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Challenger 600 Twin-Engined Business Jet.

2 x General Electric CF34-3B non-afterburning turbofan engines developing 9,220lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

565 mph
910 kph | 491 kts
Max Speed

41,010 ft
12,500 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

4,604 miles
7,410 km | 4,001 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Challenger 600 Twin-Engined Business Jet.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

68.6 ft
20.90 m
O/A Length

64.0 ft
(19.50 m)
O/A Width

20.7 ft
(6.30 m)
O/A Height

27,150 lb
(12,315 kg)
Empty Weight

48,281 lb
(21,900 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Bombardier Challenger 600 (series) family line.

CL-600 - Base Series Designation; original production model.

CL-600S

CC-144

CE-144

CX-144

CL-601

CL-601-1A

CL-601-1A/ER

CL-601-3A

CL-601-3A/ER

CL-601-3R

CL-601S - Fitted with General Electric CF34-3A2 turbofan engines.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Bombardier Challenger 600 (series). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1,066 Units
Contractor(s): Bombardier Aerospace - Canada

National flag of the United Arab Emirates

[ Australia; Canada; China; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Germany; Hong Kong; Jordan; Malaysia; Pakistan; Qatar; South Korea; Switzerland; Thailand; Turkmenistan; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States ]

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Image of the Bombardier Challenger 600 (series)

Image from official Bombardier marketing materials; Challenger 650 pictured.

Going Further...
The Bombardier Challenger 600 (series) Twin-Engined Business Jet appears in the following collections:

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