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.
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June 2020 - The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is planning to purchase two Challenger 650 aircraft.
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
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
BIZJET
Used in roles serving the business aviation market, primarily VIP and regional travel.
VIP SERVICE
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.
Length
68.6 ft (20.90 m)
Width/Span
64.0 ft (19.50 m)
Height
20.7 ft (6.30 m)
Empty Wgt
27,150 lb (12,315 kg)
MTOW
48,281 lb (21,900 kg)
Wgt Diff
+21,131 lb (+9,585 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Challenger 600 production variant)
Installed:
2 x General Electric CF34-3B non-afterburning turbofan engines developing 9,220lb of thrust each.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Challenger 600 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
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.
Images Gallery
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Image from official Bombardier marketing materials; Challenger 650 pictured.
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