SAVANNAH, Ga., June 4, 2008 – The 200th Gulfstream G200 was rolled out today at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) manufacturing plant at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel. The “green” business jet now moves to the Gulfstream Center of Excellence completion facility for mid-cabin business aircraft in Dallas, Texas, where it will be outfitted and painted.
“This is a historic moment for Gulfstream and IAI,” said Joe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream Aerospace. “Manufacturing 200 aircraft of a single model is a significant accomplishment. In addition to highlighting the hard work of IAI employees, this milestone spotlights the G200’s superior performance as well as its popularity in the business-aviation industry.”
“The strong partnership between Gulfstream and IAI over the past seven years has resulted in excellent mid-cabin business jets being made available to international operators from the perspective of safety, reliability, quality and price competitiveness,” said Itzhak Nissan, president and chief executive officer, Israel Aerospace Industries. “We rejoice with our colleagues at Gulfstream in reaching this major milestone in the G200 program.”
The G200 was introduced in 1997 and was the first true super mid-size business jet to enter the marketplace. The aircraft received its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certificate in December 1998 and entered service in January 2000.
The G200 joined the Gulfstream fleet in June 2001. Since then, Gulfstream has made significant improvements to the aircraft. Within the first year, the company redesigned the business jet’s interior, reducing the aircraft’s weight by some 450 pounds. It installed a sound-proofing package that sliced cabin sound levels three to five decibels. Gulfstream revamped the aircraft’s scheduled maintenance program, decreasing the number of required scheduled tasks while retaining the highest level of safety standards as defined by Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).
The G200 has proven performance and the lowest operating costs in its class. Its 12-month dispatch reliability rate of 99.77 percent matches those of larger aircraft in the Gulfstream fleet. The aircraft continued to demonstrate its performance earlier this year when it set seven city-pair records in just 10 days. Those records join 11 others the G200 has set since 2001.
The G200 cockpit features Rockwell Collins avionics. In addition to the Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System (EICAS), the flight deck features an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), which provides critical electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems information at a glance. For efficiency and safety, the G200 also includes the Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) with windshear warning, and the optional Safe Flight Instrument Corporation’s Enhanced Autopower® Automatic Throttle System (ATS).
To date, some 180 G200s are in service around the world. The G200 is certified for operation in 37 countries, including the United States, China, Hong Kong, Canada and the European Union. The fleet had recorded approximately 296,000 flight hours by the end of the first quarter of this year.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced some 1,600 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350®; the large-cabin, long-range G450®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550® and the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650®. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 9,700 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our Web site for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 83,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 revenues of $27.2 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.
