Gulfstream G700 Raises the Bar for Ultra-long-range Bizjets

With its March 2024 FAA certification, the Gulfstream G700 now joins the upper-echelon of the ultra-long-range business jet category alongside the Bombardier Global 7500, which has been in service since 2018. Still, there is a healthy backlog for the G700—a prospective owner placing an order today would have to wait until 2026 to take delivery.

The $81 million G700 is now Gulfstream’s flagship—its longest-range model with the largest cabin—and offers strong competition to the Global 7500 and the upcoming Global 8000, the latter of which pushes the envelope on speed (Mach 0.94 versus the G700's Mach 0.935 and Global 7500's Mach 0.925) and range to 8,000 nm. For the time being, the G700 narrowly holds the range crown at 7,750 nm, which is 50 nm more than the Global 7500 can fly nonstop (both carrying eight passengers and four crew). The G700's smaller sibling—the G800, and slated for service entry in late 2024—also will be able to fly 8,000 nm.

In reality, both manufacturers cite these as “theoretical” range numbers because they depend so much on conditions that can vary considerably from flight to flight. And the difference between 7,700 and 7,750 nm is almost negligible; the same is true of the difference between Mach 0.935 and 0.925—or even 0.94).

What makes the G700 a timely entrant into this market is where it fits in Gulfstream’s family. This will soon include the G800, which, while it will offers 250 nm more range, has a fuselage that is 10 feet shorter than the G700—the same size as the G650 from which the G700 and G800 are derived.

“The two newest models bring to market and build upon a product strategy that we began to develop over a decade ago when we envisioned a new family that would offer a level of commonality the industry had never seen before,” said Gulfstream senior v-p of worldwide sales Scott Neal. 

Gulfstream's line-up of large-cabin jets consists of the in-production G500, G600, and G700, and they will be bookended by the the in-development G400 and G800. “These airplanes all have a common Honeywell cockpit, fly-by-wire with active control sidesticks, which is a first for our industry," Neal noted. "The other thing that makes these very attractive in this fleet is that we now have a Gulfstream that can fulfill any customer mission. You can tailor to the mission you want to carry out in your flight operations and travel and don’t have to fit the mission to the airplane.”

From a practical standpoint, there are operational benefits to having common cockpit designs in the Gulfstream family. The G400, G500, and G600 can all be flown by pilots trained on and holding the single type rating that applies to those models. (A pilot type rating, which is required for most jet aircraft, entails model-specfic crew training, testing, and certification.)

The G700 and G800 will also have a separate common type rating, but Gulfstream expects that pilots switching from the G400 through G600 to the G700 or G800 will need just a brief differences training course, not a full multiweek-type rating training event. “This is going to allow customers to have a fleet of aircraft that the entire flight operations team can go back and forth on,” Neal explained.

To clarify the differences between these models, the G700 and G800 have the largest cabins, with a height of 6 feet 3 inches and width of 8 feet 2 inches. The G700 is the longest, with an interior length of 56 feet 11 inches, while the G800 is about 10 feet shorter at 46 feet 10 inches. The G400/500/600 also share a common cross-section that is 6 feet 2 inches high and 7 feet wide. 

Cabin Comforts

The G700’s five-zone cabin elevates comfort features for passengers, not only with the larger cross-section but with the lowest cabin altitude of any business jet at 2,840 feet at 41,000 feet (also the G700's initial climb altitude). At the maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, cabin altitude in the G700 is 4,850 feet, an improvement over the Global 7500’s 5,680-foot cabin altitude at 51,000 feet. 

Gulfstream designed new seats for the G700 to be “the most comfortable for long-range flights,” Neal said. “We looked at 40 to 50 iterations of this seat and employed a lot of lessons from the G500/G600 and G650 programs.” Buyers can opt for electric control of the recline, footrest, and tracking functions, as well as heating and massaging features. There are few limits to customization of the seats, from a “sport” version to personal fitting to the customer along with fine-tuning of upholstery and other characteristics.

Also new for the G700 is a larger side ledge that is 7 inches wider than in the G500/G600, with more space for personal items. Controls for lighting, temperature, audio/visual, and window shades are located at each seat, as well as on the overhead passenger service units. “The passenger/cabin interface is probably the best we’ve every designed,” he said. All cabin controls are also available on Gulfstream’s cabin control app, available in iOS and Android versions. USB-A and -C charging ports are available both in the side ledge and outboard of each seat. 

A 10-foot-long “ultragalley” in the G700 supports long-range missions carrying a full load of passengers, and this configuration can seat up to 19 passengers with sleeping accommodations for nine in a four-zone cabin. Opposite the galley is what Neal said is the “largest crew-rest area of a business aircraft,” with three optional layouts. A bunkbed option is in development. Four of the G700’s 20 large oval windows channel natural light into the galley and crew rest area. The crew rest area can be fitted with a bulkhead and door for maximum privacy or a curtain, which can be opened when the area is unoccupied to allow more light into the galley area.

Another typical layout for a four-zone cabin would seat 13 passengers, with sleeping room for eight. With five living areas, a smaller forward galley would allow for up to 18 passengers and sleeping for nine people. 

A new LED lighting system is “infinitely configurable,” Neal said, “throughout the cabin or in each zone. You can mimic outside conditions. If you’re on a long flight and want to program the lighting to wake you up as if it’s sunrise, you have the ability to program the lighting to come up slowly over time. It really helps with your circadian rhythm as you’re traveling around the globe.”

Performance Plus

Gulfstream adopts a conservative approach, erring on the side of leaving some room for improvement as flight testing substantiates performance. “It’s our general approach to design,” Neal explained. “We have a long history of designing ample margins into our aircraft. The new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines that power the G700 have the capability to help us pressurize the cabin to the lower cabin altitude. It’s Gulfstream’s approach to incorporating margin into design to continue to improve the passenger experience.”

Not only did Gulfstream reveal the lower cabin altitude prior to certification, but it also was able to boost range by 250 nm from earlier estimates. Neal attributes this to “the aerodynamically efficient design and the all-new winglet we designed specifically for the G700/G800, which makes the wing much more efficient, and the Pearl 700 delivering better performance than we anticipated. Plus being able to deliver an aircraft that meets our weight targets helps us deliver better range.” 

Those factors also enabled competitive takeoff and landing performance, with Gulfstream’s clean-wing design, which doesn’t employ mechanically complex leading-edge slats and extra-large trailing edge flaps that some aircraft employ to lower runway requirements.

There isn’t a huge difference between the G700 and Global 7500 in terms of cabin space, performance, and equipment, and deciding between one or the other might have more to do with availability, factory support, and brand preference, as well as factors such as the true price, operating costs, pilot preference—and the feel of the cabin during a demo flight to illustrate the jet’s performance and capabilities.

Most modern business jets have fly-by-wire flight controls, and while it might not be apparent to passengers, pilots appreciate the expanded flight deck space afforded by sidestick controls that replace bulky yokes, not to mention the added safety of these systems. The G400 through G800 models all share the same fly-by-wire flight control system using active sidesticks, which move in concert—just like yokes connected to cables or rods. Gulfstream is the first civil jet manufacturer to incorporate active control sidesticks, starting with the G500/G600, and its engineers worked closely with sidestick manufacturer BAE Systems during development. “We [made] the additional investments to certify and bring to market the new technology in the active control sidesticks,” Neal explained.

Pilots also like the modern Gulfstreams’ Symmetry avionics suite, a Honeywell system with multiple touchscreens that make operating such a complex airplane much simpler. More recently, Gulfstream has added a combined vision system on the pilot’s head-up-display, which overlays a database-driven synthetic view of the outside world with infrared imagery so pilots can “see” through weather and other obscuring phenomena to land when most aircraft would have to divert to another airport.

G700 At a Glance

Price: $81 million (2026 price)

Passengers: 8-19

Crew: 2-4

Maximum speed: Mach 0.935 

Range*: 7,750 nm

Maximum altitude: 51,000 feet

Takeoff distance: 5,995 feet

Maximum takeoff weight: 107,600 pounds

Cabin Volume: 2,603 cu ft

Length: 63 ft 8 in

Width: 8 ft 2 in

Height: 6 ft 3 in

Baggage space: 195 cu ft

*8 passengers, 4 crew, NBAA IFR range