Gulfstream G500 Completes First Flight Test

Gulfstream have successfully completed the first test flight of its G500 business jet.

The successful two-hour-and-16-minute maiden test flight from its Savannah, Ga. base landed at 12:55 p.m. local time, and is the result of close-on three years of testing and cabin selection and outfitting ahead of its. A Gulfstream spokeswoman said

The Gulfstream G500 business jet, fits between the G450 and the G550 in its current range; the G550 being the flagship largest cabin model Gulfstream offered for a number of years until the recent introduction of the G650.

The G500 is listed at $43.5 million USD, and is designed to carry up to 18 people and a planned range of 5,000 nautical miles.

First deliveries are planned for 2018, and the G600 model is expected to follow in 2019.

Gulfstream, a fully owned business of General Dynamics Corp. , unveiled the G500 in October after years of development.