The 200th Gulfstream G200 was rolled out last week at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) manufacturing plant at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel.
IAI executives and Gulfstream CEO Joe Lombardo and senior VP finance and planning Dan Clare attended the ceremony.
IAI and Gulfstream, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, have been collaborating for seven years, ever since IAI sold the manufacturing licenses for its Astra SPX Galaxy executive jet to the company. These formed the basis for the Gulfstream G100and G150 executive jets and later for the larger G200 jet.
IAI manufactures the planes and delivers them in unfinished, or "green", condition. The “green” business jet is later moved 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.” 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.
