The New Ultra Long Range Jets: Gulfstream G700 and G800, Global 8000, and Falcon 10X Compared

For decades, the ultimate measure of a private jet was simple. How far can it fly without stopping. In the last few years that race has produced a new class of aircraft that can cross the planet in a single leap, and the competition at the very top has narrowed to a handful of names. Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Dassault each build a flagship designed to fly farther, faster, or in greater comfort than anything before it. Here is how the four aircraft defining the category compare.

Gulfstream G800

Gulfstream calls the G800 the world's longest range business aircraft, and the numbers support it. The G800 flies up to 8,200 nautical miles at Mach 0.85, enough to link almost any two cities on earth nonstop, and it can push to a maximum of Mach 0.935. Power comes from Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, and the cabin offers up to four living areas lit by sixteen of Gulfstream's Panoramic Oval Windows, the largest in business aviation. It is the range leader of the group.

Gulfstream G700

If the G800 is built for distance, the G700 is built for space. Gulfstream's flagship offers the most spacious cabin in the industry, with up to five living areas, an ultragalley, and a grand suite that can include a stand up shower. Twenty Panoramic Oval Windows fill it with light. The G700 flies up to 7,750 nautical miles and shares the G800's maximum speed of Mach 0.935, and it has already set more than fifty world speed records. For travelers who value cabin comfort above outright range, it is the benchmark.

Bombardier Global 8000

Bombardier's answer is the fastest of them all. The Global 8000 has a top speed of Mach 0.95, which Bombardier notes makes it the fastest business jet ever built and the fastest civil aircraft since Concorde. It pairs that speed with a range of 8,000 nautical miles and four true living spaces, so it gives up almost nothing in distance or comfort. It also claims the industry's lowest cabin altitude, just 2,691 feet while cruising at 41,000 feet, a figure that translates directly into less fatigue on long flights. Its Smooth Flĕx Wing lets it use thousands of airports that rivals cannot reach.

Dassault Falcon 10X

The challenger still to arrive is Dassault's Falcon 10X, which remains in development. Dassault is building it around the largest cabin of any purpose built business jet, a full nine feet one inch wide and six feet eight inches tall, wider and taller than anything flying today. The 10X is designed for a range of 7,500 nautical miles and a maximum speed of Mach 0.925, powered by the new Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engine and flown through a NeXus flight deck with all touchscreen displays. When it enters service it will give Gulfstream and Bombardier their most serious cabin rival in years.

How They Compare

Which One Wins

There is no single answer, because each aircraft leads in a different way. For pure range, the Gulfstream G800 flies farthest. For speed, the Bombardier Global 8000 is untouchable. For the largest and most flexible cabin available today, the Gulfstream G700 sets the standard. And for sheer cabin width, the forthcoming Dassault Falcon 10X will lead once it arrives. The truth is that at this level the differences are measured in minutes and inches, and any of the four can carry a traveler across the world in a single, extraordinary flight.