Four new business aircraft in certification as industry gathers for NBAA-BACE

Four all-new business aircraft are in certification, according to an industry update published as the NBAA-BACE show opens: Dassault's ultra-long-range Falcon 10X, Gulfstream's super-midsize G300 and the larger G400, and Textron's single-engine Beechcraft Denali turboprop. The Honda Echelon light jet, the other significant new type in development, is now likely to begin flight testing in 2028.

Textron has been among the busiest manufacturers. Alongside the Denali, it has three Citation updates at various stages of certification: the M2 Gen3, CJ4 Gen3 and CJ4 Gen3. All three carry Garmin's emergency autoland technology. The CJ4 Gen3 also has a Garmin G3000 Prime cockpit.

Several variants have been certificated in the past 12 months, including the Daher TBM 980, Textron's Citation Ascend and CJ3 Gen2, and Embraer's Phenom 300EV, Praetor 500E and 600E. Each is a revision of an existing aircraft or family.

Dassault had been expected to close the gap with Bombardier and Gulfstream in the ultra-long-range, ultra-large-cabin segment when it rolled out the 10X in March. The aircraft flew for the first time in June. A month later the company announced a service-entry delay of up to two years from its previous target of the final quarter of 2027. Dassault began flying a second prototype in late September. It attributes the latest delay for the 7,500nm (13,900km) aircraft to a tougher regulatory environment following the Boeing Max crashes.

Gulfstream first flew the G400 in August 2024.