Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008 - (Page 52)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Embraer’s Fast Becoming a Bizav Powerhouse Embraer marched further toward its goal of capturing up to 25% of the business jet market with the unveiling two months ago of the names and prices of its two latest models, known until now as the Midlight Jet (MLJ) and the Midsize Jet (MSJ). The MSJ now will be known as the Legacy 450, and the MSJ as the Legacy 500, with introductory pricing of $15.25 million and $18.4 million, respectively. The model numbers fit between Embraer’s Phenom 300 light jet and large-cabin Legacy 600. Asked why these particular numbers were chosen instead, for example, 400 and 550, Embraer’s evp for executive aircraft Luís Carlos Affonso replied, “Yes, there are gaps there. At the moment I cannot say anything about those, but there are spaces.” Embraer has taken at least 100 letters of interest for the new models, whose prices will likely rise in the not too distant future. “The fact the prices are introductory sug- Embraer’s Phenom 300 business jet made its first flight on April 29 at Gavião Peixoto, Brazil. gests they will probably go up,” Affonso said. Embraer is developing no fewer than five business jets, spanning the spectrum from the Phenom 100 vlj to the ultra-large cabin, E-190 airliner-based Lineage 1000. Four Phenom 100s are in flight test, the first Phenom 300 has flown, the 450 and 500 have been launched, and the first Lineage 1000 should be delivered later this year. “In 2005 we said we would make this business important for our growth and diversification,” said Affonso. “To be a big player is what we meant, and we are putting our money where our mouth is.” —Louis Carlos Affonso, evp for executive aircraft, Embraer Embraer evp Luís Carlos Affonso is at the controls. The Legacy 500, formerly known as the Midsize Jet, is priced at $18.4 million. The Brazilian company is investing well over $1 billion in its determination to be a major player in business aviation. Its spending includes: • $235 million to develop the Phenom 100 and 300; • $750 million to develop the Legacy 450 and 500; • $100 million on customer support facilities worldwide to be ready for the Phenom 100’s entry into service later this year; • $51 million to build a customer center and assembly plant in Melbourne, Florida. “In 2005 we said we would make this business important for our growth and diversification,” said Affonso. “To be a big player is what we meant, and we are putting our money where our mouth is.” Affonso said Embraer intends to have a continuous flow of new products. “This year the Lineage 1000 will be finished, as well as the Phenom 100. And next year we will be finishing the current developments (the Phenom 300) before starting the new Legacies. So 2008 and 2009 are very important years. We will phase the programs with one very strong advantage of having 4,500 engineers” who will flow from one program to the next. Orders for the Phenom 100 and 300 now stand at more than 750 aircraft, Affonso said, and more than 20 Lineage 1000s have been sold. Demand for the Lineage is greater than Embraer had expected: it originally intended to produce three to four a year, but now is looking at up to six per year to prevent the backlogs extending too far into the future. —John Morris 52 July 16, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008

Bombardier, Shenyang $5 Billion for Composites 787 and Seven V-22s for Export Sale? Saving Fuel at SFO Raytheon Roars Into UAVs Bell Eyes ARH-70A Costs All According to Plan We Fly the PC-12NG Russia’s T-50 PAK-FA Optimistic in Israel ICAO Sim Classifications Pratt to Power New Drone Russian Conglomerate

Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008

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