Bombardier refreshes Challenger 350 with new 3500 model, aims for certification next year

Bombardier has dropped the curtain on a cabin mock-up of a refreshed version of its Challenger 350 super-midsize business jet – a new variant called the Challenger 3500, for service entry in the second half of 2022. The company revealed the Challenger 3500 development programme on 14 September during an event at the jet’s production facility in Montreal. Bombardier is giving the Challenger a modern cabin – complete with features standard on larger-cabin aircraft like the manufacturer’s Globals. It is also making a few technical changes. Those include reducing the Challenger’s cabin-pressure altitude and equipping the jet with its first auto-throttle system. The 3500’s performance specifications remain unchanged from the 350, which entered service in 2014. The 3500 will be a 10-passenger jet powered by twin Honeywell HTF7350 engines, with 5,926km of range and top speed of March 0.83. The 3500 will cost $26.7m. “We are raising the bar on our competition with a refreshed product,” says Bombardier chief executive Eric Martel. Business jet manufacturers often promote the range and speed of their products. But, at the end of the day, a jet’s “cabin is the most important”, Martel insists.<br/>