'Bombardier Aerospace' is a division of the
Bombardier group, with the third largest workforce (behind
Boeing and
Airbus) and the fourth largest in yearly delivery of commercial airplanes (behind
Boeing,
Airbus and
Embraer).
History
The aerospace division was launched with the acquisition of
Canadair, at the time owned by the
Government of Canada and a company that had recorded the then largest loss in history of any Canadian corporation. Politically, the Federal Government could not allow the
Montreal, Quebec based company to close, and any hints that it might do so were met with media stories of the Government's
Avro Arrow disaster.
Quebec separatists have long complained that Federal Government does nothing for Quebec. The loss of many desirable highly paid jobs at Canadair would have strengthened their complaint.
After acquiring Canadair in
1986 and restoring it to profitability, Bombardier acquired the money-losing
Boeing subsidiary,
de Havilland Aircraft of Canada based in
Toronto, Ontario. A few years later in
1989, Bombardier, by then experts at buying companies cheaply and turning them around, acquired the near-bankrupt
Short Brothers aircraft manufacturing company in
Belfast,
Northern Ireland. Shortly thereafter, in
1990 Bombardier acquired the bankrupt Learjet Company of
Wichita, Kansas, builder of the world-famous
Learjet business aircraft.
Aircraft
Bombardier builds business jets, short-range
airliners and fire-fighting amphibious aircraft and also provides defence-related services. Some of their aircraft designs originated in the design departments of Canadair or de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. The company has been adept at developing quiet
turboprop airliners capable of using urban airports with relatively short
runways and steep glide slopes.
Current models include the
Learjet family of aircraft, the
Challenger 300, Challenger 605, Global 5000,
Global Express,
Dash 8 (now known as the Q series) and the
CRJ series. The Learjets are light to mid-size business jets. The Challenger and Global Families of aircraft are larger jet aircraft with extended range. The Q series (Dash-8) are high-wing turboprop aircraft, while the CRJ is a low-wing, commercial jet with rear mounted engines. The CRJ is a derivative of the
Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet.
Bombardier BD-700 Global 5000 takes off
Both commercial aircraft models (the Dash-8 and CRJ) have similar 2x2 seating, overhead bin storage, lavatories, and galleys. The latest Dash-8 models have an advanced noise and vibration suppression (NVS) system that reduces noise considerably. This system has led to the adoption of the name "Q-Series." In this designation, the original aircraft name is shortened, using only the sub-designation of the aircraft model. For example, the de Haviland DHC-8-400 becomes the "Q400", with the "Q" standing for "Quiet."
These aircraft are selling well and are enabling some less popular routes to be profitably served by scheduled air services with relatively low environmental impact at the airports. They have recently mounted and endured some unusual legal battles with a key competitor
Embraer of
Brazil focused upon allegations of unfair state assistance in export markets.
The amphibious fire-fighting aircraft is the
CL-415, with a derivative amphibious utility aircraft. The
CL-415 is a
CL-215 equipped with turboprop engines.
Each model is available in different versions:
Business Jets
===
Canadair Regional Jets===
'Product list and details (date information from Bombardier)'| ' Aircraft ' | ' Description ' | ' Seats ' | ' Launch date ' | ' 1st flight ' | ' 1st delivery ' | ' Scheduled to cease production ' |
| CRJ-100 | regional jet | up to 50 | | | 1992 | |
| CRJ-200 | regional jet | up to 50 | | | | 2005 |
| CRJ-700 | regional jet | 64-75 | January,1997 | 1999 | 2001 |
| CRJ-900 | regional jet | 86-90 | | 2002 | 2003 | |
| CRJ-1000 | regional jet | up to 100 | February 19, 2007 | | |
CSeries
While Bombardier had studied the 85-120 seat 'BRJ-X' aircraft in the mid-1990s, it was passed over in favour of the
CRJ-900. The shelved project was later revived, and reformulated into the
Bombardier CSeries. But Bombardier again placed the CSeries on hold, and announced on
18 February 2006 that it would begin work on the 100-seat
CRJ-1000. Since then, Bombardier has continued working on the CSeries, and current estimate for release is 2013.
Q Series Turboprops
The
Q series is the latest iteration of the
De Havilland Canada Dash 8. The Q Series is manufactured in
Toronto; the Q stands for "quiet".
'Product list and details (date information from Bombardier)'| ' Aircraft ' | ' Description ' | ' Seats ' | ' Launch date ' | ' 1st flight ' | ' 1st delivery ' | ' Scheduled to cease production ' |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8/Bombardier Aerospace Q100 | turbo prop | 33-37 | | | 1984 | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8/Bombardier Aerospace Q200 Enhanced engines; "Hot/High" version of the -100 | turbo prop | 33-37 | | 1986 | 1989 | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8/Bombardier Aerospace Q300 Stretched -100 series | turbo prop | 48-50 | | 1989 | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8/Bombardier Aerospace Q400 Features 6-blade, low speed props for low noise | turbo prop | 68-78 | | 1998 | 2000 | |
Aircraft deliveries
| Year | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|
| Number Of Deliveries | 337 | 326 |
Fiscal year ends January 31st.
See also
★
Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet
★
Canadair
★
Learjet
Reference
''Commercial Aircraft and Airline Markings'' by Christopher Chant.
External links
★
Bombardier Aerospace
★
Bombardier Business Aircraft
★
Bombardier Regional Aircraft
★
Learjet Ambulance Jets
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