Bombardier Aviation — Aircraft History & Technical Heritage
Bombardier Aerospace built one of the most diverse portfolios in civil aviation history, spanning business jets, regional airliners, military trainers, and aerial firefighting aircraft. From the acquisition of Canadair in 1986 to the divestment of its commercial programs in the 2020s, Bombardier's story is one of extraordinary ambition — and ultimately, a strategic retreat to pure business aviation excellence.
Current Production: The Business Jet Portfolio
Bombardier today focuses exclusively on business aviation, with four active aircraft families:
Challenger 300 Series (2004 – present)
The Challenger 300 established Bombardier's presence in the super-midsize segment. Its successor, the Challenger 3500, represents the current production standard — featuring a redesigned cabin, Nuage seating, and Bombardier's Vision flight deck. The 3500 variant continues to set benchmarks for range and cabin comfort in its class.
Challenger 600 Series (1980 – present)
One of the longest-running business jet programs in history, the Challenger 600 lineage traces back to the original Canadair design. The current production model, the Challenger 650, remains in service with operators worldwide. Its stretched fuselage also formed the structural basis for the entire CRJ regional jet family — one of the most consequential design decisions in modern aviation history.
Global Express / Global 6000 Series (1998 – present)
The Global Express redefined ultra-long-range business aviation when it entered service in 1998. Evolved through the Global 5000, 6000, 5500, and 6500 variants, the family now features GE Aviation Pearl engines and offers ranges between 5,200 and 6,600 nautical miles. The Global 6500 — powered by two Pearl 15 engines at 67.3 kN each — achieves a range of 12,223 km (6,600 nm) with up to 17 passengers.
Global 7500 / 8000 Series (2018 – present)
Bombardier's flagship. The Global 7500 is the largest and longest-range purpose-built business jet in production, with a maximum range of 14,260 km (7,700 nm) — sufficient for city pairs such as New York–Singapore nonstop. Powered by two GE Passport engines at 83 kN each, the aircraft carries up to 19 passengers across a four-zone cabin. The Global 8000 variant extends the program further.
Divested Programs
Three major programs were transferred to new owners as Bombardier restructured:
- Airbus A220 — Originally the Bombardier C Series (first flight 2013), transferred to Airbus in 2018 and rebranded. Remains in active production under Airbus.
- CRJ700 Series — Transferred to Mitsubishi Aircraft (now Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero) in 2020. Production has ended, but the type remains widely operated by regional carriers globally.
- De Havilland Canada Dash 8 (Q Series) — The turboprop regional family, originally developed by de Havilland Canada and acquired by Bombardier in 1992, was divested to the revived De Havilland Canada in 2019.
Out-of-Production Aircraft
Bombardier's history includes several programs that ended production under its ownership:
| Aircraft | Type | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learjet 35 | Business jet | 1973–1994 | Produced under Bombardier after 1990 |
| Short 330 | Regional turboprop | 1974–1992 | Produced under Bombardier after 1989 |
| Learjet 55 | Business jet | 1979–1987 | Last produced under Integrated Acquisition |
| Short 360 | Regional turboprop | 1981–1991 | Type design sold to De Havilland Canada/Viking Air |
| Short Tucano | Military trainer | 1986–1995 | Produced under Bombardier after 1989 |
| CRJ100/200 | Regional jet | 1991–2006 | The -440 is the -200 airframe certified for 44 pax max |
| Learjet 60 | Business jet | 1991–2012 | |
| Canadair CL-415 | Aerial firefighting | 1993–2015 | Succeeded by DHC-515 under De Havilland Canada |
| Learjet 45 | Business jet | 1995–2012 | |
| CL-327 | UAV prototype | 1996–1996 | Prototype only |
| Learjet 40 | Business jet | 2002–2013 | |
| Challenger 850 | Business jet | 2006–2015 | Business jet interior on CRJ100/200 (CL-600-2B19) airframe |
| Learjet 70/75 | Business jet | 2013–2021 | Final Learjet variants |
| Learjet 85 | Business jet | 2014–2014 | Project cancelled after 2 prototypes built |
The retirement of the Learjet 75 in 2021 marked the end of the Learjet brand — a name synonymous with business aviation since 1963.
Technical Reference: Challenger 600 Family Specifications
The Challenger 600 airframe spawned one of the most technically significant families in civil aviation. The table below covers the principal variants:
| Model | Engines | Production | Max Pax | Length | Wingspan | MTOW | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger 650 | 2× CF34-3B | 1978–present | 19 | 20.9 m | 19.6 m | 21,860 kg | 7,408 km / 4,000 nm |
| CRJ100/200 | 2× CF34-3 | 1991–2006 | 50 | 26.77 m | 21.21 m | 24,040 kg | 3,148 km / 1,700 nm |
| CRJ700 | 2× CF34-8C5 | 1999–2020 | 66–78 | 32.3 m | 23.2 m | 34,020 kg | 2,553 km / 1,378 nm |
| CRJ900 | 2× CF34-8C5 | 2002–2020 | 76–90 | 36.2 m | 24.9 m | 38,330 kg | 2,876 km / 1,553 nm |
| CRJ1000 | 2× CF34-8C5 | 2011–2020 | 97–104 | 39.1 m | 26.2 m | 41,640 kg | 3,004 km / 1,622 nm |
Global Express Family Specifications
| Model | Engines | Production | Max Pax | Length | MTOW | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global 6000/6500 | 2× BR710/Pearl 15 | 1996–present | 13–17 | 30.3 m | 45,130 kg | 11,112–12,223 km |
| Global 5000/5500 | 2× BR710/Pearl 15 | 2003–present | 13–16 | 29.5 m | 41,960 kg | 9,630–10,556 km |
| Global 7500 | 2× GE Passport | 2018–present | 19 | 33.8 m | 48,190 kg | 14,260 km / 7,700 nm |
Editorial Note
Bombardier's evolution from a diversified aerospace conglomerate to a pure-play business jet manufacturer is one of the defining industrial stories of the early 21st century. The divestment of the C Series, CRJ, and Dash 8 programs — painful as it was — allowed the company to concentrate resources on the Global and Challenger families, where margins and brand positioning are strongest. The Global 7500 in particular stands as proof that the strategy has delivered: it is, by most measures, the finest purpose-built business jet ever produced.
Where Are They Now: MHI Canada Aerospace (MHICA)
When Bombardier divested the CRJ programme to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in 2020, the operational heart of CRJ support in Canada did not disappear — it transformed. MHI Canada Aerospace Inc. (MHICA), based at Mirabel, Québec, became the primary global centre for CRJ maintenance, completion, and customer support.
MHICA operates from the same Mirabel aerospace corridor that Bombardier built, carrying forward the technical expertise and tooling of the CRJ programme under Japanese ownership. Its responsibilities include:
- CRJ700/900/1000 MRO — heavy maintenance, modifications, and airworthiness support for the global CRJ fleet
- Completion centre — interior fit-out and delivery preparation for CRJ operators worldwide
- Aerostructures manufacturing — fuselage panels, nacelles, and structural components for multiple programmes
- Technical publications and support — the living documentation chain for the CRJ fleet now flows through MHICA as the authorised support organisation
For OAL customers holding CRJ documentation: MHICA is the current authorised source for active, revision-controlled CRJ maintenance data. The archival Bombardier-era CRJ manuals in the OAL collection are static-copy editions fixed at their original publication dates and are not substitutes for current MHICA-issued airworthiness documentation.
Published by Online Aviation Library | onlineaviationlibrary.com
Living Collections with Free Lifetime Updates — Please review our Disclaimer and Export Notice before purchasing.