Eclipse 700 Makes Bold Statement

One Aviation, holder of the type certificate for the Eclipse 500/550 very light jet, revealed details of the next-generation Eclipse 700, formerly known by the code name “Project Canada.”

The twinjet is moving decidedly up-market, with a switch from Pratt & Whitney power to Williams FJ33 turbofan engines, a longer wing that holds more fuel, a larger tail, a 14-inch fuselage stretch and Garmin G3000 avionics to replace the current cockpit supplied by Innovative Solutions & Support.

The FJ33-5A-12 engines for the Eclipse 700 will be derated to 1,200 pounds of thrust each, representing a power increase of more than 30 percent over the Eclipse 550 for better performance. Max altitude will be 43,000 feet, max cruise speed 383 knots and max cruise range 1,470 nm, all improvements over the current Eclipse.

The extra size and capability of the Eclipse 700 will put it on a more competitive footing with VLJ market leaders, namely the Embraer Phenom 100 and Cessna Citation M2, both of which sell for just north of $4 million versus the Eclipse jet’s $3.5 million projected price.