Gulfstream’s G400 and G300 playing catch up and making strides

Gulfstream president Mark Burns told reporters at NBAA-BACE on Monday that demand is not the concern. "If we could build more airplanes tonight, we could sell more airplanes today," he said. The G300 and G400, both still to be certified, are next in line to test that premise. Scott Evans, Director of Demonstration, ACS, andamp; Corporate Flight Operations at Gulfstream, had the chance to sit down with GlobalAir.com in a G400 mockup at the NBAA-BACE static display to discuss the G400 program, which just passed a milestone as the airplane built to certify the interior first flew Oct. 14. Evans said the G400 targets a space Gulfstream says it created in the G4 and G450 timeframe and wants to serve again. "It's an area that needs a new product in it, and we're the perfect people to do that," he said. The test fleet has four airplanes. "Three of those are dedicated to systems and performance certification, and then one is the interior certification airplane," Evans said. With the interior airplane now flying, work toward a supplemental type certificate for the cabin has begun so it can be ready along with the rest of the airframe. It's all about timing. There are three phases to every program: development, company flight testing and certification flight testing. The three systems and performance airplanes are in the company phase now, and Evans said the program is "moving at the pace that we expect to move." The G400 first flew Aug. 15, 2024, so the program and test fleet are more than two years into flight testing. Burns said progress includes a recent flight that reached about 48,000 feet, with flammable-fluid drainage testing under way on one airplane and icing tests on another. He added that the G400 on display at the show set a speed record from Miami to Las Vegas. Lessons learned: Gulfstream won't predict certification dates "We don't control where the goal line is," Evans said, "It's not in our hands." Evans named the FAA, Transport Canada and Brazil's ANAC among the authorities involved. Supporting sentiment came from Burns, who added a caveat. He said he sees no performance issues or any other issues that would delay the G400 from getting to the finish line. "But, again, not our finish line." Asked when the G400 would enter service, Burns said Gulfstream has no prediction and that it is not his call. He pointed to the G700, where development began in earnest in 2018, COVID slowed the work and the FAA certified the airplane in March 2024. Burns said both the G300 and the G400 would enter the fleet "very soon." The G300 first flew Dec. 5, 2025, from Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel and is being co-developed with parter IAI. The G300 refreshes the super-midsize segment the legacy G280 model served. Burns said at the briefing that it is "a little bit further behind" the G400, "but not much." The first two G300 flight-test airplanes are flying, he said. The third is being built, and he expects flights to accelerate once it is in the air. Why it mattersThe test phases with no mention of supply chain issues, and a confident outlook from stakeholders are a solid measure of progress. But the path to certification is still partially reliant on factors that are not in Gulfstream's control.