Learjet 70/75

The Learjet 70/75 is a mid-sized business jet airplane manufactured by the Learjet division of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. With production ending in 2022, it is the last Learjet model.

Design


These models feature new avionics, winglets, and powerful engines that use less fuel.

The Learjet 40/45 light jet is updated with touchscreen-controlled Garmin G5000 avionics and a modern interior. The combination of aerodynamic improvements, which lowered the design's drag by 2%, and 200 lbs less weight in the nose section resulted in an increased range of 4%.

The canted winglet design was incorporated from the Bombardier Global 7500/8000.

Both variants are powered by 3,850 lbf Honeywell TFE731-40BR turbofans with thrust reversers, have a MTOW of 21,500 lb and a fuel capacity of 6,062 lb for a maximum range of 2,050 nmi with four passengers. Typical cruise is Mach .76 and high-speed cruise is Mach .79, the ceiling is FL510 where the cabin altitude is 8,000 ft. Their flat-floor cabin width is 1.50 by high, the Learjet 70's seven-seat cabin length is 5.38 and 6.05 m for the nine-seat, double-club Learjet 75.

The forward galley facing the entry door is isolated by a pocket door from the seating area with a Lufthansa Technik cabin management, and the aft lavatory has a belted seat. The 50 cuft external baggage hold is heated but not pressurized.

At FL410, ISA + 3 C-change and Mach .78 for 462 kn, its hourly fuel burn is 1000 lb and 1400 lb at Mach .80.

Development
The Learjet 75 received its type certificate from the FAA on 14 November 2013. Deliveries began shortly thereafter. This delay in certification caused order cancellations, and Bombardier's overall deliveries fell below expectations. By 2015, the unit cost of the Learjet 70 was US$11.3 million, and US$13.8 million for the Learjet 75. By 2016, production of Learjet 70 had been temporarily discontinued due to lack of orders (with Learjet 75 still being produced at that time).

The 100th Learjet 75 was delivered in June 2017.

By January 2019, Bombardier had delivered 132 Learjet 40/40XRs, 454 45/45XRs, and nearly 130 70/75s, including 24 in 2016 and 14 in 2017. In June, Bombardier launched the sub-$10 million Learjet 75 Liberty to compete with the Cessna CitationJet and Embraer Phenom 300 from 2020, with six seats down from eight, no standard APU or lavatory sink, but still Part 25 and not FAR Part 23 certified, with a maximum payload of 1,320 kg and a range of 2,080 nmi.

Bombardier announced the end of the production of Learjet aircraft by the end of 2021. The final Learjet 75 was manufactured in January 2022. As Bombardier focuses on its larger Challenger and Global jets, it was delivered on 28 March 2022.