Early developments The first small, jet-powered civilian aircraft was the
Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris, developed privately in the early 1950s from the
MS.755 Fleuret two-seat
jet trainer. First flown in 1954, the MS.760 Paris differs from subsequent business jets in having only four seats arranged in two rows without a center aisle, similar to a
light aircraft, under a large sliding
canopy similar to that of a
fighter. A U.S.
type certificate was awarded in July 1958, but commercial sales were limited, with most examples going to the military; an improved civilian version similar to a modern
very light jet, with a six-seat enclosed cabin and a conventional door, never proceeded past the prototype stage. The commercial failure of the MS.760 Paris prompted the cancellation of projects by
Cessna and
Douglas Aircraft to market similar jets.
1950s first flight The
Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris had a
gross weight of , initially powered by two
Turboméca Marboré turbojets of thrust, although most aircraft were later upgraded to units. The aircraft seated a single pilot and up to three passengers under a sliding canopy, and was first flown on 29 July 1954; 219 were built. is the earliest business jet with a center aisle. The
Lockheed JetStar, designed to meet USAF UCX requirements and seating 10 passengers and 2 crew, first flew on 4 September 1957. In total, 204 aircraft were produced from 1957 to 1978 powered by several different engines; four
Pratt & Whitney JT12 turbojets, then
Garrett TFE731 turbofans for a
maximum take-off weight (MTOW), then two
General Electric CF700 turbofans. The smaller, MTOW
North American Sabreliner, tailored to the USAF UTX requirement, first flew on 16 September 1958. Powered by two
Pratt & Whitney JT12 turbojet engines then
Garrett TFE731s, more than 800 were produced from 1959 to 1982. Designed in 1957 for the UCX requirement, the
McDonnell 119 was delayed by the cancellation of the
Fairchild J83 engine program, and first flew on 11 February 1959 powered by four
Westinghouse J34 turbojets. The 119 was certified for a MTOW with four Pratt & Whitney JT12 or General Electric CF700 engines, but no firm orders were received, and only the single prototype was completed.
1960s first flight was the first light jet. in 1966. The MTOW
British Aerospace 125 first flew on 13 August 1962 as the de Havilland DH.125, powered by two
Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojets. Its engines were replaced by Garrett TFE731s, then
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 turbofans. Almost 1,700 aircraft of all variants, including the
Hawker 800, were produced between 1962 and 2013. The Aero Commander 1121 Jet Commander, which later became the
IAI Westwind, first flew on 27 January 1963, powered by two
General Electric CJ610 turbojets, then
Garrett TFE731s. Production of Jet Commanders and Westwinds from 1965 to 1987 came to 442 aircraft, and it was developed as the
IAI Astra, later rebranded as the
Gulfstream G100. The MTOW
Dassault Falcon 20 first flew on 4 May 1963, powered by two
General Electric CF700s, then
Garrett ATF3 turbofans and Garrett TFE731s. In total, 508 were built from 1963 to 1988, and it is the basis of the
Dassault Falcon family. The first light jet first flew on 7 October 1963 - the
Learjet 23. Powered by two
General Electric CJ610s, its MTOW complies with
FAR Part 23 regulations. The first member of the
Learjet family, 104 were built between 1962 and 1966. The forward wing-sweep, MTOW
Hamburger Flugzeugbau HFB 320 Hansa Jet first flew on 21 April 1964, powered by two General Electric CJ610s; 47 were built between 1965 and 1973. The joint Piaggo-Douglas, MTOW
Piaggio PD.808 first flew on 29 August 1964, powered by two
Armstrong Siddeley Vipers; 24 were built for the Italian Air Force. On 2 October 1966 the first large business jet first flew, the MTOW
Grumman Gulfstream II, powered by two
Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans. From 1967 to the late 1970s, 258 were built, and it led to the ongoing
Gulfstream Aerospace long-range family. The MTOW
Cessna Citation I first flew on 15 September 1969, powered by two
Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbofans. Produced between 1969 and 1985, for a total of 689 examples, it is the first of the
Cessna Citation family.
1970s first flight The trijet
Dassault Falcon 50 made its first flight on 7 November 1976. The MTOW airplane is powered by three TFE731 engines. With the cross-section of the Falcon 20, it is the basis of the larger
Falcon 900. On 8 November 1978, the prototype
Canadair Challenger took off. The MTOW craft, usually powered by two
General Electric CF34s, formed the basis of the long range
Bombardier Global Express family and of the
Bombardier CRJ regional airliners. The 1000th Challenger entered service in 2015. On 30 May 1979 the all-new MTOW
Cessna Citation III took off for the first time, powered by two TFE731s. The
Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond made its first flight on 29 August 1978. The MTOW jet was powered by two
JT15D. The design was later sold and was renamed Beechjet 400 then
Hawker 400, with a total of 950 produced of all variants.
1980s first flight The 1980s only saw the introduction of derivatives and no major new designs. The late 1980s saw the advent of fractional ownership for business jets. For much of the 1980s, sales of new aircraft slumped.
1990s first flight On 29 April 1991, the
Cessna CitationJet was first flown. Powered by two
Williams FJ44 engines, the light jet used a modified
Citation II fuselage with a new wing and tail, and was subsequently developed into the CJ series and M2, ultimately replacing the Citation I, Citation II and
Citation V series. The 2,000th CitationJet was delivered in 2017. The first flight of the all-new
Learjet 45 was on 7 October 1995. All of the 642 aircraft built since then have been powered by two TFE731 engines. Powered by two Williams FJ44s, the
Beechcraft Premier I light jet made its first flight on 22 December 1998. Nearly 300 had been made before production stopped in 2013.
2000s first flight In the opposite way compared to Bombardier, which developed airliners from a business jet, Embraer derived the
Legacy 600 from the
Embraer ERJ family of regional jet airliners. Powered by two
Rolls-Royce AE 3007s, the first flight of the aircraft was on 31 March 2001. M On 14 August 2001, the
Bombardier Challenger 300 made its first flight. The aircraft is powered by two
HTF7000s. The 500th example was delivered in 2015. The first very light jet, the MTOW
Eclipse 500, took off for the first time on 26 August 2002, powered by two
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600s. Between then and the end of production in 2008, 260 were produced. Another new small jet, the
Honda HA-420 HondaJet, first flew on 3 December 2003 powered by two
GE Honda HF120 engines mounted above the wing in a configuration unique amongst business jets. As of March 2020, 150 had been delivered. It was followed by the MTOW
Cessna Citation Mustang on 23 April 2005, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600s and with more than 450 produced. The
Embraer Phenom 100 made its maiden flight on 26 July 2007. The MTOW airplane is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600s. With its
Phenom 300 development, nearly 600 have been built.
2010s first flight The first flight of the midsize,
fly-by-wire,
Honeywell HTF7000-powered
Embraer Legacy 500 was on 27 November 2012. It was followed by the shorter
Legacy 450 on 28 December 2013.
New models prototype in 2018 After peaking in 2008, deliveries slowed due to
political instability but the industry hopes to revive demand by introducing more attractive and competitive new models, four in 2018: • the range
Bombardier Global 7500 large-cabin jet, before the Global 8000 in 2019; • the large-cabin
Gulfstream G500, replacing the
Gulfstream G450, then the longer, G600 eventually superseding the
G550; • the
Cessna Citation Longitude super midsize jet; • the superlight
Pilatus PC-24. In October 2018, consultant Jetcraft expected 20 variants or new designs to enter service before 2023 (seven large, seven midsize and six small): in 2019 the
Global 5500/6500,
Gulfstream G600,
Citation XLS++ and a
CitationJet CJ4+/, while the
Embraer Praetor 500/600 to be introduced in 2019 were predicted for 2021/2022; in 2020 a
Gulfstream G750; in 2021 the
Dassault Falcon 6X,
Learjet 70XR/75XR and
Global 7500XR; in 2022 the
Bombardier Challenger 350XRS; in 2023 the
Citation Hemisphere, an
Embraer Legacy 700,
Phenom 100V+,
Dassault Falcon 9X,
Bombardier Challenger 750 and
Gulfstream G400NG; in 2025 a
Citation Mustang 2+. == Configuration ==