At the August 2007
National Business Aviation Association convention,
Embraer unveiled a cabin mock-up of two concepts positioned between the $7 million
Phenom 300 and the $26 million
Legacy 600, called midsize jet (MSJ) and mid-light jet (MLJ), positioned on 22% of the market in units. The proposed aircraft share their flat floor, and stand-up cabin but the MSJ should be 5 feet longer to accommodate 8 passengers over a range against for the smaller version. The program was introduced in April 2008, Embraer planned to invest US$750 million and to introduce the larger model in 2012 and the smaller in 2013.
Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans were selected along a
Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion
avionics suite integrated
cockpit and a
Parker Hannifin fly-by-wire flight control system. At the May 2008
European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, the larger was named Legacy 500 priced at $18.4 million and the smaller Legacy 450, priced at $15.25 million. The variants have 95% systems commonality. An assembly line was officially opened in
Melbourne, Florida on 2 June 2016, adding
Embraer Legacy 450 and 500 production to the existing
Phenom 100 and
300 line, along a completion center/flight-prep building. The first Legacy 450 on the line since May 16 should be delivered in mid-December. The facility will be able to assemble up to 96 Phenoms and 72 Legacys annually. The first Legacy 450 produced in Florida was delivered in December 2016; the fuselage is built in
Botucatu in Brazil, and the wings in
Évora, Portugal. The first Legacy 500 entered final assembly in January 2017 and was flown in July. Embraer will eventually move most of its Legacy 450/500 production in Florida but has not set up a schedule yet.
Praetor 500/600 Embraer introduced improved variants at the October 2018
NBAA convention, the Praetor 500 and 600, presented on display, with and of range; the 600 was expected to be certified in the second quarter of 2019 and the 500 in the third quarter of 2019. Both have taller and wider winglets.