In late October Bombardier announced plans to build an all-new midsize Learjet dubbed the NXT, for next generation Learjet. It is odd that the company chose to announce the large project with only a press release instead of great fanfare at a major tradeshow as is the norm. However, Bombardier had been busy shopping the future airplane and said it had 65 letters of intent from customers before the announcement.
The sparse details in the announcement include a top cruise speed of Mach .82, maximum range of 3,000 nm and a “larger, more comfortable cabin than any existing midsize aircraft.” The cabin is described as “stand-up” size, but no dimensions were announced, nor were there projections on payload available, runway requirements or price, specifications that typically accompany a new airplane program launch. The target date for the first public “unveiling” of the NXT is October of this year, marking the 45th anniversary of the first flight of the original Learjet, but no goals for certification and first delivery were revealed.
