Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced on July 21 that the Honeywell Primus Epic Block 3 upgrade is now available for Gulfstream G650 and G650ER aircraft models. The upgrade introduces several new and improved features to the existing Gulfstream PlaneView II avionics, enhancing visual, communication, alerting, and navigation systems.
According to the OEM, standard features that come with the Primus Epic Block 3 upgrade include: new advanced graphics modules, which provide four times the terrain resolution and enhanced gamma-correct color sets; night-mode charts; new Synthetic Vision System display options and improved graphics on primary flight display; Communication Management Function (CMF) version 3.1, which provides improved performance and alerting options; localizer performance approaches with reduced minima over LNAV approaches where localizer performance with vertical guidance is not available; ADS-B In cockpit display of traffic information for airborne or qualified ground operations; and, access to the baggage compartment up to 45,000 feet.
In addition to the above features, Gulfstream said the Block 3 upgrade comes “with more than 1,500 enhancements to the next-generation flight management system.”
Mark Burns, Gulfstream’s president, said the new features “provide [G650/G650ER] operators even more tools that help pilots make informed safety decisions during all phases of flight, with particular emphasis on improving awareness in high-traffic situations and during takeoffs and landings.”
Gulfstream is also offering several optional features that operators can choose from to complement the standard Block 3 upgrade, including a situational awareness package that includes both 2D and 3D airport moving maps, ADS-B In visual separation on approach, and enhanced Synthetic Vision System symbology; a predictive landing performance system that integrates Honeywell’s Runway Overrun Awareness & Alerting System; autopilot coupled traffic alert and collision avoidance system; and, a weather awareness package that includes an XM Weather update with eight new weather products, plus a predictive weather hazards addition to the Honeywell IntuVue RDR-4000 3D weather radar system.
The G650 and G650ER are capable of flying up to 7,000 and 7,500 nautical miles, respectively, with a maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 feet. A maximum speed of Mach 0.925 has allowed the aircraft to set more than 125 world speed records. The G650ER, in particular, holds the record for the farthest, fastest flight in business aviation history.
Today, there are more than 500 G650 and G650ER aircraft in service around the globe.
