Long-range version of the Legacy 600 is already flying and will be certified in the second half of 2010

São José dos Campos, October 19, 2009 –

Embraer presented the new Legacy 650 jet, today, during a press conference at the 62nd Annual Meeting and Convention of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), being held October 20-22, in the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. The large executive jet category Legacy 650 is based on the
successful platform of the super midsize Legacy 600 and will provide longer range for up to 14 passengers.

Currently, two Legacy 650s are performing flight tests, with certification and first deliveries scheduled for the second half of 2010. The cost of developing the Legacy 650 is already included in Embraer’s research and development plan for 2009 and 2010 and, therefore, does not affect the estimates released by the Company for this year.

The Legacy 650 will fly up to 3,900 nautical miles (7,223 km) nonstop with four passengers, or 3,800 nautical miles (7,038 km) with eight passengers, meaning approximately 500 nautical miles (926 km) farther than the Legacy 600. This significant increase in range was accomplished through extensive airframe modifications, such as reinforced wing and landing gear, larger fuel capacity, and new highly efficient and more powerful Rolls-Royce AE 3007A2 engines.

 Honeywell’s new Primus EliteTM avionics suite will equip the Legacy 650 and future Legacy 600s. All of this is done while maintaining the same comfortable and functional interior of the Legacy 600, with its three distinct cabin zones and spacious galley, as well as the largest inflight accessible baggage compartment of any executive jet. Cabin noise levels were reduced with a state-of-the-art sound insulation package and the high-speed Internet datalink has been
upgraded to Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband System. Important city pairings now possible for this large business jet are London (UK) to New York (US); Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to London or Singapore; Miami (US) to São Paulo (Brazil); Singapore to Sydney (Australia); or Mumbai (India) to central Europe.

“Embraer entered the business jet market with the firm vision to become a leading and longterm player, attempting to bring fresh, real contributions to the industry, and listening attentively to customers. The launch of the large-cabin Legacy 650 drives this purpose forward, extending our product portfolio to seven state-of-the-art executive jets,” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer President and CEO.

Besides its longer range, the Legacy 650 has outstanding performance capabilities in such hot and/or high destinations as Dubai, Aspen and Telluride (US), and Toluca (Mexico). La Paz (Bolivia) also becomes a viable destination for the Legacy 650, due to the High Altitude Landing and Takeoff (HALTO) capability that allows the aircraft to operate out of airports at elevations up to 13,800 feet (4,206 meters). It will also be one of the largest executive jets allowed to fly in and out of the Cannes-Mandelieu (France) and London City (UK) airports. Maximum operating speed (Vmo) has increased to 300 KCAS (Knots Calibrated Air Speed), below 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), and 45º maximum flap extended speed (Vfe) increased to 160 KIAS (Knots Indicated Air Speed), resulting in greater operational flexibility for today’s busy airspaces.

“We are continuously focused on keeping our products up to date and competitive,” said Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. “The new Honeywell Primus Elite™ avionics system for the Legacy 650 and Legacy 600 stresses this commitment, reducing pilot workload, increasing operational flexibility and enabling compliance with future air traffic control requirements.”

The Honeywell Primus Elite™ avionics system has the powerful graphics that only liquid crystal displays (LCD) can deliver. XM® graphical weather, video display capability, and Jeppesen electronic charts and maps will all be enabled by a cursor control graphical interface. There are also coupled Vertical Navigation (VNAV), Required Navigation Performance (RNP) 0.3, Wide Area Augmentation System – Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance Approaches (WAAS-LPV), Honeywell’s SmartRunway™ and SmartLanding™ Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), and Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A Controller to Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC) that will help pilots in all flight phases. These functionalities dramatically reduce pilot workload and ensure that the super midsize Legacy 600 and large Legacy 650 have outstanding operational flexibility in congested airspaces, terrain-challenged airports, and poor weather conditions. Current Legacy 600 owners will also benefit from this
new avionics system and may retrofit their aircraft via an Embraer Service Bulletin (SB) that will be available in the first semester of 2011.

Two efficient Rolls-Royce AE 3007A2 engines power the Legacy 650. This refined version of the well-known AE 3007A1E engine combines an advanced wide-chord fan with a serviceproven core – over 35 million hours of operation on all AE 3007 models – and updated Full- Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) software that optimizes fuel consumption during cruise. With 9,020 pounds of thrust each, the engines produce an average of 29% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than competitors’ older aircraft and up to 22% less than current-generation jets.

They also comply with the latest International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Stage IV noise regulations and those of the most noise restrictive airports in the world, such as London City (UK) and Washington-Dulles (US).

The Legacy 650 inherits the ERJ 145 family DNA for high utilization – 99.8% dispatch reliability in over 15 million flight hours and 13 million cycles. Extended intervals between specific maintenance tasks require less downtime, making the Legacy 650 remarkably efficient. Not only does it cost less to operate than aircraft with similar cabin sizes, but it actually costs the same as aircraft with only two cabin zones.

The successful first flight of the Legacy 650 took place on September 23, 2009, at Embraer’s flight test facility in Gavião Peixoto, in outstate São Paulo, Brazil. The second Legacy 650 first flew on September 24, 2009, in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Both aircraft have begun their flight test campaigns, and certification is expected for the second half of 2010.

Source: Embraer