Learjet 60XR is a twin-engine, mid-sized business jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace for domestic and international air routes. It is an extended version of the Learjet 60 aircraft.

In November 2005, the Learjet 60XR was unveiled at the 58th Annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Expo held in Orlando, Florida. The aircraft took off for its maiden flight in April 2006 and entered service in July 2007.

Orders and deliveries of the business jet

Jet Republic ordered 25 Learjet 60XR jets with 85 as optional in June 2008. The contract value of the firm orders was $340m.

Bombardier, however, cancelled the order in August 2009 as Jet Republic went into bankruptcy. The total value of the contract would have been increased to $1.5bn had all optional orders been confirmed.

Bombardier delivered the first Mexican Learjet 60XR to an undisclosed customer in March 2010. China also received its first Learjet 60XR in the same month.

Design of the Learjet 60XR

Bombardier Aerospace designed the Learjet 60XR by modifying the existing Learjet 60. The sleek and aerodynamic design of Learjet 60XR decreases the drag in flight.

The fuselage was elongated by 1.09m compared to that of the Learjet 55.

A number of new features such as upgraded avionics, modern cabin design, advance avionics, three disc steel wheel brakes, increased baggage area, a larger galley, a spacious lavatory, an electronic power ports and advance entertainment systems were incorporated in the Learjet 60XR.

Flight deck and cabin of the twin-engine, mid-sized business jet

"In November 2005, the Learjet 60XR was unveiled at the 58th Annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Expo held in Orlando, Florida."

The flight deck is equipped with two AFD-3010 primary flight displays and two AFD-3010E multifunctional displays. It also houses an integrated flight instrumentation system, an electronic flight instrumentation system, a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS 4000), flight management system (FMS-5000), attitude heading reference system (AHRS-3000S) and weather radar system (WXR-840).

The spacious cabin of the Learjet-60XR is 5.39m long, 1.81m wide and 1.74m high. The total volume of the cabin is 12.83m³ and the baggage volume is 1.34m³.

The cabin conciliates nine passengers. It features cabin management systems, an in-flight entertainment system, a SATCOM cabin phone with optional swift broadband internet access, moving map system, LED Lighting, 15.1-inch bulkhead flat monitors, cabin DVD players and passenger audio / video input.

The cabin houses four seats, a three-seat divan, redesigned galley, a belted lavatory seat and a reclaimed window at the aft lavatory. It also features two 1.62m high and 0.61m wide cabin doors for the entry and exit of the passengers.

In October 2009, Bombardier launched two cabin configurations, namely Signature Series Red and Signature Series Black, on the Learjet 60XR. Both configurations can carry six passengers in the cabin.

Avionics onboard Bombardier Aerospace’s aircraft

The Learjet 60XR features Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. The avionics suite includes APS-4000 autopilot, air data computer (ADC-850D), automatic direction finder (ADF-462), radio tuning unit (RTU-4220), distance measuring equipment (DME-422) and global positioning system (GPS-4000A).

Other avionics encompass enhanced ground proximity warning system, flight guidance system, digitised engine indicating system, air data system, radio sensor system, emergency locator transmitter, voice over recorder and mode S transponders.

Turbofan engines and performance of the Learjet-60XR business jet

The Learjet 60XR is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A turbofan engines rated at 20.46kN of maximum thrust each.

"Bombardier delivered the first Mexican Learjet 60XR to an undisclosed customer in March 2010."

The FADEC compatible engine minimises the pilot’s workload and monitors the engine health ensuring the high standard in aircraft dispatch availability.

The engine is equipped with a five-stage compressor, a reverse flow combustor, two-stage high pressure and three-stage low pressure turbines.

The length and height of the engine are 1.65m and 1.1m respectively. The fan tip diameter is 0.87m.

The Learjet 60XR can climb at the rate of 22.9m/s. The maximum and cruise speeds of the aircraft are 863km/h and 839km/h respectively. The range is 4,454km. The service ceiling is 15,545m.