Just before obtaining the EASA type certificate, Gulfstream rolled out the 100th copy of the G200 before it headed off to be completed. The 100th G200 is slated for delivery to fractional aircraft operator NetJets later this year. “Our final phase manufacturing facility, which outfits and completes the G200, has transformed the aircraft into a true Gulfstream business jet,” said Bryan Moss, president of Gulfstream. “Our engineers and technicians have succeeded in improving an already sleek and sturdy plane into one that is reliable, more comfortable and performs better than before,” he added The 100th copy of the G200 was a long time in coming. Design work on the IAI-1126 Galaxy began in the early 1990s, with a formal program launch being announced in September 1993. In 1995, a fuselage-production arrangement with Russian manufacturer Yakovlev was terminated. Subsequently, SOGERMA of France was selected to manufacture production Galaxy fuselages and tails. As one result, the Galaxy was first expected to fly in 1996, but that didn’t occur until December 1997. FAA and Israeli certification was obtained in December 1998 with the first customer delivery in January 2000.
