The Bombardier (Canadair) CL-600 Challenger, a medium to long range widebody corporate jet, was developed by Learjet designer Bill Lear. Known as the LearStar 600, this design was first conceived in 1974. In 1976 Canadair purchased the exclusive production, development and marketing rights.

Three development Challengers were built, the first of which flew for the first time on November 8 1978, the others flying in March and July the following year. However the first aircraft crashed in a deep stall accident and while certification was granted in August 1980.

Bombardier Challenger types:

• CL-600              original production version, powered by Avco Lycoming ALF-502L turbofans of 33.6 kN thrust each.

• CL-601-1A         refined version including winglets to reduce drag and more powerful General Electric CF34-1A engines.

• CL-601-3A         further up-rated engine and a glass cockpit. This was the first version marketed by Bombardier.

• CL-604              major upgrade of the 601 design, incorporating more powerful General Electric CF34-3B engines, larger fuel supply, completely new undercarriage, structural improvements to wings and tail, and a new electronic flight instrumentation system.

• Challenger 300  a new-generation CL-604 with two Honeywell AS907 turbofan engines each providing 35.81 kN thrust.

• Challenger 800  a variant of the Bombardier Regional Jet airliner, has a 5.778 km transcontinental range.