Eclipse Aerospace

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Eclipse Aerospace is the Albuquerque company that revived the most ambitious project of the very-light-jet era. The original Eclipse 500 caused a sensation in the 2000s: a twin-engine jet at turboprop money. After Eclipse Aviation's 2008 bankruptcy, it was Eclipse Aerospace that bought the program, rebuilt fleet support and matured the design.

Eclipse 550: the most efficient twin jet ever

The Eclipse 550, built from 2013 to 2017, remains the most fuel-efficient twin-engine jet in history: its two Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines burn about 290 liters per hour — less than some SUVs. Cruise speed is 685 km/h, ceiling 12,500 m, with the fully integrated IFMS flight deck and single-pilot approval. The parallel Total Eclipse program brought early 500s up to the modern standard.

What a buyer should know

Production has ended, but a fleet of hundreds is actively flying, supported through service centers in the US and Europe. On the pre-owned market the Eclipse is the cheapest entry into a jet twin: two-engine security at piston-level operating costs. The key checks when selecting an airframe are avionics modification status — IFMS versions differ substantially — maintenance history and remaining engine life, which drives real ownership cost more than the year of manufacture. Market prices run from roughly $900,000 to $2.5 million depending on version and upgrade status.

The program's history explains its maturity: over a billion dollars invested, the largest order book business aviation had ever seen, and the first serial use of friction stir welding in place of rivets. The 2008 collapse froze the program at 260 airframes but never grounded the fleet — and today's owner community is among the most active in light aviation, with dedicated service centers and ongoing avionics and engine upgrade programs. Notably, no direct successor ever appeared: modern VLJs went single-engine, leaving the Eclipse 550 the only affordable small twin jet — protection against obsolescence few out-of-production types enjoy.

For an owner-pilot in Central Asia the Eclipse 550 covers routes up to 1,800 km — Almaty–Tashkent, Astana–Almaty, mountain destinations — with economics no other jet approaches. JetHunter sources Eclipse aircraft on the US and European markets, arranges type-specialist inspections and manages the transaction and regional import end to end. We also help owners plan the exit: because the type's community is concentrated and well networked, a properly documented Eclipse sells faster than most out-of-production jets — provided the upgrade paperwork is in order from day one.