TYPE: Regional jet airliner.

PROGRAMME: Design and market evaluation began in 1995 in consultation with 15-member advisory panel of airline operators; stretched derivative of Regional Jet; originally designated CRJ-X; engineering designation CL-600-2C10. GE CF34-8C1 engines selected February 1995; low-speed wind tunnel testing began early 1995 at Institute of Aeronautical Research, Ottawa; high-speed wind tunnel testing began November 1995 at Rockwell facilities in California. More than 650 hours of wind tunnel testing completed by September 1996. Bombardier Board gave approval for launch on 21 January 1997, at which time orders included four from launch customer Brit Air of France. Aerodynamic configuration frozen 14 March 1997; design frozen 17 July 1998. New version of CF34 engine first ground run in February 1998, followed by flight tests on GE-owned Boeing 747 testbed in first quarter of 1999 and certification in November 1999. First flight (C-FRJX c/n 10001) 27 May 1999; official roll-out 28 May 1999; public debut (c/n 10004) at Farnborough International Air Show 23 July 2000; Transport Canada certification achieved 22 December 2000; first delivery, to Brit Air of France, in February 2001, followed by deliveries to Horizon Air and Lufthansa CityLine in May.
Four flying aircraft and two static test airframes participated in the certification programme; one static test airframe was used for Complete Aircraft Static Test (CAST), while the other underwent Durability and Damage Tolerance Test (DDTT), and was subjected to the equivalent of 160,000 flight cycles. Test programme was conducted at the Bombardier Flight Test Centre at Wichita, Kansas, totalling 1,600 flight hours on four aircraft: C-FRJX (handling and performance evaluation), 10002/C-FJFC (systems), 10003/C-FBKA (avionics) and 10004/C-FCRJ, the first to be fully furnished (function and reliability testing), which initially flew on 16 December 1999. In December 2002 Bombardier signed a tentative agreement with China Aviation Corporation I (AVIC I) that could lead to final assembly of the CRJ700 and CRJ900 by Shanghai Aviation Industrial Corporation.

CURRENT VERSIONS: CRJ700: 68-seat version in standard and extended range (ER) weight options.
CRJ701: 70-seat version in standard and extended range (ER) weight options.
CRJ900: further stretch, described separately.

CUSTOMERS: Total 187 firm orders, of which 85 delivered, by 31 March 2003.

COSTS: Development cost C$645 million, of which C$440 million provided by Bombardier and balance by risk-sharing partners. Unit cost US$26.8 million (1998). Break-even point is at 200th of 400 aircraft production run.

DESIGN FEATURES: Commonality (including crew training and type rating) with CRJ100/200; direct operating cost per seat-mile to be 20 per cent lower than that of CRJ100/200 and lowest of any airliner in its class. Fuselage stretched 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in) by plugs fore and aft of centre-section to seat 70 passengers; rear pressure bulkhead moved aft by 1.29 m (4 ft 3 in); cabin 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in) longer; APU moved to tailcone; cabin floor lowered by 2.5 cm (1 in) and ceiling raised by 1.3 cm (½ in) to provide 1.89 m (6 ft 2¼ in) headroom; cabin windows raised 11.5 cm (4½ in) new underfloor baggage compartment, volume 3.09 m³ (109 cu ft) to facilitate ramp check-in; wing span increased by 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) by wingroot plug; wing leading-edge extended and equipped with high-lift devices; larger horizontal tail surfaces; new pitch control system; main landing gear lengthened; new wheels, tyres, brakes; air conditioning and anti-icing systems upgraded; new engines; new underfloor baggage compartment on forward port side; overhead stowage bins redesigned.
Incorporation of CRJ900's strengthened wing and avionics software upgrades under consideration in mid-2001 to increase commonality between CRJ700 and CRJ900, affording a 200 n mile (370 km; 230 mile) increase in range for CRJ700.

FLYING CONTROLS: Sextant and Menasco primary and secondary flight control system; flying controls are actuated via a dual network of cables, pulleys and pushrods which operate hydraulic power drive units; secondary controls are fly-by-wire.

STRUCTURE: Programme participants include Bombardier Canadair operations (wing, cockpit, rudder and doors, electrical system, primary flight controls, plus final assembly and interior completion), C & D Interiors (cabin interior), Gamesa (vertical and horizontal stabilisers), General Electric (power plant), GKN Westland (tailcone and doors), Hella Aerospace GmbH (lighting system), Honeywell (APU), Intertechnique (fuel system), Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse (air management system), Menasco Aerospace (landing gear), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (aft fuselage), Parker Abex (hydraulic system), Rockwell Collins (avionics), Sextant Avionique (flight control system), Shorts (nacelles and thrust reversers) and Hamilton Sundstrand (flaps, leading-edge slats and electrical system).

LANDING GEAR: Hydraulically retractable tricycle type by Menasco with twin wheels on each unit. Mainwheel tyre size H36x12.0-18, pressure 10.55 bar (153 lb/sq in); nosewheel tyre size H20.5x6.75-10, pressure 9.24 bar (134 lb/sq in).

POWER PLANT: Two General Electric CF34-8C1 turbofans with dual-channel FADEC. Engine rating 56.4 kN (12,670 lb st) with automatic power reserve, flat rated to ISA +15°C. Intertechnique fuel management system with Ratier-Figeac controls. Fuel capacity 10,989 litres (2,903 US gallons; 2,417 Imp gallons).

ACCOMMODATION: Two-pilot flight deck. Main cabin seats 70 passengers, four-abreast at 79 cm (31 in) pitch. Baggage compartment and lavatory at rear of cabin; underfloor baggage compartment; various combinations of galleys, wardrobes and lavatory at front of cabin according to seating capacity. Passenger door, forward emergency exit/service door, overwing emergency exits and baggage door as for Regional Jet.

SYSTEMS: Hamilton Sundstrand electrical generation system comprising two 40 kVA integrated drive generators; tailcone-mounted Honeywell APU approved for operation up to 12,500 m (41,000 ft); Liebherr air management system; Intertechnique fuel system; Walter Kidde fire detection system; Goodrich potable water system; Hella lighting system; Parker/Abex Hydraulics hydraulic systems, and Teleflex anti-icing system.

AVIONICS: Radar: Rockwell Collins digital weather radar.
Flight: Rockwell Collins AHRS and TCAS.
Instrumentation: Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 EFIS with six 127 x 178 mm (5 x 7 in) CRT displays, including dual PFD, dual MFD and dual EICAS; Flight Dynamics HGS 2000 head-up guidance system. Autopilot, FMS and centralised avionics maintenance functions are provided by integrated avionics processing system (IAPS). Windshear detection and recovery system standard. Equipped for Cat.II landings.