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Israel Aerospace Industries / GulfstreamBusiness jetPartially retired

IAI Westwind family

The Westwind story, from first flight to lasting reputation

The Jet Commander-derived business jet that Israel Aircraft Industries developed into a longer-range corporate and special-mission workhorse.

IAI Westwind family is a partially retired business jet built by Israel Aerospace Industries / Gulfstream. It first flew in 1963, entered service in 1965, and went on to shape airline fleets, passenger journeys, and aviation memory.

First flight

1963

Service entry

1965

Seating band

7 to 10

IAI Westwind family is a partially retired business jet by Israel Aerospace Industries / Gulfstream, first flown in 1963 and introduced in 1965, with typical seating for 7 to 10 and range up to 2,500 nautical miles.

Its place in business aviation comes from the combination of mission capability, cabin layout, operator use, and the reasons buyers kept the type or moved to its successors.

Range band

2,500 nm

Notable operators

Corporate operators · Air ambulance operators · Government fleets

Source stack

  • Official manufacturer product pages and brochures
  • FAA or EASA type certificate material
  • operator mission and cabin references

Variants

Representative variants

Manufacturer pageForum hubCompare families

Variant

Westwind II

Westwind II is a partially retired member of the IAI Westwind family, known for the winglet-equipped final production branch.

Range 2,500 nm · Entry 1980

Specifications

Current public facts

Manufacturer
Israel Aerospace Industries / Gulfstream
Program history
Class
Business jet
Aircraft category
First flight
1963-01-27
Program history
Service entry
1965
Operator records
Current status
Partially retired
Fleet references
Typical seating
7 to 10
Operator and cabin references
Range band
Up to 2,500 nm
Program literature
Cruise speed
450 kt
Planning data

Archive moments

Human context

The Westwind’s long production life and varied roles made it a familiar if understated presence in charter, air-ambulance, and government service.
Business-aviation pages stay focused on engineering, cabin layout, and mission logic instead of celebrity shorthand or lifestyle fog.

Timeline

Program milestones

  1. 1963

    First flight

    The Westwind begins flight testing and establishes the public shape of the family.

  2. 1965

    Service entry

    The family enters passenger or executive service and begins building its operating footprint.

  3. Today

    Reduced but active

    Passenger or executive use continues in smaller numbers, making the family feel historical and current at the same time.

Related news

Editorial context

All news
No editorial dispatches are attached to this family yet. The aircraft record is live, and newsroom or archive coverage can be layered onto it later without changing the URL.

Forum threads

Community memory

Family hub