Bombardier Challenger 604/605

Fat fuselage, T-tail, two GE engines at the rear: the Challenger 604 and 605 are the workhorses of the 600 series. Here’s how to spot them and tell them from the 601 and 650.

Also known as: Challenger 604 · Challenger 605 · CL-604 · CL-605 · CL-600-2B16 · Canadair Challenger · Challenger 600 series

CanadaBombardierBusiness jetsICAO type designator: CL6011 min read

CL60

ICAO type designator

1995

First flight 604

~2.4 m

Cabin width

~4,000 nm

Range

Key takeaways

  • The Challenger 604 and 605 belong to the 600 series, which goes back to a design by Bill Lear and was developed by Canadair from 1976.
  • The trademark is the wide fuselage: at about 2.4 meters of cabin width, the Challenger is much chubbier than the equally long Challenger 350.
  • You can spot the 605 by its larger, higher-set windows and a modified tail cone; the engines and aerodynamics stayed the same.
  • In trackers the whole family shows up as CL60 – you can only separate the 604, 605 and 650 by registration and serial number.
  • The German Air Force VIP wing (Flugbereitschaft BMVg) flew the predecessor, the Challenger 601 (1986–2011), not the 604. For military 604s, look to Denmark and Switzerland.
Contents
  1. 1.What is the Challenger 604/605?
  2. 2.What the 604 improved over the 601
  3. 3.Challenger 604, 605 or 650?
  4. 4.How to spot the Challenger 600 series
  5. 5.Lookalikes: competitors and family
  6. 6.Challenger and the VIP wing: the Air Force 601
  7. 7.Government and military Challenger 604s
  8. 8.Where to find the Challenger 604/605
  9. 9.Photo tips for the Challenger 604/605
  10. 10.Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
  11. 11.Conclusion

Profile

ManufacturerBombardier (Canada), program originally started by Canadair
ClassLarge-cabin business jet of the Challenger 600 series
Type designationCL-600-2B16 (variants 604 and 605)
ICAO type designatorCL60 (shared by the entire 600 series)
First flight Challenger 604March 1995
Production Challenger 6041995/96 to 2006, around 360 delivered
Challenger 605First flight January 2006, entry into service 2006
Engines2 × General Electric CF34-3B, about 38.8 kN each (about 41 kN with automatic power reserve)
Lengthabout 20.9 m
Wingspanabout 19.6 m (with winglets)
Heightabout 6.3 m
Cabinabout 7.3 m long, about 2.4 m wide, about 1.83 m high
Passengerstypically 9–12 in VIP seating, certified for up to 19
Max. takeoff weightabout 21.9 t
Rangeabout 4,000 nm (long-range cruise, manufacturer figures)
Service ceiling41,000 ft
AvionicsCollins Pro Line 4 (604), Collins Pro Line 21 (605)

Identifying features

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  • Two engines mounted on the sides of the rear fuselage and a T-tail, plus a strikingly wide, rounded fuselage – for a jet just over 20 meters long, the Challenger looks almost chubby
  • Straight, upright winglets on a low-mounted, moderately swept wing
  • A clearly visible ventral fin and hump under the tail, with the sturdy main landing gear below
  • Challenger 605: larger, higher-set cabin windows and a modified tail cone – the surest external way to tell it from the 604
  • Fuselage cross-section like the CRJ regional jet, but much shorter and with just a few large windows
  • Listed as CL60 in trackers – the same code covers the 600, 601, 604, 605 and 650; only the registration settles the variant

Updated: October 2026 – A white jet with a T-tail rolls onto the apron, the engines sit at the rear, and the fuselage looks surprisingly thick for its length. That is very likely a member of the Bombardier Challenger 600 series – and very often a Challenger 604 or 605, the two most-built versions before today’s 650. Here you’ll learn how to spot them, how to tell the 604, 605 and 650 apart, and what the Challenger has to do with the German Air Force VIP wing.

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What is the Challenger 604/605?

The Challenger 604 and 605 are twinjet large-cabin business jets from the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. Large cabin here doesn’t mean long range like the Global family, but a cabin that is unusually wide and tall for a jet just over 20 meters long: about 2.4 meters wide and about 1.83 meters high. That puts the Challenger in the same cabin league as much larger jets while staying compact enough for smaller airports.

The roots go back to the 1970s. Learjet founder Bill Lear designed a wide business jet under the name LearStar 600. In April 1976, the Canadian manufacturer Canadair bought the concept and turned it into the Challenger 600. Lear disagreed with the changed configuration and left. The CL-600 made its first flight on November 8, 1978. After Bombardier took over Canadair, the program continued under a new roof – and still does today.

The 600 was followed by the Challenger 601 with winglets and General Electric engines. The Challenger 604 first flew in March 1995 and was built until 2006. Around 360 went to customers. In 2006 the Challenger 605 replaced it, and in 2015 the Challenger 650 arrived as the latest step. All of these versions belong to the same family, and that is exactly what makes identifying them interesting.

CL60ICAO type designator for the entire 600 series
~2.4 mCabin width at about 1.83 m headroom
~4,000 nmRange in long-range cruise

What the 604 improved over the 601

The 604 was a significant development step for Bombardier. Under the shared type designation CL-600-2B16, it received four major upgrades:

  • Engines: two GE CF34-3B engines with about 38.8 kN of takeoff thrust each, up to about 41 kN with the automatic power reserve.
  • Fuel: additional tank capacity that increased the range by a good 800 kilometers over the 601-3R.
  • Landing gear: a strengthened landing gear with larger wheels and more powerful brakes for the higher takeoff weight of about 21.9 tonnes.
  • Cockpit: a Rockwell Collins glass cockpit (Pro Line 4) with six displays and two flight management systems.

The result is a jet that can cover about 4,000 nautical miles with a few passengers – enough for nonstop flights from central Europe to the US East Coast or the Middle East. Typical cruise is around Mach 0.80, and the service ceiling is 41,000 feet.

Challenger 604, 605 or 650?

From the outside, the three versions are closely related. The following table shows what matters.

Feature Challenger 604 Challenger 605 Challenger 650
ICAO type designator CL60 CL60 CL60
Entry into service 1996 2006 2015
Engine GE CF34-3B GE CF34-3B GE CF34-3B, more takeoff thrust
Avionics Collins Pro Line 4 Collins Pro Line 21 Pro Line 21 Advanced
Cabin windows smaller, set lower larger, set higher same as 605
Tail cone original shape modified same as 605

The key step from the 604 to the 605 is the larger, higher-set windows and the new tail cone. Aerodynamics and engines stayed the same, so performance figures are similar. The 650 took over the 605 airframe and mainly renewed the cabin and cockpit. Between the 605 and 650, only the registration helps you as a spotter.

Pro tip: the window line in profile

Photograph the Challenger in a clean side profile and compare the window line with the edge of the door. On the 605, the windows reach visibly higher. With Planetrack you log the sighting with photo and registration and have the comparison handy later.

How to spot the Challenger 600 series

There are many business jets with a T-tail and rear-mounted engines. Three checks will still reliably lead you to the 600 series.

Check the fuselage shape

The Challenger 600 series has a wide, tall fuselage that looks almost like a shortened regional jet. The equally long Challenger 350, by contrast, is slim and round. The difference is especially obvious when the two stand side by side.

Wingtips and tail

The winglets of the 601, 604 and 605 stand almost vertically upward. Under the tail sits a clearly visible ventral fin. The very early Challenger 600 has no winglets – a real rarity.

Type code and registration

If the tracker shows CL60, you’re in the family. Which variant it is only becomes clear from the registration in a database. How to track an aircraft by registration shows you how.

The relationship to the CRJ is no coincidence: Bombardier developed the CRJ100/200 regional jet from the Challenger design. The fuselage cross-section is therefore very similar, but the CRJ is much longer and has a long row of small windows.

Lookalikes: competitors and family

Several jets resemble the Challenger 604/605 at first glance. The finder helps you narrow it down.

Quick ID: Challenger or not?

Three questions, one estimate. The registration always has the final say.

Likely

Challenger 600 series (601/604/605/650)

Wide fuselage, T-tail and two rear engines fit the family. Window size and registration narrow down the variant.

Likely

Challenger 300/350

Same length, but a slimmer fuselage and outward-angled winglets – an entirely separate design.

Likely

Embraer Legacy 600/650

Derived from the ERJ 135 regional jet: much longer and slimmer, with the typical Embraer window line.

Likely

Dassault Falcon 900

Three engines instead of two – that rules out any Challenger immediately.

Despite the name, the Challenger 300/350 is a new design with a slimmer fuselage and Honeywell engines. The Embraer Legacy 600 descends from a regional jet like the Challenger, but is longer and narrower. The Dassault Falcon 900 is ruled out by its three engines, the twin-engine Falcon 2000 by the horizontal stabilizer sitting lower on the tail. The Gulfstream G450 is bigger and has the distinctive oval Gulfstream windows. A detailed feature table of all the big families is in the guide How to tell Gulfstream, Global, Falcon, Citation and Challenger apart.

Challenger and the VIP wing: the Air Force 601

If you’re looking for the Challenger in German government service, you end up at the Flugbereitschaft of the BMVg (the German Air Force VIP wing). But it didn’t fly the 604 there, rather its predecessor: from 1986 to 2011 the Air Force operated seven Challenger 601s with the registrations 12+01 to 12+07. The jets mainly carried members of government and parliament, plus ministry staff and courier flights. With additional equipment, some aircraft could also be used for medical transport.

In 2011 the Global 5000 took over this role, and the 601s were retired. Visually the 601 is very similar to the 604: same fuselage, winglets, CF34 engines. Photos of the 12+0x Challengers are sought-after archive shots today. How German military registrations are structured is explained in the article Registrations of Bundeswehr aircraft; how to find current government flights is covered in How to spot government aircraft.

Government and military Challenger 604s

The 604 is popular not only with private and charter customers, but also with armed forces and agencies. The wide cabin has room for sensor stations, stretchers or crew members, and the range allows long patrols.

  • Denmark: The Royal Danish Air Force operates four Challenger 604s from Aalborg. A militarized version for maritime surveillance and search and rescue can also land on short gravel strips in the Arctic.
  • Switzerland: The Swiss Air Force took over two former ambulance jets from Rega, which fly as T-751 and T-752. Rega itself replaced its Challenger 604s with the Challenger 650 from 2018.
  • Other operators: In Australia, converted aircraft fly search and rescue and air ambulance missions, and the South Korean coast guard is also listed as an operator in reference works. The US Coast Guard used a 604 as a C-143A from 2005 to 2011.
  • Challenger 605: According to common reference works, Turkmenistan Airlines, among others, uses two 605s for government flights.

Military Challengers rarely show up in public flight schedules. How to find them anyway is covered in How to track military aircraft online.

Don’t miss special Challengers

Set up sighting alerts for individual registrations or the CL60 type – Planetrack notifies you when they approach or land. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist.

Where to find the Challenger 604/605

The 600 series is present at business jet airports all over Europe. Many 604s and 605s now fly for charter companies and ambulance services, because they are relatively cheap to get used and offer a big cabin.

Switzerland: Geneva Airport is one of Europe’s most important business jet airports, and the observation deck is the obvious spot. In Zurich, the Butzenbüel offers good views, especially during the World Economic Forum in January. State and business flights land regularly at Bern Airport.

Germany: At Cologne Bonn Airport, home of the Flugbereitschaft, you can see government and business jets from the observation deck. In Munich, the visitors’ hill is a good choice.

France: Paris-Le Bourget is a pure business airport where the Challenger is part of everyday life.

Detailed spot overviews are in the guides for Geneva, Zurich, Cologne Bonn and Munich.

Location Chance of a hit Why
Geneva high Heavy business jet traffic year-round
Paris-Le Bourget high Pure business airport
Zurich medium to high Business traffic, peaks around the WEF
Cologne Bonn medium Flugbereitschaft, business traffic
Bern, Munich medium State visits, trade fairs, business trips

Remote aprons, filtered data

Business jets and government aircraft often park on separate aprons, and some operators have their data filtered in trackers. Focus on takeoffs and landings and stick strictly to publicly accessible locations.

Photo tips for the Challenger 604/605

A profile shot for the variant

A clean side shot shows the window line and tail cone – exactly the details that separate the 604 and 605.

Secure the registration

Because the type code CL60 tells you nothing about the variant, a legible registration photo is a must. It is usually on the rear fuselage.

White needs light

Most Challengers are mostly white. With the sun at your back, the cheatlines and registration stay visible; expose slightly under so nothing blows out. You can find the right time with the sun position planner.

Ready for the Challenger hunt?

Check off what you’ve already done.

  • I’ve set a tracker filter for CL60.
  • I know the likely runway direction in use.
  • I know where the business jet apron is at the airport.
  • My vantage point is publicly accessible and permitted.
  • I can look up a registration in a database.

You can gauge whether your sighting is something special with the article How rare is my sighting?. General tips on the topic are in the guide How to spot business jets.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

It points to a Challenger 604/605 if …

  • you see a T-tail and two engines at the rear
  • the fuselage looks wide and chubby
  • the winglets stand almost vertical
  • the tracker shows CL60

Look closer if …

  • you want to tell the 605 from the 650 – that only works by registration
  • the jet has no winglets – it could be an early Challenger 600
  • the windows look small – then more likely a 601 or 604 than a 605

It’s not a Challenger 604/605 if …

  • the fuselage is slim and the winglets angle outward – more likely a Challenger 350
  • the jet is clearly longer than 25 meters – more likely a Global Express or Global 5000
  • three engines sit at the rear – then a Falcon 900
  • the type code is CL30 or CL35

Conclusion

The Challenger 604 and 605 are the versions of the 600 series you’ll run into most often. A wide fuselage, T-tail, two CF34 engines at the rear and vertical winglets lead you to the family, windows and tail cone to the variant, and the registration to certainty. With the Air Force 601 as a historical precedent and military 604s in Denmark and Switzerland, the family offers collectors plenty of material for a project of their own in the hangar.

In short

Just over 20 meters, T-tail, rear engines and a strikingly chubby fuselage: that is the Challenger 600 series. Larger, higher-set windows give away the 605, the type code CL60 confirms the family – the exact variant is settled by the registration.

Summary

  • The Challenger 604 first flew in March 1995 and was built until 2006; around 360 went to customers.
  • New compared with the 601 were CF34-3B engines, more fuel, a strengthened landing gear and a Rockwell Collins glass cockpit.
  • The Challenger 605 followed in 2006 with larger windows, Pro Line 21 avionics and a new tail cone; from 2015 the Challenger 650 replaced it.
  • State operators include the Danish and Swiss air forces; the German Air Force flew the older Challenger 601 from 1986 to 2011.

Frequently asked questions

What ICAO type designator do the Challenger 604 and 605 have?

Both are listed as CL60. The code covers the entire 600 series, including the Challenger 600, 601 and 650. So a flight tracker doesn’t tell you which variant is coming. You work that out from the registration in a database. Background is in the article ICAO type designators explained.

How do I tell the Challenger 604 from the 605?

The easiest way is the cabin windows: the 605 has larger windows that sit slightly higher on the fuselage. There is also a modified tail cone. Engines, wing and tail are the same. If you’re unsure, the registration decides.

Is the Challenger 650 a new aircraft?

No, the Challenger 650 is a further development of the 605 with the same basic airframe. It arrived in 2015 with updated avionics, a redesigned cabin and slightly more takeoff thrust. From the outside it is hard to tell from a 605.

Did the German Air Force VIP wing fly the Challenger 604?

According to available sources, no. From 1986 to 2011 the Flugbereitschaft operated seven examples of the predecessor, the Challenger 601, with registrations 12+01 to 12+07. In 2011 Bombardier Global 5000s took over that role. The 601 looks very similar to the 604 but is an older version of the same family.

What does the Challenger have to do with the CRJ?

A lot. Bombardier developed the CRJ100/200 regional jet from the Challenger design, with a stretched fuselage for around 50 passengers. That is why the fuselage cross-section is so similar. The Challenger is much shorter, though, and has just a few large windows.

How do I tell the Challenger 604 from the Challenger 350?

Both are about 21 meters long and have a T-tail and rear-mounted engines. The Challenger 350, however, has a slim, round fuselage and winglets that angle outward. The 604 looks chubby and tall, and its winglets stand vertical. In trackers you’ll see CL35 instead of CL60.

Which armed forces and agencies fly the Challenger 604?

The Royal Danish Air Force operates four Challenger 604s from Aalborg, used for maritime surveillance and search and rescue, among other things. The Swiss Air Force took over two former Rega ambulance jets. There are also converted aircraft in Australia for search and rescue missions, among others.

Is a Challenger 604 a rare sighting?

Not really. With around 360 604s built and several hundred 605s, the family is widespread, and many aircraft now fly for charter companies and air ambulance services. Military examples, ambulance jets and early 600/601s, which are becoming rarer, are the special ones.

Collect the Bombardier Challenger 604/605, don’t just see it

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Related airports & manufacturers

Airports, manufacturers, airline groups and alliances – who is behind them and what you should know as a spotter.

Manufacturer

Bombardier

Bombardier made the regional jet popular in Europe, developed today’s A220 and brought Learjet, Canadair and de Havilland Canada under one roof. Today the Montreal-based group builds only business jets – and you see them at Geneva, Le Bourget or Nice more often than you think.

USAManufacturer

GE Aerospace

The US engine maker from Evendale near Cincinnati is behind some of the biggest fans ever hung under a wing: the CF6 for the 747, 767 and MD-11, the GE90 for the Boeing 777, the GEnx for the 787 and 747-8, and the GE9X for the 777X. If you spot widebodies, GE is almost always in your frame.

SwitzerlandAirport

Geneva Airport

Switzerland’s second-largest airport has just one runway – but the longest in the country. Geneva lives on easyJet, SWISS and one of Europe’s strongest business aviation scenes. With the free Panorama terrace and the train station right at the terminal, it is also one of Switzerland’s most convenient spotting destinations.

SwitzerlandAirport

Zurich Airport

Switzerland’s largest airport has three runways in three directions, an operating concept that changes with the time of day and the weather, and an official network of spotting points around the fence. If you know the concepts, you almost always stand in the right place in Zurich.

All airports & manufacturers →

Where to see the Bombardier Challenger 604/605

Specific vantage points with the runway configuration, light times, coordinates and an honest take on whether the trip is worth it.

SwitzerlandObservation deck

Observation terrace at Geneva Airport

On the fourth floor of Terminal 1 you look over the apron onto Switzerland’s longest runway and the Jura range behind it. The Terrasse Panorama costs nothing, you get in without security screening – and thanks to business aviation, an easyJet base and long-haul guests it is rarely boring. The only catch: it is open only from mid-March to the end of October.

SwitzerlandSpotting hill

Butzenbüel and the spotter hill at Zurich Airport

The classic spotter hill at the Heligrill on the west side of Zurich Airport has been gone since September 2023, and the Butzenbüel is a park hill behind The Circle – not a spotter point. Here you learn what is going on with both places and where you can legally spot today in the west and around the fence.

GermanyObservation deck

Observation deck at Cologne Bonn Airport

The rooftop deck on Terminal 1 is the most convenient legal vantage point at Cologne Bonn Airport: free, no security check, reachable directly by train – with views of the apron, the main runway and the military side of the airport.

GermanySpotting hill

Munich Airport visitors’ hill (Besucherhügel)

The best-known vantage point at Lufthansa’s Munich hub: from the visitors’ hill in the Besucherpark you look out over the airport grounds from above – with its own S-Bahn stop right next door.

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Planetrack editorial team

The aircraft type database is built from our own observation at airports, community sightings and publicly available sources. Confirmed details are in the profile; anything that can change is marked as such.

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