Aircraft Overview: Embraer’s Praetor 500 & Praetor 600

Embraer’s Praetor 500 and Praetor 600 are business jets produced by the Brazilian manufacturer which are commercial designations for the company’s EMB-545 and EMB-550 types, respectively. 

The latter type was certified by the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency [Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)] on Aug. 12, 2014, with the former type subsequently receiving approval on Aug. 11, 2015. 

Previously marketed as the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500, Embraer unveiled updated versions of the EMB-545 and EMB-550 on Oct. 14, 2018, the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600.

Further updates to the types were announced on Feb. 24, 2026, with the upgraded airframes marketed as the Praetor 500E and Praetor 600E. 

According to the airframe manufacturer, deliveries “for new orders” of the Praetor 500E and 600E are expected to start in 2029.

The ANAC type certificate data sheet (TCDS) that includes both the EMB-545 and EMB-550 types states that the Legacy 500 and Praetor 600 are certified to a maximum passenger capacity of 12, a limitation that matches the maximum passenger capacity advertised for the Praetor 600E. 

Comparatively, Embraer promotes the Praetor 500E as having a nine-passenger maximum capacity, one less than the 10-passenger maximum certified capacity of the Legacy 450 and Praetor 500. 

The respective cabin lengths of the Praetor 500E and 600E are 24 ft. and 27.6 ft., while the cabins of both airframes have a height of 6 ft. and a width of 6 ft. 10 in. 

On the Praetor 500E, 150 ft.³ of total baggage capacity is available, with the comparable specification for the Praetor 600E being 155 ft.³ 

Described as having the lowest cabin altitude in its class, the latest commercial designations of the EMB-545 and EMB-550 have a 5,800-ft. cabin altitude while flying at 45,000 ft. 

The two required pilots operate both the Praetor 500E and Praetor 600E by utilizing Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system. 

Despite any differences between the Praetor airframes, both the EMB-545 and EMB-550 types share several common operating limitations, including a 45,000-ft. maximum operating altitude and a maximum operating limit Mach (M_MO) of 0.83 Mach between 30,000 ft. and 45,000 ft. 

The Praetor 600E is capable of a 4,018-nm range when operating at a long-range cruise, carrying four 200-lb. passengers and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) instrument flight rules (IFR) reserves “with [a] 200-nm alternate” and assuming a baseline aircraft and International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) temperature while en route. Based on the same criteria, the Praetor 500E is capable of a 3,340-nm range. 

When compared to the Praetor 600E, the Praetor 500E requires less distance for takeoff and landing, with a 4,222-ft. takeoff distance possible at the airframe’s maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), sea-level altitude, and in ISA conditions. 

The unfactored landing distance of that Praetor variant—which assumes NBAA IFR reserves with a 200-nm alternate, four passengers, sea-level altitude and ISA conditions—is 2,086 ft. 

Assuming the same criteria, the takeoff distance and unfactored landing distance of the Praetor 600E are 4,717 ft. and 2,165 ft., respectively.

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Although both the Praetor 500E and Praetor 600E are powered by two Honeywell HTF7500E engines (AS907-3-1E), Embraer states that the thrust produced by the engines on those airframes differs by nearly 1,000 lbf. 

Specifically, the Praetor 600E’s HTF7500E engines are able to produce 7,528 lbf. of thrust, an amount that the Praetor 500E’s engines reduce to 6,540 lbf. 

These commercial designations also differ in total fuel capacity: 13,050 lb. for the Praetor 500 and 16,137 lb. for the Praetor 600, both higher than the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500. 

Similarly, the Praetor 500E’s 3,363-lb. maximum payload is less than the Praetor 600E’s 4,001-lb. maximum payload.