Dassault Aviation provided updates on the Falcon 10X and Falcon 6X programs, as well as service expansions, at NBAA in Las Vegas earlier today.
FALCON 10X
Dassault Aviation is bringing a full-scale cabin mockup for the largest purpose-built business jet, the forthcoming Falcon 10X, to NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas where it will be on display. After the show, the mockup will remain in the US for individual customer tours, with a second mock-up available at their Le Bourget showroom.
Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said “the Falcon 10X is not just another intercontinental contender, it’s in a league of its own and has to be experienced first-hand to be fully appreciated. Because of its sheer size and imaginative layout, you’ll move about this cabin differently, much more easily than in any competing business jet. The 10X will provide the ultimate in privacy and in the collaborative workspace – indeed, it will be able to provide both at the same time.” The 10X cabin is 6 feet 8 inches tall and 9 feet 1 inch wide, a longer cross-section than some modern regional jets.
The 10X program has entered the detailed design phase that will be completed before year end. Parts production for the 7,500nm, Mach 0.925 jet will begin in 2022. Dassault Aviation’s new Factory 4.0 smart manufacturing facility in Seclin, France will supply many components, with the all-composite wing manufactured at Dassault Aviation’s redesigned Biarritz, France facility.
The new Pearl 10X engines are being developed at Rolls Royce as the latest and most powerful version of the Pearl family, and are being assembled in Dahlwitz, Germany near Berlin. The first engine test run is scheduled for 2022. The Pearl 10X will be rated at more than 18,000 pounds of thrust and be 100% SAF compatible.
“The Falcon 10X will be the new benchmark in business aviation,” said Trappier. “We’re eager to see industry reaction at NBAA-BACE, we anticipate a very positive response.
FALCON 6X
The Falcon 6X is proceeding smoothly through its flight test campaign, with aircraft number 4 due to sly shortly. The Falcon 6X first flew on March 10th, 2021. Three test articles are now flying. Pratt & Whitney Canada is in the final stages of certification process for the PW 812D engines that will power the 6X, with certification expected once the final reviews, that are currently underway, are completed.
“Although our test pilot team is now center stage, every level of our organization, from the design office to the factory floor, deserves praise for the great progress we are making in the Falcon 6X program and the way it is meeting all the expectations we set for it,” said Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “Once our intensive test and demonstration campaign is complete, customers will be assured of taking delivery of a mature aircraft.”
Each of the three test aircraft is flying two to three times a week, typically several hours per flight. Test points beyond Mmo and Vmo have been completed and every aspect of flight testing, from system development, aircraft performance, and envelope expansion, is proceeding flawlessly.
“The flying qualities of the 6X are truly extraordinary, even by our exacting Dassault standards. We are extremely satisfied with the way the aircraft is performing during the test campaign,” said Philippe Duchateau, Chief Test Pilot at Dassault Aviation.
Aircraft number three is equipped with a full cabin and is being used for acoustic and thermal testing, as well as evaluating cabin pressurization and airflow for maximum passenger comfort. Engineers believe the 6X will achieve or surpass the sound levels of the Falcon 8X, currently the quietest cabin in business aviation. Aircraft number four, the first production aircraft, is also being fitted with a full interior and will embark on a world tour in mid-2022. The Falcon 6X is scheduled to enter into service by the end of 2022.
“There is still considerable test activity to be completed, as in any test campaign,” said Trappier. “But we can report at this point that we are achieving milestones at a pace that our test engineers are really happy with.”
The Falcon 6X has the largest cabin in its class, surpassed only by the Falcon 10X. At 6 feet 6 inches tall and 8 feet 6 inches wide, the Falcon 6X combines space with low approach speeds of 109 knots and the ability to operate into fields as short as 4,000 feet.
SERVICE AND SUPPORT
Dassault Aviation has also consolidated its MRO network and is expanding Falcon service to previously underserved areas. With new major development in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai and new line service bases in several additional European cities, Dassault Aviation is leveraging recently acquired MRO capabilities to reorganize and consolidate its worldwide support network and bring Falcon expertise around the world. The company can now offer major inspections at a range of new locations, dispatch GoTeams to more remote places, and share expertise across its global network. This ensures a single uniformly high level of factory service wherever Falcons fly.
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier discussed the company’s proactive product support strategy at NBAA. “In 2019, we acquired TAG Maintenance Services (TMS), ExecuJet MRO Services and RUAG’s MRO operations in Switzerland to build up our factory service capacity, and are now investing heavily in these premier service networks to foster sustained organic growth,” said Trappier. “Two examples of this strategy are our new ExecuJet MRO facilities in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai, which replace smaller preexisting operations and are poised to become regional service hubs for our growing fleets in Asia and the Middle East. These strategic moves will elevate the quality and consistency of Falcon service around the globe.”
