By Skies Magazine | December 13, 2017 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
Dassault Aviation announced it has begun a process to terminate its contract with Safran for the Silvercrest engine, a move that will lead to the end of the Falcon 5X jet program.
The company also announced the launch of a new Falcon program with an entry into service in 2022. A member of Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC)’s PurePower PW800 engine family has been selected to power the new business jet.
“There is still a strong market need for a brand new long range aircraft with a very large cabin,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, in a press release.
The delivery of compliant Silvercrest engines was originally planned for the end of 2013, in accordance with the Falcon 5X flight test schedule, Dassault said in the release.
Safran met recurrent technical issues during program development, said Dassault.
In 2015 and 2016, major technical issues led Safran to announce a new schedule leading to engine delivery for Falcon 5X flight tests by the end of 2017, said Dassault. This prompted a three-year delay of the Falcon 5X’s entry into service.
“This slippage has caused customers’ concerns and order cancellations,” said Dassault, citing 12 cancellations in 2016.
The Falcon 5X performed its maiden flight on July 5, 2017, equipped with a preliminary version of the engine that Dassault said was not compliant with specifications.
This also marked the start of a preliminary flight test campaign, limited by engine capacity, said Dassault. The Falcon 5X flight behaviour met all expectations, the company said.
Dassault cited “the magnitude of the risks involved both on the technical and schedule aspects” of the Silvercrest program in initiating the termination of the contract.
“I have decided to launch a new Falcon project powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, featuring the same cross section as the Falcon 5X, a range of 5,500 [nautical miles], and scheduled to enter into service in 2022,” said Trappier.
P&WC said its PurePower PW800 engine is optimized for high-flying, fast, long-range business jets, sharing the same core technology used in Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower family of geared turbofan commercial engines.
“We are honoured that Dassault Aviation has once again put its trust in P&WC for its new aircraft and we look forward to further develop our long-standing relationship with them on this new platform,” said Irene Makris, vice-president of sales and marketing for P&WC, in a separate press release.
The PurePower PW800 engine is said to incorporate the latest generation of technologies, delivering double-digit improvement in fuel efficiency and setting a new “green” engine standard for emissions with the advanced Talon X combustor.
“Thanks to its robust design, exceptional maintainability, and advanced diagnostics capabilities, the PurePower PW800 engine will deliver best-in-class availability and dispatch reliability to operators,” said P&WC in the release.
“This will be coupled with the PurePower PW800 family’s enhanced service offering tailored for today’s operator needs.”
