By Skies Magazine | May 25, 2023 Estimated reading time 6 minutes, 14 seconds.
During this year’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, Dassault Aviation provided an update on its latest and largest jets, the Falcon 6X and 10X.
The OEM shared that its Falcon 6X aircraft has completed its certification flight test program — logging more than 580 flights with over 1,480 flight hours — and that certification of the long-range business jet is expected “in the coming weeks.” The 6X’s entry into service will follow shortly thereafter.
The OEM was originally anticipating the 6X’s entry into service in late 2022. However, Dassault said the Covid-19-related supply chain issues caused that timeline to slip to mid-2023.
The third and final 6X flight test aircraft has been on static display at EBACE this week; before arriving in Geneva, the jet “endured a gauntlet of extreme hot and cold temperature soaks and flooded runway trials, as well as high-altitude, high-speed testing,” Dassault said in a press release.
Powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada 13,500-pound-thrust PW812D engines, the Falcon 6X has an eight-passenger range of 5,500 nautical miles and a maximum operating speed of Mach .90. The aircraft has the ability to seat up to 12 to 16 passengers – depending on the cabin configuration. The cabin, in particular, is the tallest and widest in business aviation, with a stand-up height of six feet, six inches.
The 6X’s flight deck is equipped with Dassault’s EASy IV avionics suite as well as the OEM’s FalconEye Combined Vision System, which provides guidance on approaches down to 100 feet before the runway is visible.
Dassault said its factory service centers around the world are preparing for the 6X’s entry into service, and a new 6X simulator is in operation at CAE’s Burgess Hill, U.K., training center, “with first customer type certification classes set to begin soon.”
Dassault’s latest offering, the Falcon 10X — which was unveiled in May 2021 — is making progress on its test program, the OEM shared. Parts production for the 19-passenger jet are underway, and the first airframe assembly is “gathering pace.”
Powered by new Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines, which deliver 18,000+ lbs of thrust, the aircraft has an impressive range of 7,500 nm and a max operating speed of Mach .925. On the flight deck is the next-generation NeXus avionics suite, as well as Dassault’s FalconEye technology. Once the 10X enters service (slated for late 2025), it will offer the largest cabin ever designed for a purpose-built business jet.
Next steps for the 10X include the completion of static and fatigue testing of the all-carbon-fiber wing prototype. Dassault said a “series of revolutionary multi-system test benches — intended to demonstrate the maturity of all systems before the aircraft even takes to the air — is up and running,” too.
Moreover, the 10X’s Smart Throttle, among other design features, has entered testing on a full flight deck bench in Saint-Cloud, France. Lastly, the Pearl engine has completed “extensive ground tests, including on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel, [and] the engine is expected to fly on a Boeing 747 flying test bed later this year.”
During EBACE, Dassault also shared upgrades made to its most popular in-production models, the Falcon 2000LXS twin and the 8X trijet, which can be found here.
