Dassault Aviation’s new ultra long-range business jet, the Falcon 10X, has entered the production phase of the first test article, with key components coming together, the OEM said Monday.
The Falcon 10X is one of two new aircraft the OEM said it plans to bring to market soon.
Long-lead items, such as landing gear, have already been manufactured and are now ready for assembly, the company said in a statement, adding that a first fully representative composite wing is also being prepared for static and fatigue testing.
“All the elements for another great Falcon are literally coming together in our various production facilities,” Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier said.
Rolls-Royce, who is making the powerplant for the Falcon 10X, is also making progress with the certification for its clean-sheet engine design. Dassault said that the Roll-Royce Pearl 10X, an 18,000-pound thrust engine, has logged more than 1,000 test hours, including using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Next, Rolls-Royce will complete a series of ground tests on the first complete powerplant. When all the engine tests are done, Dassault and Rolls-Royce will put the Pearl 10X through a flight test campaign on a Rolls-Royce flying test bed, which Dassault said would begin in 2023.
Falcon 6X Enters Final Stage of Flight Trials
In related news, Dassault’s Falcon 6X is entering the final phase of its certification flight-test campaign with the EASA [European Union Aviation Safety Agency] and the FAA, the company said. The 6X is expected to enter into service by mid-2023.
PR | Falcon 6X Enters Final Stage of Flight Trials Following Successful World Proving Campaign.
— Dassault Falcon (@DassaultFalcon) October 17, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/H38bCbxpw7 pic.twitter.com/pGgcYBUeem
“The 6X has distinguished itself as an extremely remarkable aircraft, sailing through its certification campaign and consistently wowing pilots and engineers with its flawless performance,” Trappier said.
Dassault said it put the 6X platform through a battery of extreme test scenarios, including hot weather trials in the Tunisian desert and cold soaks in northern Canada. The goal was to test the aircraft’s ability to operate in unusual conditions. There was also a high-elevation flight trial at the 9,070-foot-high airstrip in Telluride, Colorado (KTEX).
The company also completed a 50-flight, five-continent campaign, where the goal was to test the full operational readiness of the platform.
“The tour was a rigorous real-world test to ensure Dassault can deliver a mature product with full operational readiness of all systems from day one,” Trappier said. “Pilots gave all systems, including new features of the EASy IV flight deck, high marks and assessed performance as ‘spot on.’”
Looking ahead, the 19th Falcon 6X is undergoing final assembly, the OEM said, and three customer aircraft are in the completion phase at Dassault’s Arkansas facility in Little Rock.
In anticipation of pilot training, Dassault said a full-flight simulator is now operating at CAE Burgess Hill in the U.K. and that 6X pilots could expect to begin training in April 2023.
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