Dassault Aviation is moving forward on the assembly of its 19-passenger Falcon 10X because it marches toward certification toward the tip of 2026 and deliveries in 2027.
The certification timeline has slipped to about one yr behind the unique plans for 2025. Through the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva last May, Dassault Aviation CEO and chairman Éric Trappier indicated some skepticism in regards to the 2025 timeline, pointing to vendor problems and the longer-than-anticipated effects of Covid.
Nonetheless, Carlos Brana, executive v-p of civil aircraft for Dassault Aviation, told AIN that despite the schedule delay, “development goes easily” as plans to assemble the aircraft this yr proceed. “We’re starting to fabricate the parts,” Brana added. “Straight away, all the things goes in keeping with plan, even when the schedule has slipped a tiny bit.”
Once certified, Dassault will bring to market its largest, longest-range Falcon yet, putting it into the realm of the Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G700.
Powered by Rolls-Royce 10X turbofans producing 18,000 kilos of thrust, the Mach 0.925 aircraft may have a cabin that’s 9 feet, 1 inch wide and 6 feet, 8 inches tall, larger than any of the purpose-built business jets in service today.
With the longer range, the Falcon 10X opens recent city-pair options, akin to Recent York to Shanghai or Hong Kong, and Los Angeles to Sydney. The longer reach allows Dassault to solid a wider offering within the Asia-Pacific market because it continues to expand its presence within the region.
“Asia-Pacific is an element of the world where the expansion is essential,” Brana said. “There’s still big growth. With the extent of industrialization that’s coming, people will need specific transportation means for business, and business aviation is all about that.”
He noted the importance of the Singapore Airshow—the largest within the Asia-Pacific region—to generate interest within the Falcon portfolio as the corporate looks to further construct its base within the growing market.
Dassault is using the Singapore Airshow as a springboard to launch a three-week demonstration tour throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and Recent Zealand of its newest market entry, the Falcon 6X.
Exhibiting on the static display alongside a Falcon 2000LXS, the 6X marks its Singapore Airshow debut some six months after it received EASA and U.S. FAA approvals and shortly after entering service.
The super-midsize Falcon 2000 has proved Dassault’s bestseller up to now, with sales in countries akin to Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. “It’s a platform that’s enjoyed by our customers due to its customers due to its reliability and flexibility,” said Brana.
While the LXS variant boasts a 4,000-nm range, Brana noted its growing portfolio will solid a wider net for operators in Asia with the 6X’s 5,500-nm range that may connect Europe to Asia, and ultimately the 10X.
As Dassault begins its ramp-up of the 6X, it continues to work on approvals akin to steep approach and involving the head-up display, Brana said, in addition to additional certifications in countries akin to China, India, and Canada. With uncertainties surrounding the timeline for Chinese approval, Brana said, “We prefer to begin early.”
At the identical time, the French manufacturer continues to construct the 6X backlog, which extends through 2025.
Dassault’s deliveries dipped to 26 Falcons in 2023, six fewer than in 2022, and in need of the 35 units it had estimated in guidance issued earlier last yr. The manufacturer pointed to produce chain issues for the hampered deliveries. It continues to work with suppliers to assist them come “out of the woods…and to place things behind us,” Brana said. “Things are usually not easy, but they’re improving and hopefully at a fast pace.”
As it really works toward expanding its portfolio, Dassault is growing its service network. The corporate plans to open its next 150,000-sq-ft center on the Kuala Lumpur facility in March. That facility will replace its existing space within the Malaysian city and supply enough capability to accommodate 10 to fifteen Falcon jets while accommodating its newest models. The Malaysian facility already has received FAA approval for line maintenance on the 6X.