PUBLICATIONS
Vol.50 | No.6
$ 9.00
JUNE 2021 | a i n o n l i n e .c o m
Dassault unveils Falcon 10X
OEMs
by Matt Thurber
OEMs
Dassault Aviation during a May 6 virtual event launched the Falcon 10X as a 7,500-nm competitor to the Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G700, adding the French manufacturer to the ranks of ultra-long-range business jet manufacturers. Originally code-named NX, the 10X is expected to be certified and enter service in 2025, according to Dassault. “Today we are introducing a new benchmark in business aviation,” said Dassault chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “The 10X will offer an unrivaled passenger experience over both short- and long-duration flights, along with breakthrough safety features derived from frontline fighter technology. We have optimized every aspect of the aircraft with the passenger in mind and established a new level of capability for ultra-long-range aircraft.” Dassault consulted with potential customers on the design, and the key attributes they asked for were range and comfort, Trappier explained. For long-duration flights, he added, customers said “you need to be effective, you need to feel at home.”
Powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X turbofans, the 10X has a 2,780-cu-ft cabin that sets it apart from competitors, boasting the largest cross-section of a purpose-built business jet with an interior width of 9 feet 1 inch and height of 6 feet 8 inches. By comparison, the G700 cabin measures 8 feet 2 inches wide and 6 feet 3 inches tall; the Global 7500 is 8 feet wide and 6 feet 2 inches high. All three jets’ cabin volume is nearly similar at around 2,700 cu ft. While the Global 7500’s published range is 200 nm longer, all three have price tags of around $75 million (2021 dollars for the 10X). Leveraging its experience manufacturing composite wings for the Rafale fighter jet, Dassault said the 10X’s highly swept wings will be made of carbon-fiber materials. The 10X will be Dassault’s first commercial airplane with composite wings, although the company did extensive flight testing of a Falcon 10 with a composite wing from 1985 to 2005. “The wing is key for the performance of an aircraft,” Trappier said. A big change on the 10X is the T-tail configuration of the empennage, a switch away from the distinctive-looking cruciform and
Textron sees sales, orders growth page 12
downward-canted horizontal stabilizers on all previous Falcon business jets. Also new for the 10X is an addition to the digital flight control system (DFCS), the single power-lever Smart Throttle that was tested extensively during a 7X flight-test campaign last year. Adding the Smart Throttle to the DFCS will enable the addition of Recovery Mode, a new feature for Falcon jets. continues on page 28
Read Our SPECIAL REPORT
Spotlight on SAF The production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is growing slowly but surely, while the aviation industry faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions in all aspects of airline and business aviation travel.
page 20
Gulfstream orders, deliveries climb page 14
Safety Runway excursions and x-winds, part 2 page 18
Ops Costs Why insurance rates are so high page 26
Safety IIMC avoidance versus recovery page 32
Training Virtual reality simulators gain ground page 33