Dassault Aviation has taken the wraps off its latest business jet, the Falcon 10X. Still in development, the aircraft won't be built for several years, but the company had a virtual rollout to highlight the design and many of the features of what it claims is the business jet with the world's largest cabin.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the aerospace industry, with many analysts expecting a long-term drop in business travel in favor of virtual meetings, but, based on its customer research, Dassault is aiming its new Falcon 10X at business people who want or need to fly very long distances.
When it goes into service, the Falcon 10X will have an extremely long range for a business aircraft. Powered by twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines generating 18,000 pounds of thrust, it will be able to cover 7,500 nautical miles (8,630 miles, 13,900 km) on a single load of fuel. It will be able to fly non-stop from Paris to northwest Australia in about 15 hours at a speed of Mach 0.925 (686 mph, 1,104 km/h).
With such a long-range capabilities, Dassualt has designed the Falcon 10X to be as comfortable as possible for both the passengers and crew. The cabin is 6.6 ft (2.03 m) tall and 9.1 ft (2.77 m) wide, making it the widest and tallest purpose-built business jet today. The cabin itself is sectional and can be configured to meet the customer's needs, including the installation of an enlarged master suite with a full en-suite shower.
To add to the comfort, the cabin, when flying at an altitude of 41,000 ft (12,500 m), is pressurized to the equivalent of 3,000 ft (910 m). The air itself is filtered and purified, noise levels are kept low, and the cabin boasts 38 windows that are 50 percent bigger than those in the Falcon 8X.
To allow the Falcon 10X to operate out of small airports, it's been fitted with a very high aspect ratio wing with advanced, retractable high-lift devices. To save on weight, it's been constructed out of carbon composite materials.
On the flight deck, the pilot seats are designed to fold flat, so one crew member can sleep while the other is at the controls, which are digital with plenty of touchscreens instead of analog controls. This next-generation Digital Flight Control System is derived from Dassault's work on military aircraft and includes a single throttle to control both engines. The computer monitors the engines and automatically adjusts the power output of each. It's claimed it can even respond appropriately to emergency situations on its own.
In addition, the aircraft uses the company's FalconEye combined vision system that uses Head Up Displays (HUDs) as the primary flight readouts, which provide enhanced and synthetic vision capabilities for zero ceiling/visibility conditions.
"Today we are introducing a new benchmark in business aviation," says Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. "The Falcon 10X will offer an unrivaled passenger experience over both short- and long-duration flights, along with breakthrough safety features from Dassault’s 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."
The Falcon 10X will enter service at the end of 2025. The video below recaps the unveiling of the Dassault Falcon 10X.
Source: Dassault Aviation
