Dassault to Highlight Falcon 8X, 900LX Trijets at Jet Expo 2017

Dassault Aviation will showcase its Falcon 8X and 900LX large-cabin long range Falcon business jets at Jet Expo Moscow 2017, which opens on September 7 at the Vnukovo 3 business aviation complex.

The first ultra-long range Falcon 8X’s were recently delivered to Russian operators, following the aircraft’s Russian certification, received in May. Additional deliveries of the 6,450 nm/11,945 km tri-jet to customers in Russia and the CIS are anticipated in the coming months.

The Falcon 900LX on display is a new modernized version unveiled at last year’s National Business Aviation Association show in Orlando, Florida. The aircraft features a re-designed new cabin, with contemporary styling, optimized sound proofing, and the latest cabin systems.

Russia and the surrounding area are a major market for Dassault’s wide body tri-jets, whose enhanced safety, ETOPS free operation and unparalleled short field capability are made to order for the vast often inhospitable expanses of the Euro-Asian Subcontinent. Three engined aircraft account for the vast majority of the Falcons sold in the region over the last decade. However, the large Russian Falcon fleet also includes a number of Falcon 2000 wide body twin-jets, which are famed for their unrivalled operating efficiency and flying agility. 

“Falcon tri-jet sales have really taken off here over the past three years, particularly for our very long range Falcon 7X,” said Gilles Gautier, Vice President, Falcon Sales for Dassault Aviation. “We expect the new 8X, which borrows and improves on the advanced features of the 7X while offering expanded range and a longer and roomier cabin, to be every bit as popular in the Russian region.”

Falcon 8X Setting New Benchmark in Ultra Long Range Segment 

The Falcon 8X can fly from Moscow to Los Angeles, Cape Town, Darwin or Rio de Janeiro to Moscow non-stop and land at restricted short runways/steep approach airports that are typically inaccessible to large business jets. It is even quieter than the 7X, the quietest executive jet on the market – an important consideration for the 14 hour-plus flights for which the 8X was designed.

The aircraft’s spacious cabin – the longest of any Falcon – can accommodate a wide variety of configurations. A layout featuring a forward lounge bar that can be easily converted into a certified crew rest for very long flights, introduced at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibit in Geneva in May, is proving especially popular.

And thanks to long proving and feedback from the 7X and a month long world demonstration tour last year, the 8X comes to market with fully mature systems and an exceptional level of operational reliability. Operational capability has been further reinforced with recent approvals to fly in severe crosswind conditions and to operate at London City Airport.

The 8X is certified to carry Dassault’s revolutionary FalconEye Combined Vision System, the first head up display (HUD) system in business aviation to combine synthetic and enhanced vision capabilities in a single view. Almost all Falcon 8X customers have signed up to use the new FalconEye HUD.

Falcon 8X operators can also opt for our Falcon Sphere II electronic flight bag solutions, which bring the industry closer than ever to the truly paperless cockpit, and a JetWave Ka-band Satcom system, which enables passengers to browse the internet, stream videos or videoconference anywhere in the world, over land or over water, as if they were in their office or at home.

The FalconEye and Ka-band broadband options are also available on the modernized Falcon 900LX, which is expected to remain the industry benchmark for reliability, versatility and fuel economy in the 4,750 nm/8,800 km segment for years to come.

Russia is also expected to be a big market for Dassault’s brand new Falcon 5X ultra large body twinjet, which recently began a preliminary flight test campaign. The 5,200 nm/9,630 km 5X will offer the highest and widest cabin on the market, yet provide sufficient range to fly from Moscow to New York or Hong Kong in a single hop. First deliveries of the new twin are anticipated in 2020.

Reinforcing After-Market Support

Optimizing after-market support is a top priority at Dassault, as evidenced by recent surveys that have placed the company at the top of the industry in terms of aircraft reliability and the quality and dependability of support services. 

To ensure it can continue delivering top-notch support to Russian operators, Dassault has significantly reinforced and expanded its regional service network in recent years. The company recently set up a new stock of spare parts at Vnukovo 3, near the Dassault Falcon Services satellite service center, to further facilitate the distribution of spares within the Russia and the CIS. A Moscow based field service representative was also assigned to the region last year.

Russian customers can also count on Falcon Response, Dassault’s comprehensive suite of AOG services. A number of operators from the region have benefited from the dedicated Falcon 900 missions made available by Falcon Response to handle AOG situations and if necessary provide alternative lift – an industry first.