Parts production for Dassault Aviation’s new ultra-long range Falcon 10X is now underway, with final assembly of the first aircraft set to begin next year.
With detailed design nearly complete, production and assembly of the ultra-widebody twin is gearing up at sites around Europe and North America, including a brand-new Factory 4.0 smart manufacturing facility in Seclin in northern France. A new production hall in Biarritz in southwestern France is dedicated to the aircraft’s all-composite wing. A first wing is in final assembly and will be placed in a static test rig this summer.
“We are making excellent progress in getting this new aircraft into production, and the coming months will see an increasing flow of parts, subsystems and large structures into our facilities in the south of France,” said Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO, Eric Trappier. “With help from the world’s leading suppliers, the Falcon 10X will be the most advanced and capable aircraft in business aviation.”
The 10X will have the largest cabin of any purpose-built business jet, along with the most flexible and homelike interior. With a cabin height of six-feet, eight inches and volume of 2,780 cubic feet, the ultra-spacious cabin has been likened to a “flying penthouse.” Range will be 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km) at Mach 0.85 and top speed will be Mach 0.925.
The first of the ultra-efficient Pearl 10X engines that will power the 10X recently ran on a test stand at Rolls-Royce’s Dahlewitz, Germany facility, surpassing its target thrust level on the first run. Already, Rolls-Royce has accomplished 1,000 hours of testing on the 18,000 pounds-plus thrust engine, including runs on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel. The Pearl 10X will be certified for 100 percent SAF.
Other test highlights include installation of a multi-system integration bench, complete with subsystem computers, at Dassault’s Istres flight test facility near Marseille. This multi-system bench, along with individual benches for fuel systems, electrical systems, hydraulics, and flight controls, will serve to ensure that all systems are fully tested and mature when the 10X takes to the sky.
Certification and entry into service is anticipated in late 2025.
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