Dassault Aviation is moving forward on the assembly of its 19-passenger Falcon 10X as it marches toward entry into service in 2027.
The timeline has slipped behind the original target of 2025. During the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva last May, Dassault Aviation CEO and chairman Éric Trappier indicated some skepticism about the 2025 timeline, pointing to vendor problems and the longer-than-anticipated effects of Covid.
However, Carlos Brana, executive v-p of civil aircraft for Dassault Aviation, told AIN that despite the schedule delay, “development is going smoothly” as plans to assemble the aircraft this year proceed. “We are starting to manufacture the parts,” Brana added. “Right now, everything is going according to plan, even if 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 pounds of thrust, the Mach 0.925 aircraft will have a cabin that is 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 new city-pair options, such as New York to Shanghai or Hong Kong, and Los Angeles to Sydney. The longer reach allows Dassault to cast a wider offering in the Asia-Pacific market as it continues to expand its presence in the region.
“Asia-Pacific is part of the world where the growth is important,” Brana said. “There’s still big growth. With the level of industrialization that is 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 biggest in the Asia-Pacific region—to generate interest in the Falcon portfolio as the company looks to further build its base in the growing market.
Dassault is using the Singapore Airshow as a springboard to launch a three-week demonstration tour throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand of its newest market entry, the Falcon 6X.
Exhibiting at 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 so far, with sales in countries such as Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. “It’s a platform that is enjoyed by our customers because of its customers because of its reliability and versatility,” said Brana.
While the LXS variant boasts a 4,000-nm range, Brana noted its growing portfolio will cast a wider net for operators in Asia with the 6X’s 5,500-nm range that can connect Europe to Asia, and ultimately the 10X.
As Dassault begins its ramp-up of the 6X, it continues to work on approvals such as steep approach and involving the head-up display, Brana said, as well as additional certifications in countries such as China, India, and Canada. With uncertainties surrounding the timeline for Chinese approval, Brana said, “We prefer to start early.”
At the same time, the French manufacturer continues to build the 6X backlog, which extends through 2025.
Dassault’s deliveries dipped to 26 Falcons in 2023, six fewer than in 2022, and short of the 35 units it had estimated in guidance issued earlier last year. The manufacturer pointed to supply chain issues for the hampered deliveries. It continues to work with suppliers to help them come “out of the woods…and to put things behind us,” Brana said. “Things are not easy, but they’re improving and hopefully at a quick pace.”
As it works toward expanding its portfolio, Dassault is growing its service network. The company plans to open its next 150,000-sq-ft center at the Kuala Lumpur facility in March. That facility will replace its existing space in the Malaysian city and provide enough capacity to house 10 to 15 Falcon jets while accommodating its newest models. The Malaysian facility already has received FAA approval for line maintenance on the 6X.
Editor's note: This article has been edited to remove the certification timeline.