Dassault Falcon 5X

Dassault Falcon 5X History

French company Dassault is developing the Falcon 5X for the long-haul business jet market. The aircraft can carry up to 16 passengers (depending on seating configuration) and is expected to challenge competing designs on long-haul routes with an estimated range of up to 5,200 nautical miles (approximately 6,000 miles).

The first flight was recorded on July 5, 2017, and the aircraft is scheduled to enter series production sometime in 2020. However, issues related to the engine under development delayed the planned milestone.

Dassault describes the Falcon 5X as "the largest and most advanced Falcon jet to date".

The Falcon 5X was launched in mid-2000 to counter market entrants such as Canadas Bombardier, Embraer and US Gulfstream. The original powerplant choice was 2 of the Rolls-Royce RB282 range, but the changing global market forced a project revision in 2009, leading to the selection of an entirely new powerplant - the locally designed and developed SNECMA "Silvercrest" turbofan.

The engine, rated at 11,450 pounds of thrust, first operated in September 2012, although at the time of writing (2017) it is still in progress.

The Falcon 5X is designed to have an overall length of 82.7 feet, a wingspan of 85 feet and a height of 24.6 feet. MTOW is 70,000 lbs. Performance specs include a top speed of 595 mph, a range of up to 6,000 miles, and a service ceiling of 51,000 feet.

Appearance, the machine lines are smooth and concise. The cockpit (two crew members seated side by side) is in its usual position, facing a short nose cone that provides good visibility outside the cockpit. The fuselage is tubular and lined with circular windows along the passenger area. Rectangular doors mounted behind the cockpit and in front of the passenger area allow entry and exit.

The wing main aircraft (new design) is mounted low and swept back, with smooth upturned "winglets" at the tips to maximize fuel efficiency. In fact, "Efficient, Fast, Efficient" is the name of the game for Dassault engineers and their Falcon 5X. The addition of "flaperons" to the wing elements draws on Dassault's experience in the military market, improving near-field performance as well as handling on approach.

The empennage consisted of a vertical fin with a mid-mounted horizontal plane, which also housed the engine nacelles on the outer stubs. Conventional wheeled retractable landing gear optimized for full weight (fuel and cargo) landings for ground operations.

The Falcon 5X will have direct flights from London to New York, Sydney to Shanghai and similar routes in between. Short-field performance (assuming eight passengers) is an inherent quality of the design, as is speed. Pilots get state-of-the-art features such as a head-up display (HUD), nose-mounted infrared cameras, and augmented and synthetic vision systems. A new internal Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) is included in the Falcon 5X to help fly the aircraft and adapt (in real time) to external environmental conditions. The cockpit instrument panel is controlled by four large color displays and an associated mission scoreboard for both pilots.

The seat is ergonomic to support long journeys. The passenger area is fitted with sunroofs (roof windows), WiFi capabilities and the expected luxuries of this type of aircraft (high cabin ceilings, wide-body seats, app-based inflight entertainment options).

The aircraft was designed to carry a crew of three.

October 2017 - Dassault terminated the Falcon 5X program, citing assembly issues with the expected Silvercrest engine.

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