Dassault Falcon 20

History of the Dassault Falcon 20

In 1965, the French company Dassault launched the Dassault Falcon 20 family of business jets (although its name actually preceded the Falcon 10). The product was originally developed under the name "Mystere 20" and the brand label Dassault-Breguet. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT12A-8 series turbofan engines and has a crew of 2 for up to 14 seats. The design features a low-set swept wing with a tubular fuselage and a mid-mounted empennage along a distinctive vertical fin.

The cockpit is moved forward in its traditional position, behind a short nose cone for good visibility. The landing gear adopts a tricycle arrangement. The engines are mounted on the outside and stern on both sides of the empennage. The first prototype flew for the first time on May 4, 1963.

In order to reach the desired customer base, Dassault held discussions with Pan Am, and on this basis decided to choose a GE CF700 turbofan over Pratt & Whitney's original choice. Pan Am then ordered its first 40 aircraft and obtained the necessary approvals in U.S. airspace in June 1965.

The US version is called "Fan Jet Falcon".

Finally, between 1963 and 1988, a total of about 508 aircraft were produced. The American form eventually evolved into the "Falcon 20," and over time an improved model emerged as the "Falcon 200." Military operators are Australia, Belgium, Canada (eg CC-117), Egypt, France, Iran, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, USA and Venezuela (among others), while civilian operators are France, Lebanon, Mexico, UK, United States and South Africa.

FedEx is a major U.S. operatorit was the first to buy 33 of this type of aircraftand the U.S. Coast Guard used the product as a HU-25 Guardian as an observer.

Variants that followed the Mystere 20 prototype were the first production 20C models, 20CC models with low-pressure tires, 20D and 20E variants with upgraded GE engines, and the longer-range 20F. The 20FH was a prototype of the Falcon 200 model, while the 20G was developed for maritime patrol and was equipped with 2 Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C engines.

Falcon 20H is the original name of the Falcon 200 series.

The US Coast Guard's HU-25 platform has the original HU-25A (2 x Garrett ATF3-6-2C engines) from the Falcon 20G, and the HU-25A's SLAR (Side Looking Airborne Radar) HU- 25B ) included) equipment, HU-25C with Westinghouse APG-66 radar and FLIR (forward looking infrared) blister (HU-25A conversion), HU-25C+ with improved locate and search capabilities and with ISAR (anti- HU-25D Synthetic Aperture Radar) and FLIR - these are upgrades to the existing HU-25C model.

FedEx's first Falcon 20 - nicknamed "Wendy" - was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1983. Because of its speed, reliability and cargo-carrying capacity, the aircraft proved crucial in establishing overnight delivery operations at its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. The aircraft is currently on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The FedEx version, dubbed the Falcon Cargo Jet, was modified to add a reinforced floor and side fuselage cargo doors.

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