Will Include Paint, Engineering Facilities; Addition To Flight Test Line

Dassault Falcon announced this week a new round of expansion at its Little Rock, AR Completion Center. The expansion includes an additional 116,000 square feet of production, design and warehouse space.

"The unprecedented demand for Falcons around the world requires that we continuously evaluate the need to grow our production facilities," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon.

 "With the Falcon 7X now certified for deliveries and with the recent announcement regarding the introduction of the new Falcon 2000LX, Little Rock will be busier than ever completing the best business jets in the sky."

To accommodate the increased demand for Falcons, Dassault will be adding over 200 jobs in the next 24 months, according to the company.

The additional production space will include a four bay EPA Title V approved paint facility; a warehouse and storage expansion; new engineering facilities and a 20,000 square foot addition to the flight test line. Once the $20,000,000 expansion is complete in early 2008, the Little Rock Completion Center will measure 827,000 square feet.

Dassault purchased Little Rock Airmotive -- a 61,500 foot hangar and office facility -- in 1975, with plans to integrate it into its global expansion plans. Originally, the facility was intended to "complete" Falcons for the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific Rim. The airplanes would be built in Bordeaux-Mérignac in France and flown to Little Rock in a "green" condition where they would be outfitted with full interiors and options. The facility is currently 711,000 square feet.

FedEx founder Fred Smith originally used the facility as a completion center for his fleet of Falcon 20 transports that he used to launch the overnight delivery service in the early seventies. By the time Dassault Falcon came into the picture, there was a group of workers familiar with the Falcon product already in place. Making Little Rock even more attractive was a base of highly skilled artisans in cabinetry, carpentry, leather goods, upholstery and a range of other technical specialties.

Since then, the facility has continuously expanded and is now the main completion center for all Falcon aircraft and the largest Dassault facility in the world. In the past thirty years, over 1000 Falcons have been completed there. It is also the largest manufacturing employer in the region with roughly 2,000 employees.

In 2006, Dassault made 50 customer deliveries from Little Rock. That number is expected to increase as customers start taking delivery of the new Falcon 7X, a tri-jet with 5950nm range.

At least 165 firm orders have already been received. As ANN reported, the first Falcon 7X was delivered to a customer on Thursday.

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com