Winglet-Equipped Falcon 2000LX Features 4,000nm Range
This week, at the 7th Annual EBACE Convention in Geneva,
Switzerland, Dassault announced a new addition to the Falcon family
of business jets -- the Falcon 2000LX.
Based on the Falcon 2000EX, Dassault tells ANN the 2000LX will
feature a range of 4,000 nautical miles at Mach .80 and a
best-in-class climb speed to 41,000 feet in just 18 minutes.
"The range increase certainly gives our customers more
capability and more efficiency on longer trips and they will surely
enjoy seeing their fuel consumption numbers drop," said John
Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon.
"The Falcon 2000EX EASy was already the most fuel efficient
large cabin business jet in the world. Thanks to the advanced
blended winglet design from Aviation Partners, our fuel efficiency
advantage over the competition will continue to grow with the
Falcon 2000LX."
Dassault says the Falcon 2000LX's new wing aerodynamics reduce
drag as much as five percent, offering corresponding range and
efficiency improvements over the Falcon 2000EX. The 2000LX is
expected to be certified by the end of 2007 and will replace the
Falcon 2000EX starting with 2010 deliveries.
For 2000EX deliveries scheduled in 2008 and 2009, customers can
choose the winglets as an option.
"We've never designed a winglet before that performs so well, so
high into the drag rise," said Joe Clark, Chairman and CEO of
Aviation Partners.
Dassault states the 2000LX offers the same interior as the
2000EX EASy, but with a list of more extensive city pairs. The
2000LX will be able to connect New York to Moscow; Paris to Delhi
and Hong Kong to Brisbane. The Falcon 2000LX will also come
standard with the award-winning EASy flight deck, which the company
reports has won high marks and praise for its integrated features
and intuitive displays.
Over 145 EASy equipped aircraft are
in operation, according to the planemaker.
Some structural and systems modifications will be necessary to
accommodate the winglets. Reinforcing straps will be added to the
upper and lower wing panels and the servo actuator door will be
reinforced. The baseline wingspan of the 2000LX will be 6 feet 9
inches longer than the 2000EX.
The Falcon 2000LX will be powered by the same highly reliable
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308C engines as the 2000EX and 2000EX
EASy. The PW308C is rated at 7,000lbs thrust (ISA + 15C) and
recently passed 93,000 flight hours.
This new program is a result of a joint project with Aviation
Partners. Dassault is in charge of new production aircraft while
Aviation Partners is responsible for sales and marketing of the
retrofits for the Falcon 2000 series scheduled to begin shortly
after certification. Retrofits will be available at Dassault
facilities in Le Bourget, France, and Wilmington, DE.
The Falcon 2000LX likely won't be the last winglet-equipped
Dassault jet we'll see, either. A joint development program for
adding winglets to members of the Falcon 900 family is under
review. Aviation Partners is also planning on offering a winglet
retrofit program for the Falcon 50.