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.

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com, www.aviationpartners.com