First Airframe To Be Assembled By Year End, First Flight On Track For 2021
Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon 6X is nearing initial assembly as the ultra-wide body twinjet continues progressing smoothly towards its scheduled first flight in 2021 and entry into service in 2022.
The front, main and rear fuselage sections of the first aircraft are now complete and are scheduled to be assembled at Dassault’s factory in Biarritz, France later this month. The wing, currently being assembled in nearby Martignas, is due to be joined to the fuselage at Dassault’s Bordeaux-Mérignac facility early next year.
“Everything has been proceeding according to plan. The design was frozen earlier this year and the manufacturing process is well underway,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation. “Dassault Aviation and our global partners have the collaborative digital tools in place to continue to meet the benchmarks that were established when the program was announced.”
Development of the Falcon 6X’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812D engine is also proceeding on schedule. The production PW812D together with the integrated nacelle from United Technologies Corp will be mounted on the Pratt & Whitney Canada Flying Test Bed for the next upcoming flight test campaign.
The PW812D has completed high-risk certification tests, which include bird strikes, hot/cold weather trials including ice, and lost fan blades. The six development engines have accumulated more than 1,200 hours testing and run time. In all, the P&WC geared turbofan (GTF) core at the heart of the Dassault-specific PW812D has logged more than 14,000 hours on the bench.
Main aircraft systems including Honeywell third-generation EASy III all-digital avionics, hydraulic, braking, air, water, and electrical systems are being validated on a multi-system test bench in Istres near Marseille and are also on track for timely delivery. Digital flight control system bench testing in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, is progressing on schedule as well.
The Falcon 6X’s maximum range of 5,500 nm is longer than that of any other jet in its category. It can fly directly from Los Angeles to London, São Paulo to Chicago or Paris to Beijing at Mach 0.85.
The aircraft is equipped with a new-generation Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) that provides better maneuverability by controlling all moving surfaces, including a new control surface called a flaperon, adapted from Dassault fighter jets. The flaperon considerably improves control during approach, especially on steep descents such as London City airport.
The 6X offers the largest cabin cross-section of any purpose-built business jet and the quietest and most comfortable cabin in its class. It is built using industry-leading soundproofing techniques based on experience with the Falcon 8X – the current benchmark in noise comfort. It’s available with Dassault’s revolutionary FalconEye Combined Vision System, the first HUD in business aviation to combine enhanced and synthetic vision capabilities; and FalconConnect, a simple, flexible and user-friendly solution to onboard connectivity that provides seamless communications across the globe.
(Image provided with Dassault news release)
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