Demonstrators Taken to Mach .95, -40?F During Flight Testing for 2022 Approval

Dassault Aviation updated customers on the progress being made by their upcoming 6X, showing off some of the tests faced by the aircraft, from arctic encounters to chasing the sound barrier. 

The trio of pre production demonstrators have been flown for more than 600 hours across 180 flights in what Dassault describes as a "rapid-paced flight test program." While putting the design through some of its first paces, they sent one Falcon across the Atlantic for cold-weather testing in the harsh Canadian North where it saw temps down to -13?F.

The Falcon 6X was parked in Iqualuit, Canada and allowed to cold soak for two days straight before real-world warm-up, initialization, and engine start kicked off a tour of the local region in the frigid air. Upcoming cold testing will see even harsher treatment as that plane endures -40?F. Another 6X flew on a TotalEnergies Sustainable Aviation Fuel mix to test the use of greener, synthesized fuels. 

Another Falcon was the lucky testbed selected to evaluate the plane's handling beyond its maximum operating speed of Mach .90. With Dassault chief test pilot Philippe Duchateau and senior test pilot Bruno Ferry at the help, the plane was put into a max-power nose down position to touch Mach .95 for the design's first high-speed behavior test. Upcoming evaluation will see the plane taken even further and faster, as well as pushed to find the limits of its flight control systems, handling, and air brake deployments. The other 2 demonstrators will tackle high wind landings for crosswind and tailwind evaluation once through with takeoff and landing performance testing under a range of aircraft conditions. 

Dassault also reports headway on certification for the PW812D engines for use on the Falcon 6X. After nearly 5,000 hours of testing, the Pratt & Whitney Canada engines have received Canadian approval, with EASA and FAA certification expected in the coming future. The engine have been evaluated for SAF compatibility at rates up to 50% blend, helpful for a company angling to beat industry emissions and sustainability goals.

Looking into the future, Dassault personnel have begun readying the parts network for support from day 1, ordering 6,000 different parts in order to build up spares inventories even before the 6X arrives.

The Falcon is expected to be certified by year's end, and from everything shown so far, it seems to be on track. 

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com