The second half of 2003
will mark the end of the detailed definition of the Falcon 7X's-for
both Dassault Falcon and its design partners-representing an
important milestone in this exciting new program. The 7X is now
entering production.
"The scope of this project is enormous," said Dassault Falcon
Jet Corp. President and CEO John Rosanvallon. "We have twenty-seven
companies from seven countries partnering with us on the aircraft.
We're using entirely new digital processes, such as the virtual and
physical plateaus, and employing new tools and new technologies
provided by Dassault Systemes-all based on the incredible
experience of our teams."
This year has been devoted to completing and validating the
design of the Falcon 7X. Several wind tunnel test programs
took place in Europe this summer in order to validate the
aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft. The last two programs,
in Switzerland, confirmed the efficiency of the new wing at low
speed. Ground effect was tested in Holland on a new, highly precise
model, and three high-speed tests were conducted at the wind tunnel
in Modane, France. Each time, the results all pointed to the
successful aerodynamic design of the 7X's new wing. "The
design of the 7X is now frozen, based on confirmation of cruise
speed and the approach performance of the aircraft during testing,"
declared Jean-Louis Cuvillier, head of new Falcon programs for
Dassault Aviation's Falcon Division.
At the same time, the design office has made significant
progress in the development of the aircraft's flight controls. The
Falcon Simulation Bench (BSF) in St. Cloud provided test pilots and
engineers with the ability to fly hundreds of simulated flight
hours. By 2004, the Falcon 7X simulation bench will have been
progressively converted into a full, fly-by-wire simulator. It will
be linked to a Global Test Bench (BTG), which will represent the
7X's entire flight control system, including hydraulic and
electrical power generation. As it did with previous test programs
(such as the Rafale), the BTG will enable tests to properly
validate the control laws prior to the 7X's first flight in
2005.
Another major step in the program was the construction of the
bird-strike test article; built last March in Argenteuil. The
latest CAD/CAM assembly techniques were utilized for the
construction of the test article, combining drilling and machining
activities in the same process, thereby eliminating the need for
additional adjustment tooling. Successful bird-strike tests were
performed in May.
Falcon 7X Partners
System suppliers of the 7X (ABSC, Goodrich, Messier Dowty,
Intertechnique, Latelec, Parkers, etc.) made significant progress
in their development projects as well. Among others, Pratt &
Whitney Canada began intensive in-flight engine testing on the
P&WC flight test aircraft after the bird-strike tests, with
FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) testing on the
horizon. Since its first run in December 2002, the PW307C has run
several hundred hours and performed well in both cruise thrust and
low fuel consumption.
The partnership with Pratt & Whitney Canada benefits from
the best practices and lessons learned from the 2000EX and the
development of the PW308C. In addition, Honeywell finalized
development of the APU and performed several hundred hours of
function on their test bench.
The Falcon 7X Enters Production
Production of the Falcon
7X has already begun, and primary parts have already been built in
the various facilities of both Dassault Aviation and its partners.
All of the new production processes developed for the Falcon 7X are
based on the use of the digital mock-up. The production teams
involved from the start of the program share the same, common,
digital baseline with the design office. Each part of the aircraft
is processed continuously, with no interruption in the digital
chain from its definition by the design office.
The first development aircraft, soon in production, will be
equivalent in quality and substance to each subsequent aircraft.
The new industrialization process results in unmatched quality in
the end product, combined with a dramatic reduction in
manufacturing cycle time and cost.
Simulation processes on CATIA have also been used to create
hot-forming tools, which are exclusive to Dassault, used for the
first upper wing planks of the 7X in Seclin. The main facility in
Argenteuil has already started manufacturing most of the metal
parts used for the first subassemblies, including the unique
vertical, nose-section assembly process, which will occur in the
first quarter of 2004. Last summer, the Biarritz plant, in the
south of France, delivered the first composite vertical stabilizer
for resistance tests.
Airframe suppliers including CASA (horizontal stabilizer),
Latecoere (rear fuselage section), P&WC (IPPS), Socata (body
fairings, mid-fuselage section), Sonaca (slats), Stork-Fokker
(moveable surfaces) have almost completed their industrialization
process, with most of the tools already built. Socata has already
manufactured the center skin panel for the top of the
fuselage.
All of these parts or sub-assemblies will be delivered next year to
the Bordeaux-Merignac facility, which is responsible for the final
assembly of the aircraft. Each of these significant steps confirms
that the Falcon 7X is on track for its first flight, scheduled in
2005.
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Dassault Aviation, and is responsible for selling and supporting
Falcon business jets throughout North America, South America, and
the Pacific Rim countries of Asia (including China). It employs a
workforce of more than 2300 professionals who service, support and
meet the needs of Falcon operators in the Western Hemisphere. Since
the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 1600 Falcon jets
have been delivered to more than 65 countries worldwide. The family
of Falcon jets currently in production includes four tri-jets-the
Falcon 50EX, 9000, 900EX EASy, and the new 7X-as well as the
twin-engine Falcon 2000 and 2000EX.