Dassault Falcon 6X on track for 2022 deliveries

“Everything is on track for the 6X to begin deliveries in 2022,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.

Manufacture of the aft fuselage began during the summer and production of the mid fuselage section will soon follow. Design work on the engine nacelles, including fan cowls, thrust reverser, and engine-build systems, is being done by UTC Aerospace Systems, a new Dassault partner.

The fly-by-wire 6X will have flaperons that act as both flaps and ailerons to increase lift and improve roll control, respectively, according to Dassault. Its new wing design uses a curved trailing edge to increase buffet margin and reduce the impact of turbulence. In addition, the 6X will have what Dassault calls FalconScan, an integrated maintenance system capable of monitoring more than 10,000 parameters for real-time system self-diagnosis.

Dassault’s FalconEye Combined Vision System—recently certified for approaches to 100-foot minimums on the Falcon 8X—will be included in a comprehensive options package offered with the first 6X aircraft. The FalconEye blends imagery from a database-driven synthetic vision system, plus infrared and low-light cameras, onto a head-up display in a single view. This provides an unprecedented level of situational awareness to flights making approaches in low instrument meteorological conditions, as well as in all phases of flight.

The 6X is a replacement for Dassault’s earlier Falcon 5X—a program that was canceled after engine manufacturer Snecma’s Silvercrest engines failed to meet schedules and demonstrated problems with its high-pressure compressor section.