Business Jet Fleet Report YE2020

AIRCRAFT SPOTLIGHT: DASSAULT FALCON 10X
The wingspan on the Falcon 10X is about five feet (1.5 m)
greater, but yields exemplary performance at both ends of
the speed envelop, as well as high efficiency, even with the
industry’s largest cabin. Previous Falcons were optimized
around a long-range cruise of Mach 0.80. The 10X, with a
high-aspect-ratio wing and new aerodynamics, is optimized
for 7,500 nautical miles range at Mach 0.85, with a top
speed of Mach 0.925.
So even at high-speed cruise, the Falcon 10X will connect
distant city pairs such as Beijing and New York or London
and Singapore nonstop.
The Falcon 10X wing is made entirely of carbon fiber
composites, a first in business aviation and a true
technological leap forward. Dassault employs the same
techniques used to build the immensely strong Rafale
fighter wing. The 10X wing is equipped with high lift devices
for excellent low-speed performance. In this case, each
wing has two large flaps, four slats and three spoilers.
Preliminary figures given for takeoff distance is less than
6,000 feet and landing distance less than 2,500 feet. The
aircraft will, according to Dassault, have the best steep
approach capability for access to London City Airport and
other airports with non-standard approaches.
Dassault predicts a very smooth ride in turbulence thanks
to a strong, yet flexible, wing combined with Dassault’s
advanced digital flight control system, which can make
small, rapid responses to gusts.
Dassault was the first business jet company to introduce
digital flight controls with the Falcon 7X, since refined on
the 8X and 6X. But the 10X goes a considerable step further
with technology directly drawn from the Rafale fighter
safety features.
Though the 10X has two engines, it has one smart throttle
to control them. It is fully integrated into the digital flight
control system in order to provide a number of safety
advantages. For starters, it simplifies power management
in a range of conditions, from flying efficient climb and
descent profiles to dealing with one-engine-inoperative
scenarios. But the greatest advance is an automatic
recovery mode in the event of a wake turbulence encounter
or other upset scenario.
The flight deck is designed for simplicity and reduced
workload. There are fewer switches plus touchscreens
throughout. Dual HUDs tied to the FalconEye combined
vision system will allow pilots to conduct future EVS-toland
operations with essentially zero ceiling. The flight deck
is a roomy space, allowing pilot seats in the future to fully
recline, so that one pilot could rest in cruise. While this is not
permitted today, Dassault anticipates possible regulatory
changes that would allow long-duration missions with
just two crew members in a cockpit specifically designed
around one-pilot management.
The 10X is the first Falcon to have a T-tail, which designers
say emerged as the lowest drag option for a twin-engine
aircraft at high cruise speeds. A pair of Rolls-Royce Pearl
10X engines — the most recent and powerful in the Pearl
family of engines — supplies more than 18,000 pounds of
thrust each. The engine is five percent more efficient than
its predecessor, the BR725, and is designed to be able to
accept 100 percent sustainable aviation fuels.
While the 10X has yet to fly, its specifications position it at
the top of the market, an enviable position for any company.
Dassault expects to certify it in end of 2025.
www.dassault-aviation.com