October 15, 2015 (Saint-Cloud, France): Two Falcon 8X aircraft have arrived at the Falcon completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, marking a new milestone in the development program for the new ultra long range trijet.
One of the two aircraft, 8X s/n 03, arrived in Little Rock during the summer for installation of a full interior that will be dedicated to the 8X cabin comfort and functionality test program. This aircraft will also undertake an around-the-world operational test campaign to demonstrate reliability and performance in different conditions of flight, including high and low temperature, high humidity and high altitude operations.
The second unit to enter the completion line, 8X s/n 04, flew to Little Rock from Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Mérignac final assembly facility on October 9. This aircraft will be the first production unit to be delivered to a Falcon customer. Nine other aircraft are currently in various stages of assembly on the Mérignac line as Dassault’s new flagship ramps up production.
As of October 10, the Falcon 8X flight test program had accumulated 315 flight hours over the course of 153 flights at Dassault’s flight test center in Istres, near Marseille, France. The portion of the flight test program dedicated to opening up the flight envelope has been completed and s/n 01 recently reached a speed of Mach 0.97. Initial certification tests, covering takeoff and landing performance and validation of the third generation EASy flight deck are also in advanced testing.
“These achievements reflect the steady advance of the Falcon 8X flight test program since the aircraft first took to the air last February,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO Dassault Aviation. “Tests have fully confirmed target capabilities, in particular long range performance.”
EASA and FAA certification of the Falcon 8X is anticipated in mid-2016 and initial deliveries in the second half of the year.
Unveiled in May 2014 at European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), the latest addition to the growing Falcon business jet family rolled out on December 17 and made its maiden flight on February 6.
The 8X will offer all the advanced technological features of the popular Falcon 7X from which it is derived, including the industry’s quietest and most comfortable cabin. It will also feature the greatest range and the longest cabin in the Falcon line, along with the most extensive selection of cabin configurations available on any large cabin business jet.
Notes for Editors
Dassault Falcon is the recognized global brand for Dassault business jets which are designed, manufactured and supported by Dassault Aviation and Dassault Falcon Jet Corp.
About Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation is a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 90 countries across five continents. It produces the Rafale fighter jet as well as the complete line of Falcons. The company employs a workforce of over 11,000 and has assembly and production plants in both France and the United States and service facilities around the globe. Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 2,380 Falcon jets have been delivered. Dassault offers a range of six business jets from the twin-engine 3,350 nm large-cabin Falcon 2000S to its new flagship, the tri-engine 6,450 nm ultra-long range Falcon 8X.
About Dassault Falcon Jet
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, France. Dassault Falcon Jet markets and supports the Falcon family of business jets throughout North and South America.
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