Dassault Falcon News Release: Dassault Rolls out of the first Falcon 5X

Speach given by Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO, Dassault Aviation,

Bordeaux-Mérignac, June 2, 2015

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, dear friends.

 

Welcome to Mérignac, the birthplace of the DASSAULT aircraft since 1949, for the rollout of our all-new FALCON 5X.

 

Before I start, I’d like to extend a cordial greeting to our loyal customers. Many of you have come a long way, and we thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share this great moment with us.

 

I would like to welcome the President of the Aquitaine Region, the Mayors of Mérignac and Martignas, as well as the members of the French parliament and representatives of the city of Bordeaux.

 

And our main industrial partners are with us today with all the representatives from the certifying authorities.

 

Last but not least, I’d like to salute Serge DASSAULT and Charles Edelstenne, whose support and foresight allowed the launch of the FALCON 5X program.

 

I am pleased that Serge’s family was able to join us today. His daughter, Marie-Hélène with her husband Benoit and Serge’s sons, Olivier and Laurent.

 

Thank you for being with us on this important celebration.

 

Besides being the majority share holder of the company, Serge is also one of the first 5X customers. He currently flies his second FALCON 7X while waiting for the delivery of his 8X, and I must confess he is probably the most demanding customer I know.

 

Tradition and innovation are two key words in our history – the DASSAULT history and the FALCON history.Tradition because we are a large family who will celebrate next year its hundredth anniversary of aeronautical history, and this family has strong roots and shares strong values.

 

Our DNA reflects on all our FALCONs, and you’ll see in a few minutes that our new 5X is a true member of this family.

 

The same elegance, the same sleek shapes which are the visible signs of uncompromised aerodynamic optimization.

 

Innovation is of the essence. Innovation is everywhere in the FALCON 5X. In the flight deck for more safety, in the cabin for more comfort , in the wings and the engines for more efficiency and in the systems for better reliability.

 

The 5X’s ambition is to set the new standard in the long range business jet segment. It has the largest cabin cross section of any business jet, and its 5,200 nm range allows it to connect the majority of the world’s most heavily travelled city pairs. Yet, it will be by far the most fuel efficient jet in its category and will demonstrate the approach speed of a typical turboprop.

 

These qualities would not be achievable without the use of key technologies developed for our fighter programs. This proves once again the importance of maintaining the common fighter and business jet design and production capability that make DASSAULT unique in the aviation world. This duality, which has just been strengthened by the recent successes of the Rafale in the export market, helps keeping us at the leading edge of technology and contributes to the financial health of the company.

 

Technology is what set the FALCON 5X apart from other executive jets. Part of this aircraft’s genius is that it successfully achieves two seemingly opposing objectives: It sets a new standard in economy and fuel efficiency while offering the tallest, the quietest and the most comfortable cabin in the industry. We wanted this wide cabin to be every bit as innovative as its airframe and systems, and that’s just what our designers did. Our design studio endowed the cabin with a sleek, harmonious look, where every detail has been designed to ensure optimum passenger comfort, environment control and connectivity. Enlarged windows and the galley skylight further enhance the feeling of comfort and space in the aircraft.

 

Passengers will also benefit from the lowest possible sound and cabin pressure levels. In 2007, the 7X had set the bar for cabin comfort, but we’ll go even further with the 5X.

 

The 5X pilots will love the new cockpit, with considerably increased window area, more ergonomic seats and the third generation EASy flight deck that significantly enhances flying safety – always a primary concern at DASSAULT. Every system has been designed to reduce pilots workload and improve safety, like our new Head Up Display, big and wide with exceptional fidelity, brilliantly combining infrared and synthetic vision. Pilots will love this HUD too, because it will give them the ability to fly more precisely, with improved safety in difficult weather conditions.

 

As you know, no new FALCON would be complete without its share of innovative aerodynamic features …. and the 5X is no exception. It all starts with the wing. The 5X’s all- new, ultra efficient wing is complemented by an advanced version of the digital flight control system pioneered on the FALCON 7X. The new 5X DFCS integrates all moving control surfaces on the aircraft, including the flaperons, new multirole control surfaces, never seen yet on any civil aircraft. It will offer the smoothest flying experience, and provide access to the shortest and most challenging airfields.

 

The 5X’s Silvercrest engine is a perfect match to the airframe. With its best in class bypass ratio of six, this engine will be 15% more fuel efficient than any other engine in its power class and ensure emissions and community noise levels well under existing or foreseen international regulations. Silvercrest also brings to the business aviation world the maintanability and reliability benefits of heavy-duty commercial airline engines like the best selling CFM56.

 

And while I’m on the subject of maintenance design, I want to mention FalconScan. What is FalconScan? This is an onboard diagnostic system that monitors 10,000 parameters, versus hundreds on previous aircraft. The idea is to vastly improve maintainability and reliability, even to the point of identifying potential component failures before they occur. It is a smart system, in a very smart airplane.

 

We did not need to develop FalconScan or the flaperons to offer a competitive product. We introduced these technologies to be at the forefront—to lead the industry and offer the very best to our customers.

 

For all these reasons, the Falcon 5X will be a “game changer,” an aircraft that will bring unmatched value to users at the top end of the business aviation market. And a perfect addition to the existing FALCON family.

 

I want to recognize the invaluable contribution of our FALCON Advisory Board, whose inputs have ensured that the FALCON 5X will match or exceed its owner’s expectations.

 

And now on a more personal note, I’d like to add that it’s a tremendous priviledge to stand before you here in this prestigious facility, where so many leading aviation executives and designers have appeared before.

 

More than a hundred prototypes, including more than 20 types of FALCONs, have lifted off the tarmac since Mérignac opened in 1949. And over 8,000 aircraft of all kinds, civil and military, have come off the assembly line.

 

We have a long and amazing history. A recent US publication wrote about the “singularity of DASSAULT as a corporation,” which looks small among today’s aerospace conglomerates, but is able to compete in the fighter arena with giants such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

 

And it quoted that DASSAULT’s successes “appears explainable mostly in terms of the company’s people, principles, policies and practices.” Let me tell you that I am very proud of these principles, policies, practices and –above all- people, who built our past successes and are now writing the next pages of aviation history.

 

And today, I am also very proud to present the latest addition to this long and prestigious aircraft line, the FALCON 5X.

 

Thank you.

 

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