Dassault Aviation unveils its new Falcon 6X
Dassault Aviation chose Paris-Le Bourget (LBG) – where Charles Lindbergh landed after the first transatlantic flight in history – to reveal its new plane: the Falcon 6X. The brand describes it as “the most spacious, advanced and versatile twinjet in business aviation.”
The 6X is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812D engines that already equip other business planes such as the Gulfstream G500 and G600. It offers the Falcon 6X a top speed of Mach 0.90 and a maximum range 5,500 nautical miles (10,186km), one of the longest ranges in this category of planes. This allows it to connect Los Angeles to Paris without a stop. It is only dethroned by the G600 – which should be delivered in early 2019 – with its 6,500 nautical miles (12,040km) in range.
It also offers a large 40’8” by 8’6”cabin (12.3 m by 2.58 m) and 6’6” in height (1.98 m) for a total of 1843 cubic feet (52,2 m3 ). Those dimensions allow the new Falcon 6x to house up to 19 passengers in its lounge areas. The cabin disposition is available in three different configurations. The galley area receives natural light from a skylight, a unique feature in business category.
The wing, especially designed to smoothen any turbulences are equipped with a flaperon (a hybrid of flap and aileron), a control surface usually used in larger commercial planes. It gives the 6X additional controlling edge during approach.
Most of these features were already used on the Falcon 5X. This Dassault Aviation’s project was canceled in December 2017, after Safran failed to deliver its new Silvercrest engine on time. The 5X had already been delayed for three years when it was abandoned. The episode may have deteriorated the relations between the two French companies collaborating on projects such as the Rafale figher jet. Textron being the only remaining customer for the Silvercrest engine with its Cessna Citation Hemisphere expected to be released in 2019, Safran will need to find new buyers. As for the 5X customers, most of them moved to Dassault 7X and 8X, even though some are now asking to switch to the 6X, according to Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier.
The Falcon 6X will be available for about the same price as the 5X: $47M. It is expected to make its first flight by 2021 and to be delivered in 2022.
Source – AeroTime
