Dassault Aviation is one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of military aircraft and business jets. Founded in 1929, the company has been in business for just over 95 years. Throughout its existence, Dassault has produced countless military aircraft, including the Dassault Mystère, the Dassault Mirage, and, most recently, the Dassault Rafale. However, Dassault is also known for producing its private aviation family of aircraft, the Falcon. Several different variants have been built over the years, beginning with the Falcon 20, which began production in 1963. Since the 1960s, Dassault has produced ten different variants, with two additional project aircraft planned for the future.
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The Top 5 Features That Make the Dassault Falcon 8X The Ultimate Long-Range Jet
As of September 2022, Dassault had manufactured 81 examples of the three-engined business aircraft.
Dassault has produced one of the most successful aircraft families, its large cabin business jets. This includes both the Dassault Falcon 7X, which has over 300 currently in service, and its extended version, the Dassault Falcon 8X. The Falcon 8X was originally derived from the Falcon 7X, although Dassault stretched the fuselage and added over 500 more nautical miles (575 miles) of range. Since its introduction in 2016, nearly 100 Falcon 8Xs have been delivered. Let’s take a closer look at how Dassault decided to introduce the Falcon 8X. Let’s also take a look at what makes the Falcon 8X so special.
Brief history
As previously mentioned, the Dassault Falcon 8X was developed from the Falcon 7X, which Dassault introduced in the mid-2000s. The French manufacturer wanted to build on the success of its other trijet aircraft, the Falcon 900, but increase its speed and range and make other improvements. However, Dassault wanted to maintain several similarities, including utilizing three engines. The Falcon 7X was looked at positively due to its improved specifications, and it received over 50 orders for the aircraft before it even flew for the first time, which would eventually occur in May 2005.
Photo: VanderWolf Images | Shutterstock
The Falcon 7X was eventually introduced in June 2007 after accumulating over 1,200 hours of flight testing. The aircraft saw immediate success due to its competitive pricing compared to other large-cabin jets, like the Gulfstream G550 and the Bombardier Global Express.
Due to the Falcon 7X’s success, Dassault looked to explore the market by bringing a business jet with a slightly larger cabin and other further upgrades. Dassault officially announced the longer-ranged Falcon 8X at the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in May 2014. The new Falcon 8X featured a cabin that was three and a half feet longer than the Falcon 7X. Dassault also redesigned the wing and utilized improved Pratt & Whitney Canada turbofan engines.
The Falcon 8X flew for the first time on February 6, 2015. The prototype’s flight originated from Bordeau-Mérignac Airport (BOD) in France. Dassault began the certification process by qualifying the Falcon 8X as a subtype of the already-certified Falcon 7X. This allowed for a smoother and quicker certification process. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) officially added the Falcon 8X as a subtype to the Falcon 7X in June 2016. Deliveries of the aircraft began later that year in October.
Dassault also released a military-focused variant of the Falcon 8X. This aircraft was called the Falcon Archange. The French Air and Space Force developed the aircraft as an intelligence aircraft focused on electronic warfare and surveillance.
Notable design features
The Dassault Falcon 8X is similar to the Falcon 7X, which utilizes three engines and a highly swept wing. However, the Falcon 8X featured a slightly redesigned wing, optimized to decrease drag and lighter weight than the Falcon 7X, per AOPA. The Falcon 8X also uses three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 turbofan engines. These each provided more than 6,700 pounds of thrust. It has a similar S-duct to the Falcon 7X for its central engine. This allowed the Falcon 8X to be up to 35% more fuel efficient than its competitors when the aircraft was introduced.
Photo: Dassault Aviation
The aircraft can hold a maximum of 16 passengers, although its standard configuration holds 12 passengers. The Falcon 8X has the following cabin measurements:
- Cabin length: 42.67 feet
- Cabin width: 7.67 feet
- Cabin height: 6.17 feet
Additionally, the Falcon 8X utilizes the Falcon Enhanced Avionics System (EASy) Flight Deck in the cockpit. This is the same avionics suite used on the Falcon 7X and is very similar to the avionics system on the Falcon 900.
Performance specifications
Overall, the Falcon 8X was released to increase the range of the Falcon 7X. This was achieved by the upgraded engines and newly designed wings. The Falcon 8X has the following performance measures:
Length |
80.2 feet |
---|---|
Height |
26.1 feet |
Wingspan |
86.25 feet |
Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) |
73,000 pounds |
Maximum payload |
4,900 pounds |
Range (with eight passengers) |
6,450 nautical miles (7,423 miles) |
Maximum speed |
Mach 0.90 (594 miles per hour) |
Typical cruise speed |
Mach 0.80 (528 miles per hour) |
Ceiling |
51,000 feet |
The Falcon 8X has a maximum range of 500 nautical miles (575 miles), which is greater than that of the Falcon 7X. Its larger fuselage and cabin allow for a higher fuel capacity and a higher maximum payload. However, the Falcon 8X requires a longer runway for landing and take-off. The aircraft requires a runway of 6,000 feet for take-off and a runway of 2,150 feet for landing.
Have you ever flown on a Dassault Falcon 8X? Let us know your stories in the comments.