Potential Middle Eastern owners of the Falcon 7X can see the new tri-jet themselves this week, as Dassault displays it for the first time in Dubai.
The 7X is the first aircraft to be entirely designed and optimised in a totally digital environment and is the first business jet to feature Dassault’s Digital Flight control system, developed after 30 years of fly-by-wire experience on its fighters.
“Dassault has delivered to the market not only a ground-breaking airplane, but one that offers superior fuel efficiency, cabin environment and maintenance,” says John Rosanvallon, president and chief executive of Dassault Falcon Jet. “The response is truly historic and we see the Falcon 7X as the market leader for years to come.”
Three Pratt & Whitney Canada PPW307A engines can propel eight passengers and a crew of three up to Mach 0.8 and a range of 5,950nm. The cabin is 1.87m (6ft 2in) tall and 11.91m (39ft 1in) long, with 3.96m3 (140ft3) of baggage space.
The cockpit features EASy flight-deck designed in conjunction with Honeywell, married to a side-stick controller and a head-up display allowing manual Category IIIA ILS landings and supporting growth to an infrared enhanced vision system. The 7X is the first business jet with a digital flight control system, allowing precise flight path control, automatic trim adjustments and basic autopilot functions without concern of overstressing the aircraft or stalling.
When Dassault designed the jet it could have stretched the 900EX and added more fuel but instead opted for a clean-sheet design to compete with the Bombardier Global Express XRS and the Gulfstream G550. The 7X came in lighter than both at 31,300kg.
Deliveries began on June 13, 2007 and between two and three jets will be produced per month until the end of the year. Eighty airframes are currently in production in Bordeaux-Merignac, France, with completions performed in Little Rock, Arkansas, US.
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Source: Flight Daily News
