Dassault's extended-range Falcon 900 may have arrived at just the right moment.
Julian Moxon/PARIS
With long-range business travel apparently on the increase as the world recession eases, Dassault chose a good moment to introduce the extended-range Falcon 900EX at the October 1994 US National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) show in New Orleans.
Hindsight may also show that the company has been astute in its decision on how best to compete in the emerging long-range business-jet market. By opting to develop a derivative of the 900B instead of building an all-new aircraft, as it originally planned, Dassault has not only saved itself a considerable amount of money, but has given customers a less-expensive alternative to the ultra-long-range Gulfstream GV and Bombardier Global Express business jets.
Dassault's business-jet fortunes saw a remarkable upturn in 1994, with sales of new Falcon 50s, 900s and 2000s topping 45 aircraft, almost double the figure of the previous year. This is not least because Dassault saw the inevitable downturn for its military-aircraft business with the end of the Cold War, and began concentrating its effort on other areas. The result is that the company's business-jet sales now account for almost one-third of total sales, having been just 10% of the total a decade ago.
The 900EX will offer a range of 8,500km (4,500nm), with eight passengers aboard - an increase of 900km over that of the 900B. This is more than those of the Canadair Challenger 604 (7,400km) and the Gulfstream GIV-SP (7,700km) while, at just under $27 million, the EX has a similar price to both. It is substantially less expensive, however, than the $30 million-plus 12,000km GV and Global Express.
"One-stop" business-jet
Dassault calls the 900EX the "one-stop" 16,700km-range business jet. Falcon 900 programme manager Marc Valle points out that, while the GV and Global Express have the extra range, "...how often will the owner actually use it...once a year? Our analysis is that the advantage gained by spending the extra money is minimised". He adds that "...our customers have given us a lot of support in that decision".
Valle explains the reason for the choice of a derivative: "We were in recession in 1992 and 1993, and we wanted to have an aircraft available quickly for when it ended". Dassault then had only to ensure that the EX would be as competitive as possible, both on price and performance. In defining the aircraft, it specified seven major qualities which were necessary:
8,400km range, allowing routine Mach 0.84 flight on transatlantic routes;
three engines, to retain the advantages of not requiring extended-range operations clearance for long overwater routes;
39,000ft (12,000m) initial cruise altitude, for simplified operations on North Atlantic tracks, and allowing greater flexibility over crowded European skies;
affordability - prices and operating costs closer to those of the 900B than to the GV and Global Express;
near-term availability;
modern avionics, to reduce maintenance costs and for greater flexibility;
retention of the Falcon 900 dimensions - which, in the fuselage diameter, fall between those of the larger Challenger and smaller GIV.
Longer range meant more fuel, which meant that Dassault had to find more space within the existing fuselage. This was available in the centre section, where the tank has been extended forwards to contain an extra 500kg of fuel, and in the rear, where a new tank has been located aft of the baggage hold, to provide another 100kg capacity.
Power for the 900EX comes from a development of the 20kN (4,500lb)-thrust AlliedSignal TFE731-5BR turbofan which powers the 900B. The 22kN TFE731-60 has a new core, and a 76mm increase in fan diameter, yielding a bypass ratio of 4.1, against 3.2, and a reduction in fuel consumption of around 8%. The larger fan will also bring a further reduction in take-off noise, although exactly how much is still unclear. The engine is flat-rated to 32¡C and while, on cool days, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the 900EX will be slightly less that for the 900B, the revised flat rating provides a substantial increase in hot-and-high conditions. The powerplant also includes full-authority digital engine-controls.
The 900EX is the first aircraft in which advantage has been taken of the TFE731-60, which, in different versions, will also power the new Israel Aircraft Industries Astra SPX and Learjet 45 business jets. The alternative powerplant from Pratt & WhitneyCanada, the PW305, was rejected, says Valle, "...because of the substantial commonality of the TFE731-60 with the existing Falcon engine".
To accommodate the larger fan, the engine nacelles have been increased in diameter. Apart from structural changes necessary for the weight of extra fuel carried, the 900EX airframe and the cabin interior are unchanged from that of the 900B.
The avionics fit on the 900EX is changed substantially with the installation of Honeywell's Primus 2000 system, which includes a five-tube electronic flight-instrument system. Dual flight-management systems will be standard, while a Flight Dynamics head-up display, similar to that available on the new Falcon 2000, is offered as an option.
The 200 x 180mm displays will dominate the instrument panel even more than do those of the Honeywell SPZ-8000 system on the 900B. Two primary-flight and multi-function displays will bracket the central engine-monitoring display. Three integrated avionics computers (IACs) will be installed, each with its own display processor. Two will contain the flight-management computers, which will include a performance-management function, and dual fail-operational digital flight-control systems. Full despatch reliability is provided with a failed tube or IAC, says Dassault.
Valle defends the decision not to provide a full engine-indicating/crew-alerting system on the 900EX, "...because we did not see a market requirement, and it would have added to the cost". Instead, the centre display provides what he calls a "nice solution", offering all engine- condition parameters and trend-monitoring capability. The digital engine-control also includes a function allowing the downloading of engine data for maintenance. The 900EX comes with dual Honeywell Laseref III inertial-navigation systems, an upgraded version of the Primus 870 turbulence detection radar, and Rockwell-Collins Pro-Line radios.
Simple systems
"Falcon systems are designed to be simple," says Valle. "We do not think it is necessary to have complex electronics for simple hydraulics, fuel, air-conditioning systems and so on. Also, when designing a new cockpit, we believe it is important to keep the maximum of commonality with previous aircraft, to preserve the family image of the type." The result, he adds, is "continuity of style through the Falcon range".
While it is an apparently small range increase, the extra 900km capability of the 900EX brings a major benefit in terms of the city pairs which the aircraft can serve. "We get the whole of western Europe and some of central Europe with the entire eastern half of the USA as far as Chicago," says Valle. While the transpacific routes covered by the GV and Global Express are denied, "...we think that capability reduces the operating flexibility of the aircraft because of the extra weight you must carry to be able to do it".
According to Dassault, a 900EX flying configured for long-range cruise can cover the 8,300km between Tokyo and Santa Barbara, California, in 10h 35min, and from Paris to St Louis, Missouri, in 10h 25min. Other new city pairs quoted by the company include Honolulu-Tokyo (9h 22min), Sydney-Hong-Kong (9h 30min) and London to Abu Dhabi, or Washington DC, the last two flying at Mach 0.84, in 7h 34min and 8h, respectively.
Dassault has redistributed the workshares of the 900EX, with 20% of the investment being subcontracted to risk-sharing partners. Other than AlliedSignal and Honeywell, there are SABCA of Belgium (to build the new centre-engine intake cowling), Hellenic Aircraft Industries of Greece (rear-fuselage tank), Lat‚coere of France (engine pylons) and Alenia of Italy (engine nacelles).
The Falcon 900 has now amassed almost 300,000h of fleet experience on around 145 aircraft, enabling Dassault to offer what it calls an "exceptionally broad" warranty package. The avionics are guaranteed for five years/5,000h and the engines for three years/3,000h. All components specified by Dassault are guaranteed for five years/5,000h.
Dassault is reluctant to reveal the exact development cost of the 900EX, beyond saying that it is "between $100 million and $300 million", which is considerably less than the $900 million or so it would have cost to field the all-new Falcon 9000. The limited investment means that the company has minimised its financial exposure, while offering a product which will keep it competitive in the long-range market. "We are certainly very pleased with our solution," says Valle.
Support for the 900EX and all Falcons will be centred at the newly renamed Dassault Falcon Jet customer-support centre in New Jersey. Inaugurated on 1 January, this will bring what the company calls "greater unity" between the US Falcon Jet operation and Dassault Aviation, by merging the eastern and western hemispheres previously managed, respectively, by Dassault Aviation and Falcon Jet.
"The aim is to provide closer co-ordination of customer support," said Dassault chairman Serge Dassault at the NBAA show. "This is not just a name change," he said at the Dassault Falcon Jet launch. "We are going to unify our sales and customer-support teams. Now, there will be just one customer family receiving the best service in marketing and support."
With a first flight in May, an appearance at the Paris air show in June and certification in March 1996, Dassault has its hands full with the 900EX. Launch customer Sony was signed up immediately the aircraft was announced at NBAA and around ten more have since been ordered (Dassault remains chary of giving precise figures for its business-jet sales). The 900EX will be offered in addition to the 900B, the two providing what Dassault hopes will be a complementary market approach. Valle expects that around two-thirds of the sales will go to the USA, although Dassault hopes to capture a slice of the growing Asian market.
Source: Flight International
