Dassault stays bullish on Falcon 10X prospects despite latest delay

French airframer’s chief executive promises it will come to market with a better product than in-service rivals.
Dassault Aviation remains upbeat about the sales prospects for the ultra-long-range Falcon 10X despite the latest delay to the programme that has seen service entry pushed back until 2029.

Announced in July, the latest revision to the schedule means that the 7,500nm (13,900km)-range Falcon 10X will arrive on the market significantly later than the competing Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G700 which entered service in 2018 and 2024, respectively.

In fact, both Dassault’s rivals now have even longer-legged jets on the market, in the shape of the Global 8000 and G800, with respective advertised ranges of 8,000nm and 8,200nm.

At its launch in 2021, the service entry target for the Falcon 10X was 2025, a date subsequently pushed back to late 2027.

But Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier remains confident in the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X-powered Falcon 10X’s ability to compete.

“It is never too late,” says Trappier. “Because we will come a little bit later to the market we will come with a better product.

“We know exactly what our competitors will do. The 10X will add to what has already been developed for other Falcons with other new technologies.”

Trappier maintains he is “sure and convinced” that customers will be willing to wait “because they want to fly the Falcon”.

Dassault has already booked an undisclosed number of commitments for the Falcon 10X and because it will now not arrive until 2029 “we have time to generate many orders”, he adds.

“We really feel that the customers in the market are really keen to go fast to this new Falcon.”

Dassault now has two prototypes flying, a second jet having made its maiden sortie on 24 September and two more, both fully outfitted with interiors, will join the test campaign in 2027.

To date, the two flight-test assets have accumulated around 100h across 30 flights. Trappier says the certification process for the Falcon 10X is now under way.

Meanwhile, the French airframer continues to add features to the preceding Falcon 6X, which entered service in August 2023.

These include certification for Cat II airport approaches, updates to the FalconEye synthetic vision system and approval to operate from high-altitude airports – up to 14,000ft.

“The flight tests have already been performed, now there is just the paperwork to be done and it will be certified,” says executive vice-president civil aircraft Carlos Brana.

Additionally, Dassault has begun working on an upgrade for the EASy II avionics suite that equips the Falcon 2000XLS. This will raise it to the same EASy IV standard seen on the Falcon 8X and 6X. It will come as standard on new aircraft and be available to retrofit on in-service jets.

Certification is expected from 2029. Brana says the modification “has been a request from customers for several years”.

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