Falcon 8X Nearing Certification Finish Line

The Dassault Falcon 8X is now in the final stages of its flight-test and certification program as the French aircraft manufacturer prepares to begin deliveries of the ultra-long range trijet this summer. According to Dassault, FAAand EASA certification of the 6,450-nm/11,945-km 8X is expected by June.

To date, three flight-test 8Xs have completed nearly all certification test requirements, accumulating more than 650 flight hours in 325 flights. After undergoing thermal, acoustic and cabin equipment testing at Dassault’s Little Rock (Ark.) completion center, S/N 03, the first 8X equipped with a fully fitted interior, returned to the Istres Flight Test Center near Marseille. From there, the aircraft was prepped and flown to Ranken Inlet, Nunavut, on the northwestern shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay, for successful cold-soak trials from March 9 to 11.

S/N 03 is now beginning a global test campaign to demonstrate aircraft operational reliability and performance in different conditions of flight. This month-long campaign will take the aircraft through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America and include more than 60 missions.

Meanwhile, 8X production and support activities are ramping up. In fact, S/N 21 recently entered final assembly in Bordeaux-Merignac and six 8Xs are now in completion at Little Rock.