French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has unveiled the Falcon 10X ultra-long-range business jet, taking direct aim at Gulfstream and Bombardier with a cabin it calls the biggest ever built into a purpose-designed business aircraft.
Dassault Aviation unveiled the Falcon 10X large-cabin business jet Tuesday at its Bordeaux-Mérignac production site, bringing the program one step closer to a first flight the French manufacturer says could come this year.
More than 400 people attended the reveal, including customers and suppliers, as Dassault pulled back the curtain on an aircraft designed to compete head-on with Gulfstream Aerospace and Canada’s Bombardier in the ultra-long-range segment.
“The Falcon 10X introduces the largest, most-comfortable and most-versatile cabin ever designed in a purpose-built business jet,” Dassault said in a statement.
The jet enters a high-stakes market already occupied by Gulfstream’s G700 and G800 and Bombardier’s Global 7500 and 8000 — aircraft that have set the benchmark for ultra-long-range travel in recent years.
Cabin Sets Records
The Falcon 10X’s interior measures 109 inches (2.77 meters) wide, roughly 6.5 feet (2 meters) high and 53.8 feet (16.4 meters) long, excluding the cockpit and baggage compartment. That yields 2,780 cubic feet (78.7 cubic meters) of cabin volume — a figure Dassault calls “the largest cabin interior of any purpose-built business jet.”
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier said the aircraft was engineered to eliminate the fatigue typically associated with long-distance air travel.
“The objective is to allow passengers to experience time onboard the aircraft as just another part of their everyday life, not as a long interval between origin and destination. So they arrive feeling refreshed and at their very best,” Trappier said.
The jet will cruise at up to 51,000 feet. When flying at 41,000 feet, its cabin will be pressurized to the equivalent of a 3,000-foot altitude — a feature designed to reduce passenger fatigue on intercontinental routes.
All-Composite Wing a First for Business Aviation
Dassault says the Falcon 10X’s “all-composite wing” — which it describes as a first for business aviation — “supports the aircraft’s large cabin while maintaining the agility and runway flexibility that Falcon aircraft are known for.”
Composite structures, built from materials such as carbon fiber, are lighter and stronger than traditional aluminum airframes and are already widely used in commercial airliners including Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
Range Targets Transpacific Routes
Powered by twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X turbofan engines producing 18,000 pounds (80 kilonewtons) of thrust each, the Falcon 10X will be capable of reaching Mach 0.925. At a Mach 0.85 cruise, the jet will carry a range of 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 kilometers) — enough to fly nonstop from New York to Shanghai, Los Angeles to Sydney, or São Paulo to Dubai.
Those routes represent some of the most commercially significant long-distance city pairs for U.S.-based corporate operators.
Certification Targeted for 2027
Dassault says certification is expected in 2027. Once approved by regulators, the Falcon 10X will replace the Falcon 8X as the company’s flagship aircraft. Dassault’s current newest type is the Falcon 6X, which entered service in late 2023.
Key Takeaways
- Dassault Aviation unveiled the Falcon 10X on March 10 at its Bordeaux-Mérignac facility, targeting Gulfstream’s G700/G800 and Bombardier’s Global 7500/8000 in the ultra-long-range market.
- The Falcon 10X features what Dassault calls the largest cabin of any purpose-built business jet, at 2,780 cubic feet of interior volume.
- An all-composite wing is a first for business aviation, according to Dassault, enabling a wider cabin without sacrificing runway performance.
- Twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines give the jet a 7,500-nautical-mile range, connecting New York to Shanghai and Los Angeles to Sydney nonstop.
- First flight is expected this year; type certification is targeted for 2027, at which point the 10X will become Dassault’s new flagship.
