DASSAULT UNVEILS THE FALCON 6X
Falcon 6X Time does not wait. Rather paradoxically, this quote from Lenin has never been more poignant than for Dassault and the launch of their new Falcon 6X on 28th February 2018. In fact, the manufacturer has precious little time when faced with competition and following the delays in the 5X program and their decision to stop the latter in December 2017. Never mind. Dassault has been through worse. The Falcon 5X program will leave its mark within the manufacturer’s ranks for sure. But its years of development will not, in fact, be in vain… Far from it. The advent of the Falcon 6X tends to show the manufacturer’s incredible flexibility and the fact that it remains a front-runner in the latest high-end aircraft race. Less than two months will have elapsed between the official announcement of the discontinuation of the Falcon 5X program and the public presentation ceremony of the Falcon 6X. An all-time record. Quick decision The decision to launch the aircraft’s program was taken in September 2017 just as Dassault’s management was told by Safran that an additional delay was expected on the SilverCrest. Such a delay was inconceivable for the aircraft manufacturer who has already “sacrificed” more than three years on its initial schedule. This resulted in all hands on deck for the consulting firms of the St Cloud aircraft manufacturer, who were under pressure to find new solutions. Dassault needed to once again be present in this market segment which the French aircraft manufacturer could not leave to its only competitor Gulfstream. At the NBAA convention, Dassault Aviation approached Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) to find a replacement engine. A derivative of the P&WC PW800, the PW812D