First Dassault Falcon 8X nears completion

Falcon 8X © Dassault Aviation - Philippe Stroppa Dassault Aviation has completed the structural assembly of the first ultra long range Fa...

Falcon 8X © Dassault Aviation - Philippe Stroppa

Dassault Aviation has completed the structural assembly of the first ultra long range Falcon 8X business jet which was unveiled at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva in May 2014.
The engines, wings and emphannage were joined to the fuselage. The initial power-on and ground tests of the prototype will follow.

The 8X is scheduled to make its first flight in early 2015 and to begin deliveries by the end of 2016.
The 8X fuselage was built at Dassault Aviation’s Biarritz, France facility, and was transfered to the nearby main assembly plant in Mérignac near Bordeaux in May. The 8X wing which is 600 lbs lighter than the airfoil on the smaller Falcon 7X, arrived from Martignas outside Bordeaux in June.
The airfoil also features Dassault’s proprietary piano junction design, which imparts aerodynamic efficiency, robustness, ease of maintenance and reparability.
The new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D engines, which will provide 5% more thrust than the PW307As of Falcon 7X, were installed at the beginning of July.
The Falcon 8X will offer a range of 6,450 nm (11,945 km) and will feature the longest cabin of in the Falcon business jet family, carrying eight passengers and three crew.