Aircraft
Dassault Falcon 10X Bizjet Makes First Test Flight
French manufacturer is targeting type certification for ultra-long-range model in 2027
Dassault Aviation Falcon 10X first flight
Dassault Aviation's Falcon 10X flew for two-and-a-half hours on its first test mission on June 19. © Dassault Aviation

Dassault Aviation made the first flight with its Falcon 10X on Friday, kicking off a test campaign it hopes will lead to type certification in 2027. The ultra-long-range business jet took off from runway 23 at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (LFBD) at 11.10 a.m., landing two-and-a-half hours later at 1.40 p.m., the French manufacturer reported.

Test pilots Sébastien Dupont de Dinechin and co-pilot Fabrice Dougnac were at the controls to conduct an initial evaluation of the 10X’s handling qualities at 15,000 feet. Then they retracted the landing gear and all movable surfaces before climbing to 40,000 feet where they accelerated to Mach 0.82.