Dassault introduces Falcon 10X featuring advanced avionics and fighter-derived cockpit technology

PARIS - Dassault Aviation unveiled the Dassault Falcon 10X, a next-generation business jet featuring advanced avionics, digital flight controls, and new cockpit automation technologies that the company says are derived from its military aircraft programs.

Engineers incorporated expertise from fighter development to advance aerodynamics, materials, avionics, and flight-control systems. Dassault says the cross-disciplinary approach reflects its role as the only manufacturer designing and building both advanced fighter jets and business aircraft.

The Falcon 10X introduces the NeXus flight deck, a new cockpit architecture designed to reduce pilot workload while improving situational awareness and mission management. The cockpit integrates large touch-screen displays with automation tools intended to help flight crews manage complex operations.

Advanced avionics

A key feature of the NeXus system is the Smart Throttle, a single-lever engine control concept derived from the twin-engine Dassault Rafale combat aircraft. The system allows pilots to control both engines with one throttle lever while automating several engine-management functions.

Related: Dassault chooses Honeywell Aspire 350 for Falcon fleet

The Smart Throttle automatically manages power during reduced-thrust takeoffs, assists with noise-abatement procedures, and helps maintain proper climb gradients. The system also automatically manages engine-out conditions and integrates with the aircraft’s fly-by-wire flight-control system.

Together, the systems enable new safety capabilities, including an automatic recovery mode designed to return the aircraft to a safe attitude and airspeed during events such as wake turbulence encounters.

The NeXus cockpit also features a dual head-up display system capable of serving as the primary pilot interface. When using the displays, pilots see flight guidance information overlaid with the outside environment.

The system functions in daylight and low-light conditions using Dassault’s FalconEye sensor system combined with a global terrain database. The aircraft also includes a dual FalconEye enhanced vision system designed to improve situational awareness and operational capability in low-visibility conditions, including demanding procedures such as night circling approaches.

The Falcon 10X incorporates the third generation of Dassault’s digital fly-by-wire flight-control system for business aircraft. The technology builds on the system introduced on the Dassault Falcon 7X in 2007, which prevents overspeeding, overstressing, or stalling the aircraft while maintaining stable handling characteristics.

Pearl powered

The aircraft is powered by the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engine. The engine incorporates the Advance2 engine core and produces more than 18,000 pounds of thrust while targeting improvements in efficiency, noise, and emissions.

Related: Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 jet engine receives FAA type certification

The aircraft is designed to cruise at speeds approaching the sound barrier with a top speed of Mach 0.925 and a range of 7,500 nautical miles. That range allows nonstop connections between major global city pairs such as New York City and Shanghai, Los Angeles and Sydney, or Beijing and Paris.

"Dassault Falcons have always been at the vanguard of business aviation," said Éric Trappier. "The 10X embodies the best technology available today. From the user perspective, the equation is simple: an objectively better experience."

With the unveiling complete, the Falcon 10X program now moves toward flight testing to validate performance and prepare the aircraft for entry into service.