Dassault présente le Falcon 900LX à faible consommation

(Genève, Suisse, le 19 mai 2008) - Dassault a présenté aujourd'hui le 900LX, nouveau membre de la famille des jets privés Falcon à faible consommation. Le Falcon 900LX sera construit sur la même plate-forme que le Falcon 900EX EASy, mais il sera équipé d'ailettes et doté d'un rayon d'action étendu à 4 800 milles nautiques. La certification est attendue au premier semestre 2010. Il sera disponible à la livraison à compter du second semestre 2010 et remplacera progressivement Falcon 900EX sur la chaîne de production.


" Le 900LX sera l'un des modèles les plus populaires de la gamme Falcon, d'une utilisation à la fois plus performante, plus économique et plus écologique ; ce dernier critère est plus important que jamais dans la période actuelle, " a déclaré John Rosanvallon, PDG de Dassault Falcon.

"Our customers have been telling us that efficiency is becoming a bigger part of the decision making process when acquiring a business jet. The 900LX will be the most efficient airplane in its class even more so."

Following initial flight testing, the Falcon 900LX's improved wing aerodynamics demonstrated a reduction in drag by as much as 7%, offering corresponding range and efficiency improvements over the Falcon 900EX. Climb performance will be also improved by 10% allowing the airplane to reach FL390 in just 20 minutes. The 900LX will feature 55-70% better efficiency than other airplanes in its class.

Stronger wing reinforcements due to higher wing loading are necessary to accommodate the winglets which were originally designed by Aviation Partners (API) for the Falcon 2000EX program. Some systems' changes are necessary as well to accommodate the new configuration.

Dassault Falcon and API's intent is to propose a retrofit program for in-service Falcon 900 operators.

Extended City Pairs

To complement its extended range, the new 900LX offers the same spacious, quiet interior as the 900EX but with an expanded list of city pairs. The 900LX will be able to fly from New York to Moscow; Paris to Beijing and Mumbai to London. Also, the design makes it the only business jet in its class capable of landing with fuel tanks nearly full. The 900LX can leave Washington D.C. for New York and continue to Moscow without adding fuel. Likewise, the airplane can leave Paris with four passengers, pick up four more in Geneva and continue to Beijing without adding fuel.

The aircraft comes standard with the award-winning EASy flight deck. The EASy flight deck is designed to reduce pilot workload and improve pilot interaction through elevated situational awareness in the cockpit. Today, over 215 EASy equipped aircraft are in operation.

The Falcon 900LX will be powered by the same Honeywell TFE731-60 engines as the 900EX. Each of the three turbofans is rated at 5,000 lbs of thrust (ISA + 17C), and the Falcon unique three-engine configuration offers significant benefits in runway performance and added security on long over-water flights. The Honeywell TFE731-60 engines have accumulated nearly 540,000 flight hours and have proven to be highly reliable and efficient.

Since the first delivery of the Falcon 900 in 1986, more than 400 Falcon 900 aircraft of the various models (900B, 900C, 900EX, 900EX EASy and 900DX) have been delivered. Serial number 500 will soon be sold. Every Falcon 900 built is still in operation today.

Copyright Hugin