Dassault's New Falcon 2000S Reaches Flight Test Milestone

SAINT-CLOUD, France, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Certification of the New Twin-Engine Aircraft Expected by Year's End

Dassault's newest aircraft, the twin-engine Falcon 2000S, has completed its first year of flight testing. As of today, the test aircraft has accumulated nearly 300 flight hours in more than 100 flights.

The rigorous test flight program has demonstrated and confirmed the expected performance of the aircraft. Outfitted with inboard slats and winglets that work together to reduce landing speeds, the 2000S also features a unique auto brake system which will allow it to access shorter and more challenging runways than any other airplane in its category.

The first part of the test campaign included numerous maneuvers to demonstrate handling qualities, including stability, stalls, pitch, roll rates and failure mode tests, as well as takeoff with engine failure. Future portions of the campaign will evaluate VMCG (minimum control speed on ground) and VMU (take off at minimum speed), as well as air inlet distortion around the engines and maximum crosswind demonstration.

"The Falcon 2000S flies so smoothly that many pilots will want to operate it manually, " said Jean-Louis Dumas, Dassault Flight test pilot ,"We've found that the aircraft handles well in all aspects of the flight envelop while offering very large safety margins."

In later phases of the certification process, engineers will test and fine-tune the aircraft's anti-ice system and verify the integration of EASy II, the next generation of Dassault's proprietary, award-winning avionics suite. EASy II will include options like a Synthetic Vision System (SVS); Take Off and Go Around capability (TOGA); a Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS); WAAS- LPV and RNP SAAAR; Automatic Decent Mode (ADM); XM Graphical Weather and ADS-B Out.

The Falcon 2000S will also undergo trials to allow it to be certified for steep approaches such as London City Airport.

Certification is anticipated for the end of the fourth quarter of 2012.

About Dassault Falcon

Dassault Falcon is responsible for selling and supporting Falcon business jets throughout the world. It is part of Dassault Aviation, a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 70 countries across five continents. Dassault Aviation produces the Rafale fighter jet as well as the complete line of Falcon business jets. The company has assembly and production plants in both France and the United States and service facilities on multiple continents. It employs a total workforce of over 12,000. Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 2,100 Falcon jets have been delivered to 81 countries worldwide. The family of Falcon jets currently in production includes the tri-jets-the Falcon 900LX and the 7X-as well as the twin-engine Falcon 2000LX and the new 2000S.

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