Dassault Falcon 10X: Second Prototype Soars in Maiden Flight
French aerospace titan, Dassault Aviation, has made significant strides in the certification campaign for its flagship ultra-long-range business jet, the Falcon 10X. This progress comes after the successful maiden flight of a second prototype. The aircraft, serial number 2 and registered as F-WTEN, took off from Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport in France on September 24, 2026. The inaugural three-hour sortie was piloted by test pilots Fabrice Dougnac and Antoine Doussaud. Dassault subtly announced this milestone on social media, sharing airborne photographs of the new prototype.
The Falcon 10X represents the most ambitious design in Dassault’s history. It is designed to compete directly with the Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G700. The aircraft boasts the ability to fly 7,500 nautical miles at Mach 0.85, connecting long-haul city pairs such as New York to Shanghai and Los Angeles to Sydney. The lavish interior features 38 windows, a cabin altitude of just 3,000 feet at FL410, a queen-size bed, an L-shaped shower, and Dassault’s cutting-edge NeXus avionics suite with eight multi-function displays. With two prototypes now in active flight, Dassault aims for EASA certification and entry into service in 2029. This is a four-year delay from the original plan when the program was launched in 2021, due in part to supply-chain disruptions and increasingly stringent certification requirements in the post-Boeing 737 MAX era.
Source: AIN Online – Dassault Confirms Two Falcon 10X Prototypes Now Flying