With the Falcon 10X, Dassault Aviation enters the king-market of ultra-long-range travel
The newest addition to the Falcon lineup has made its first public appearance. Once certified, this business jet will operate in the ultra-high-end segment, combining very high speed with very long range.
The new Falcon 10X made its first public appearance—the first aircraft to roll off the assembly lines of Dassault Aviation at Bordeaux-Mérignac, its industrial headquarters. The presentation took place Tuesday evening before around 400 guests, including customers, industrial partners, business jet fleet operators, and representatives from local and certification authorities. The “roll-out,” in aeronautical jargon, marks a key milestone in any aircraft program and is traditionally celebrated by all manufacturers.
For Dassault Aviation, the moment was filled with emotion and pride, shared with engineers, technicians, management, and the Dassault family. The family was represented by Marie‑Hélène Habert‑Dassault, daughter of the late Serge Dassault, accompanied by her son Bastien, as well as Laurent Dassault and his son Julien, and Thierry Dassault with his son François.
The Falcon 10X was unveiled following a sound-and-light presentation from a new assembly building constructed specifically for it. Announced in May 2021, the 10X is the new flagship of the Falcon range. It is also the largest aircraft ever developed by the French manufacturer. Its dimensions (33.4 meters long with a wingspan of 33.6 meters) are in fact close to those of a medium-range airliner such as the Airbus A319neo.
80% of customers are companies
Already positioned in the high-end wide-cabin business jet market, Dassault Aviation is entering an even more exclusive segment with the Falcon 10X: the ultra-premium category combining very high speed (Mach 0.85 in cruise; Mach 0.92—about 950 km/h—at maximum speed) and ultra-long range of 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km).
For example, it can fly non-stop from New York to Bangalore or Johannesburg; Paris to Tokyo or Santiago; or Beijing to London or Auckland. French engineers started from a blank sheet of paper to “create the largest and most capable business jet ever specifically developed for this market,” the manufacturer proudly states.
This milestone fits “into the history of the Falcon family, which is a story of moving upmarket,” summarizes Éric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation. “After relatively modest beginnings in the 1960s with the Falcon 20 and Falcon 10, we gradually positioned our business jets in more ambitious segments—first with the Falcon 50, 900, and 2000, then with the 7X, 8X, and 6X. The Falcon 10X is the logical continuation of this evolution, which corresponds to the needs of companies,” he explains.
Falcon customers—80% of whom are companies (with the remainder split equally between institutional buyers and private individuals)—have expressed the need for a larger “flying office,” equipped with everything required to work and arrive “fresh and ready” even after a fourteen-hour flight.
As a result, everything has been designed to stand out in terms of comfort and innovation in a segment already occupied by American aircraft (Gulfstream) and Canadian ones (Bombardier).
The Falcon 10X offers passengers (up to 19 people) “the largest and brightest cabin in business aviation.” This is thanks to its spacious dimensions (16.4 meters long, 2.77 meters wide, with a 2.03-meter ceiling height) and its 38 extra-large windows. It promises “an unprecedented level of flexibility” for designing a fully customized interior environment.
Customers can even “move the walls,” as the company puts it. In other words, almost anything is possible—from a standard layout with four areas (workspace, dining area, lounge, and bedroom with a large bathroom featuring a shower) to a completely customized arrangement of onboard “rooms.”
