Dassault Aviation at Dubai Airshow
Saint-Cloud, France : Dassault Aviation is participating in Dubai
Airshow 2021, from 14 to 18 November. The static display features a Rafale C combat aircraft
and a Falcon 8X business jet (which flew from France with sustainable aviation fuel). The
Rafale will take part in the flying display every day. It will be presented by the French Air and
Space Force, which operates a detachment of Rafales at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE.
Dassault Aviation has been a partner of the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) since the
Mirage 5 era in the 1970s. The UAEAF currently operates a fleet of Mirage 2000-9s, which are
in the process of being modernized with Dassault’s support.
The Dubai Airshow will also be an opportunity for the company to promote its new Falcon 6X
and Falcon 10X ultra widebody business aircraft. A full-scale model of the Falcon 6X cabin will
be on display in the static park. The Falcon 6X, with a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,186
km), is the most spacious, modern and versatile twin-engine aircraft in its class. Three aircraft
are currently in flight-testing. Certification testing of the 6X’s new Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW812D engine was recently completed. The 6X is scheduled to enter service in late 2022.
The Falcon 10X, which was presented around the world in a virtual unveiling on May 6, 2020,
will offer a range of 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km), enabling it to fly non-stop from the Gulf
to any destination in Asia, Australia/New Zealand or the U.S. West Coast. It will fly at a top
speed of Mach 0.925. The 10X will feature a cabin 6-feet, 8-inches (2.03 m) high and 9-feet,
1-inch (2.77 m) wide – larger than some new regional jets. It is scheduled to enter service at
the end of 2025.
Many operators in the Middle East are equipped with Falcon business jets, whose reliability,
comfort and flexibility are ideal for conditions in the region. Dubai is one of the key points in the
Falcon maintenance network. This network has been strengthened following Dassault
Aviation’s acquisition of the ExecuJet MRO and TAG MRO businesses in 2019-2020.
