Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X made its first flight Friday from Bordeaux-Mérignac, France, kicking off the aircraft’s flight test campaign. Test pilot Sébastien Dupont de Dinechin, along with Fabrice Dougnac, departed runway 23 at 11:10 a.m. local time and returned at 1:40 p.m. after a 2-hour, 30-minute flight.
The crew evaluated handling qualities and aircraft systems at 15,000 feet before retracting the landing gear and movable surfaces, climbing to 40,000 feet and accelerating to Mach 0.82.
“This inaugural flight is another milestone for Dassault,” Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier said. “It is a reflection of the dedication and high skill of our engineering, production, and flight teams, and also the quality of our global network of partners. All of us are excited to see this day as we launch into a new phase for the 10X.”
The first 10X test aircraft is expected to be followed by two additional aircraft in the program. According to Dassault, the second aircraft is nearing completion, while the third is being fitted with a full interior and will be used primarily for systems, cabin function and reliability testing.
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