46 Vol. 10 / No. 4 / April 2018 Global Aviator
Out of Dassault
On 28 February,
Dassault announced
the launch of the
Falcon 6X program.
The name and
specifications were
no surprise, after the
ultimate cancellation
of the delayed Falcon
5X program at the end
of 2017. The challenges
faced by the French
company makes a
great textbook case for
both marketing and
engineering students.When Dassault was
informed of a new delay
of the Snecma Silvercrest
power plant designed forthe Falcon 5X, the engineers
at Dassault Falcon under
pressure of top management
were given only 6 weeks to
come up with a rough sketch
of an alternative solution.
They ended up fittingthe closest competitor of
the Silvercrest, the Pratt &
Whitney Canada PW800
turbofan, to the fuselage.
Then, a 20 inch fuselage
plug was added in front of
the wing to balance againstthe heavier engines, making
the new design even bigger
than the already biggest-in-
class 5X. There you have it:
the Falcon 6X in a nutshell.Worthy
its own name
With the first engineering
results, the challenge was
forwarded to the marketing
department. Was the new
design still a Falcon 5X,
or was the new design
worthy of its own name?
In the end, the sales
people probably decided
the new plane deserved
its own name and for two6 X
Falcon
DASSAULT
The largest and widest cabin cross section
in any purpose built business jetFalconEye Combined Vision System HUDPics: Dassault Aviation