Dassault Aviation has successfully completed the maiden flight of its Falcon 10X. It’s the company’s largest business jet to date, and it marks a critical milestone on the aircraft’s path to certification and entry into service in 2027.
The test aircraft, registered F-WNXT, departed Bordeaux-Mérignac at 11:10 a.m. on June 19, 2026. Lead test pilot Sébastien Dupont de Dinechin and co-pilot Fabrice Dougnac spent two hours and 30 minutes evaluating the aircraft’s handling qualities and systems from runway 23. They climbed to 15,000 feet initially, then pushed higher to 40,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 0.82.
“Today’s flight was the culmination of years of hard work by thousands of Dassault employees and partners,” Dupont de Dinechin said. “Everything went according to plan, and the aircraft was an absolute joy to fly.”
At $75 million, the Falcon 10X takes direct aim at the Gulfstream G700 and Bombardier Global 7500. The jet’s 2,780-cubic-foot cabin features the largest cross-section of any purpose-built business jet—with a width of 9 feet 1 inch and height of 6 feet 8 inches, it exceeds the G700’s 8-foot-2-inch width and 6-foot-3-inch height. Up to 19 passengers can fit across four cabin zones, and they’ll look out of 38 extra-large windows.
Two Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines will power the 10X, each producing over 18,000 pounds of thrust. This marks the first time a Falcon will use Rolls-Royce engines. The aircraft features composite wings—another first for the Falcon family—and will fly 7,500 nautical miles at Mach 0.85. Its maximum operating speed is Mach 0.925, with a maximum takeoff weight of 115,000 pounds and fuel capacity of 51,700 pounds.
Safety tech derived from Dassault’s fighter aircraft includes automatic recovery mode for unusual attitudes, automatic terrain avoidance, and automatic windshear recovery. The NeXus Flight Deck avionics suite has multi-touch displays and the FalconEye® combined vision system for low-visibility operations.
“This inaugural flight is another milestone for Dassault,” said Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “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.” Two additional test aircraft are already flying to support the certification campaign. Type certification is expected in 2027, with entry into service targeted for the same year.
Program History and Market Context
Dassault formally launched the Falcon 10X on May 6, 2021, initially targeting a 2025 first flight. The program slipped to 2026 after the company determined the original date was “a little ambitious”—COVID-19 disruptions and supply chain constraints compounded the delay, holding up certification of the Falcon 6X predecessor. The aircraft rolled out March 10, 2026, in Bordeaux-Mérignac, three months before its maiden flight.
Trappier expects the first customer delivery approximately two to three years after first flight, which would position initial 10X deliveries around 2028–2029. Dassault hasn’t disclosed specific customer names or individual unit orders. The company did report 31 Falcon business jet orders in 2025, up from 26 in 2024, with a year-end backlog of 73 aircraft across the entire Falcon family.
Production is slated to ramp to 40–60 Falcons annually as the 10X and Falcon 6X—which entered service in late 2023—both ramp up. Dassault delivered 37 Falcons in its last reported year. That trails Gulfstream’s 136 large-cabin aircraft and Bombardier’s 86 deliveries.
The Pearl 10X engine is 5% more efficient than its BR725 predecessor and works with 100% sustainable aviation fuels. Dassault has partnered with Stamford-based Hexcel since 2022 for structural prepreg supply across the wing program.
Sources
- AeroTime
- Dassault Aviation Official Press Release — June 19, 2026
- Dassault Aviation 2025 Financial and Business Review
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