Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has congratulated Pratt & Whitney Canada on Transport Canada’s approval of the latest member of the company’s PW800 family of high-efficiency engines, which powers Dassault’s new extra widebody Falcon 6X.
“Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW812D engine is a major step forward in fuel efficiency, maintainability and performance, and will help make the 6X a truly outstanding aircraft,” said Trappier.
The engine powers all three of the Falcon 6X aircraft currently in flight-testing. The aircraft test campaign has accumulated over 500 flight test hours and 150 flights to date. Test pilots have praised the smooth handling of the aircraft as it continues to make steady progress toward planned type certification in late 2022.
An initial production aircraft with a fully outfitted cabin will soon join the development program. This aircraft will conduct a global tour to evaluate aircraft and system performance in the real world of business aviation, including operation in remote locations and other challenging environments.
Last month, a Falcon 6X flight test aircraft landed at Paris-Le Bourget Airport, where it became one of the first aircraft to refuel in the field using a sustainable aviation fuel blend, provided by TotalEnergies. Dassault Aviation will continue to use SAF in the test program as part of the company’s ongoing effort to minimize its CO2 footprint.
The 13,500 lb-thrust PW812D will provide the Falcon 6X with a range of up to 5,100 nm (9,450 km) at Mach 0.85.
