Flight tests of Dassault Falcon 5X are delayed again

Dassault Aviation delays flight tests of a new super mid business jet Dassault Falcon 5X for 2017

French business jets manufacturer Dassault Aviation again delays flight tests of a new super mid business jet Dassault Falcon 5X for 2017. Postponement is caused by the problems with the Silvercrest power plant which is produced by French company Snecma, which has disrupted the flight tests, originally scheduled for 2015

According to the new schedule, the first delivery of Falcon 5X scheduled for early 2020, as the company has already notified the clients. Due to the delay in the program, NetJets company has canceled the order for 20 Falcon 5X business jets. Current portfolio of  these aircraft orders Dassault Aviation does not disclose, but the leadership of  Dassault does not exclude that a few more customers can abandon of the business jets.

Falcon 5X will be the first aircraft, which will be equipped with the Silvercrest engine. Earlier, the same powerplant has been chosen for Cessna Citation Longitude aircraft, however, the corporation Textron Aviation, which includes manufacturer, later abandoned it in favor of the Honeywell engine. The decision was taken last year after the redesign business jet.

At Snecma reported that the certification of the engine is transferred to the first half of 2018 (initially it was assumed that it would get the EASA approval in 2015, later it was moved in 2016). As previously reported, the main problem was the deformation of the housing of the power plant, revealed during the high-test. This may have result in engine performance of Falcon 5X jet.

In order to eliminate the undesirable effect, Snecma has to make changes in the engine design. So, the company will have to design and produce new parts in order to increase the life of the engine.

Schedule delays are following the strong decline in sales of Dassault Aviation business jets, recorded at the end of 2015. If in 2014 the company delivered 90 business jets, then in 2015 – only 45 premium class planes. The number of Falcon business jet delivered in past year is 55 aircrafts, – is the lowest in the past 10 years.