Dassault Aviation unveils long-range Falcon 10X business jet

By Tim Hepher

MERIGNAC, France, March 11 (Reuters) - Dassault Aviation AM.PA rolled out its latest long-range business jet, the Falcon 10X, late on Tuesday as the French planemaker challenges North American rivals at the top end of the luxury aircraft market.

The new $80-million jet features the market's largest cabin and will be capable of linking cities like New York and Shanghai, Dassault said at a ceremony for suppliers and dozens of wealthy potential buyers at its Merignac factory in France.

The launch of a new flying penthouse comes as planemakers compete to serve the ultra-wealthy and heads of state at the top end of the luxury jet market, though CEO Eric Trappier said corporations would make up the bulk of projected sales.

"The role of this airplane is to fly very long distances while ensuring maximum comfort and security," he told reporters.

The twin-engine aircraft, originally expected in operation in late 2025, then 2027, will conduct a maiden flight "soon" and enter service towards the end of the decade, Trappier said.

Analysts have said the 10X's dinner party-sized cabin and marathon range could set up a closer three-way race against the largest models from Canada's Bombardier BBDb.TO and General Dynamics' GD.N Gulfstream unit, both of which delivered about four times more jets in total than Dassault in 2025.

Demand among wealthy travellers and corporations to fly private remains strong following an uptick during the pandemic.

U.S. aerospace firm Honeywell HON.O predicts 8,500 business jet deliveries worth $283 billion over the next decade.

Dassault declined to say how many orders it had received for its newest and most powerful jet, which will have a range of 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km) and compete with Bombardier's Global 8000 and Gulfstream's G800.

TOO EARLY TO ESTIMATE IMPACT OF MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

In a first for the French family-controlled company, which also makes Rafale combat jets, Dassault's new clean-sheet design comes with engines from Britain's Rolls-Royce RR.L.

The Falcon 10X was first announced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now being seen in public for the first time just as conflict erupts in the Middle East.

Trappier said it was too early to gauge the impact of the conflict on the business jet industry, which depends on the Middle East for 3% of its deliveries, according to Honeywell.

"There is no immediate impact, but there are risks," he said.

Development of the Falcon 10X was delayed by the pandemic, which inflicted industry-wide pressure on supply chains.

The smaller Falcon 6X entered service in 2023 after delays also blamed on the pandemic.

Trappier declined to estimate future 10X output, saying this would depend on orders, for which he did not give a target. Analysts are watching to see if it ramps up more smoothly than the shorter-range Falcon 6X.

"With the Falcon 6X we really had supply chain problems and so we will learn from that experience," Trappier said.