Dassault's new flagship, the 6,450-nm Falcon 8X, made its maiden flight today. With test pilots Eric Gérard and Hervé Laverne at the controls, Falcon 8X S/N 01 took off at 2 p.m. local time from Bordeaux Mérignac airport and landed at 3:45 p.m. The maiden sortie took place seven weeks after the rollout ceremony.

During the inaugural flight, the trijet leveled off at 5,000 feet and raised its landing gear before beginning flight handling maneuvers and system tests at 15,000 feet. It later climbed to FL400, accelerating to Mach 0.80. “We reached each of the performance objectives set for the first mission and, in a few cases, surpassed goals,” Gérard said.

The first flight is on schedule and the manufacturer is confident that the stretched, upgraded version of the Falcon 7X will meet its mid-2016 certification and second-half 2016 delivery targets. Falcon 8X S/N 02 and 03 are scheduled to take to the air in the coming months, taking part in a flight-test program that is expected to last some 500 flight hours. S/N 03 will be the first 8X to be outfitted with a cabin interior, at Dassault's Little Rock, Ark. completion facility.

With eight passengers and three crew, the 8X will be able to fly 6,450 nm at Mach 0.80. Meanwhile, it will retain the short-field capabilities that Falcons are famous for: six-degree steep approach capability, a balanced field length of about 6,000 feet and an approach speed of 107 knots.