Dassault (Stand 830) is here exhibiting two of its Falcon business jets–the Falcon 7X and the Falcon 900LX. The Falcon 5X twinjet is present in the form of a fuselage and cabin mockup, while the first prototype is yet to fly due to a series of engine development issues. Meanwhile, six examples of the developmental, top-of-the-line Falcon 8X have been flying in an effort to gain certification in mid-2016.

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier made a cautious statement on the Middle East market–“We are forecasting continued, though slower, regional growth in the short term, due to prevailing economic conditions, and will continue to invest in the region so we can continue to support our operators with maximum effectiveness,” he said.

The Falcon fleet in the Middle East has nearly doubled in the last five years, to about 70 aircraft. Half of the added aircraft are Falcon 7Xs. One quarter of the Falcon 5X order backlog comes from the region.

Six Falcon 8Xs are participating in the certification testing program, which has now exceeded passed 300 hours. One of them is currently being fitted with a full cabin interior at Dassault’s Little Rock, Arkansas completion facility. It will be used for cabin comfort and acoustic trials.

During an update on the Falcon 5X late last month, Trappier said he was “still waiting for a new calendar from Snecma,” regarding delays with the Silvercrest engines. “Snecma is facing some difficulties, which will delay the 5X’s certification,” he added.

When the 5X rolled out in June, its first flight was pegged for September, but the new twinjet has yet to fly. Trappier declined to announce a new date for the maiden flight “until we have a new calendar from Snecma.” Asked about possible financial penalties, Trappier said, “There’s a contract, and this contract will be applied.” The engine delay has also prompted Dassault to slow 5X production.

The Silvercrest test program has faced three different obstacles. The first, which occurred early last year, centered on difficulties in adapting the engine to the Gulfstream II flying testbed. A second issue emerged on the engine’s oil-fuel heat exchanger. Solutions were found for both.

A third problem has only very recently been made public–it involves slight deformation of the engine casing during high-temperature testing. The deformation could cause the engine to fall short of performance guarantees made to Dassault. Snecma plans to make modifications to address the deformation; hence the delay.

“This problem has no consequence on the integrity of the engine or on our capacity to certify the Silvercrest,” Snecma said in a written statement. “During the last six months, we achieved a campaign of ground and flight tests with more than 3,200 hours, including 310 flight hours, and the engine has shown good performance.” Snecma insists that it still expects to earn certification for the engine in the middle of 2016.