November 2016

Dassault Aviation boosted customer support with the inauguration of a new Dassault Falcon Service facility at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport in November. The new complex adds 527,448 sq ft (49,000 sq m) for Falcon MRO support, including a 77,502-sq-ft (7,200-sq-m) hangar. It can accommodate up to six of the largest Falcons (the 7X, 8X and 5X) at the same time.

December 2016

Dassault Aviation’s ultra-long-range Falcon 8X made its public Middle East debut at MEBAA in December, leading a display of the company’s long-range, large-cabin jets. The UAE and Brazil’s ANAC also approved the 8X around the same time. 

January 2017

In January, Dassault reported that net orders for Dassault Falcons stood at 21 aircraft by end of 2016, down from 25 in 2015 and 67 in 2014. The tally reflected gross orders for 33 aircraft offset by 12 Falcon 5X cancellations caused by developmental delays on the Safran Silvercrest engine. Deliveries of new Falcons fell by six aircraft year-over-year in 2016 to 49 aircraft, which was predicted earlier in the year. Backlog also eroded in 2016, dipping to 63 Falcons at year-end, compared with 91 as of Dec. 31, 2015.

February 2017

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) named Dassault Falcon’s FalconEye combined-vision system (CVS) one of four nominees for the 2017 Collier Trophy. FalconEye is a head-up display (HUD) system that combines synthetic, database-driven terrain mapping and thermal and low-light camera images into a single view. 

March 2017

Announcing annual results at a Paris press conference in March, Dassault stated it could not see a recovery in the business aviation market until 2018. In 2016, Dassault logged 21 net orders for its Falcon jets, taking account of 12 Falcon 5Xs canceled by customers due to program delays caused by technical issues with the new model’s Safran Silvercrest engines. The company logged 25 Falcon sales in 2015 (a year in which NetJets canceled 20 orders). Falcon deliveries in 2016 numbered 49, which was down from 55 in 2015. Dassault had targeted 50 deliveries for 2016. For 2017, the company expects to deliver 45 Falcons, as well as nine of its Rafale fighters.

Dassault Aviation introduced new 3D virtual reality technology dedicated to training Falcon maintenance engineers and technicians. The technology was highlighted at the 2016 Australian International Airshow in Geelong. By using 3D virtual reality, students are able to see different parts of the Falcon airframe and its systems. Ultimately, the technology allows more students to learn the same thing at once.

April 2017

Dassault Aviation brought its flagship Falcon 8X to the ABACE 2017 static display in Shanghai in April. Jean-Michel Jacob, president of Falcon Asia-Pacific, announced that Dassault had one 8X under contract with a Chinese customer. According to company research, China is the second-largest market for the 7X, with 29 of the model in the country at the time, although at one point there were nearly forty 7Xs in China.

May 2017

At EBACE, Dassault Aviation launched its new in-flight phone application, FalconTalk. The app uses the aircraft's phone number so it can be used without the need for SIM cards. FalconTalk, which is available through the Apple and Google stores for iOS and Android devices, is compatible with the Falcon 2000 and 900 EASy series as well as the Falcon 7X and 8X.

July 2017

The Falcon 5X made its first flight from Dassault’s Bordeaux-Mérignac final assembly facility using a “preliminary version” of the Safran Silvercrest engines, as design issues originally delayed their development. Company officials said the preliminary flight-test campaign would last only a few weeks to help streamline the development process.

Dassault Aircraft Services created a new organization that packages an array of its services to help customers transition into the Falcon family. Falcon Pre-Purchase Services was created to provide potential customers of pre-owned Falcons an experience on par with that for customers of new aircraft. These services range from detailed aircraft evaluations to a complete walkthrough of requisite updates to meet upcoming NextGen requirements such as ADS-B Out and FANS 1/A to coordination of any other updates or modifications that the customer may seek.

Dassault Aviation announced in July that it delivered its 2,500th business jet—a Falcon 900LX. It was handed over to a long-time Falcon customer based in the U.S. at Dassault’s Little Rock Completion Center. The milestone came 52 years after the first Falcon—a Model 20—was delivered to launch customer Pan Am.

August 2017

The Falcon 8X fleet in Brazil grew to four aircraft in August. The region proved to be a key market for the launch of the aircraft program with three of the aircraft already handed over to customers in the region and a fourth close to delivery right before LABACE.

September 2017

Dassault attended the Russian business aviation show JetExpo in September. The company displayed its Falcon 900LX and, for the first time in Russia, a Falcon 8X at Moscow Vnukovo Airport.

After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in September, Dassault Falcon Jet’s Falcon 900C customer-response aircraft was pressed into action for a few of days to support relief efforts. The aircraft flew from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Farmingdale, New York to pick up meals and medical supplies to deliver to different locations in Texas.