Dassault Falcon 50
Falcon 50 | |
---|---|
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French Air Force Falcon 50 | |
Role | Business jet |
Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
First flight | 7 November 1976 |
Status | In service |
Primary users | Armee de l'Air South African Air Force Portuguese Air Force Italian Air Force |
Produced | 1976–2008[1] |
Number built | 352 |
Developed from | Dassault Falcon 20 |
Developed into | Dassault Falcon 900 |
TheDassault Falcon 50is a French super-midsize, long-rangebusiness jet,featuring atrijetlayout with anS-ductair intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-enginedFalcon 20,but was a new design that isarea ruledand includes a more advanced wing design.[2]
Design and development[edit]
The first prototype flew on 7 November 1976, with Frenchairworthiness certificationon 27 February 1979, followed by U.S.Federal Aviation Administrationcertification on 7 March 1979.[2]Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as theGardian 50.[3]
The Falcon 50 was later updated as the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996,[4]and the last of which was delivered in 2008.[1]The Falcon 50EX features improved engines and other enhancements to give further range improvements to an already long-range jet. The Falcon 50EX designation applies to serial numbers 253–352, which marks the end of the production line for the Falcon 50/50EX.
Successors to the Falcon 50 are theFalcon 7X[5]and theFalcon 900featuring a larger fuselage and the samethree-enginearrangement. Dassault announced in January 2008 what is essentially a replacement aircraft for the Falcon 50, codenamed the "SMS"(Super Mid Size). The basic design process, including engine selection, was supposed to be completed by early 2009. However, in a June 2009 press conference, CEO Charles Edelstenne said that all design choices had been reopened and the goal was extended to the end of the year.
Dassault andAviation Partners Inc.have developed and certified High Mach blendedwingletsfor the Falcon 50 & 50EX as a retrofit kit.
By 2018, Falcon 50s from the mid-late 1980s were priced at $0.879 to $1.6 million while 1998-2003 Falcon 50EXs can be had for $2.95 to $3.95 million.[6]
Variants[edit]
- Falcon 50
- Basic initial variant withHoneywell TFE 731-3-1Cengines and optionalauxiliary power unit(APU); 252 manufactured, with one serving as a prototype for the Falcon 50EX.[7][8]
- Falcon 50EX
Falcon 50EX - Marketing name for Falcon 50 with 3 DEEC (Digital Electronic Engine Control) controlledTFE 731-40engines; an APU installed as standard equipment; changes to theruddercontrol system; updated avionics; and other improvements; 100 manufactured, plus one modified Falcon 50[7][8]
- Falcon 50 "Susanna"
- Single Falcon 50 for Iraq modified with a Cyrano IV-C5 radar and hardpoints to carry twoAM-39 Exocetantiship missiles. Used for training Mirage F1 crews and possibly carried out theattack on the USSStarkon May 17, 1987. This aircraft was flown to Iran during thePersian Gulf Warand was not returned.[9][10][11][12]
Operators[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/F-HUNT_Dassault_Falcon_Mystere_50EX_FA50_FAB_002_%22Estado_Plurinacional_de_Bolivia%22_%28ex_M-GPIK%29_%2810840181333%29.jpg/220px-F-HUNT_Dassault_Falcon_Mystere_50EX_FA50_FAB_002_%22Estado_Plurinacional_de_Bolivia%22_%28ex_M-GPIK%29_%2810840181333%29.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/A_Iranian_Government_Dassault_Falcon_50_lands_at_Mehrabad_Airport.jpg/220px-A_Iranian_Government_Dassault_Falcon_50_lands_at_Mehrabad_Airport.jpg)
The majority of Falcon 50s are operated by corporate and individual owners.
Military and government operators[edit]
- Benin
- Bolivia
- Bulgaria
- Bulgarian Air Force- former operator
- Burundi
- Djibouti
- France
- French Air Force- former operator
- French Navyoperate eight Falcon 50M for maritime surveillance.
- Egypt
- Egyptian Air Force- former operator
- Iran
- Iraq[13]
- Iraqi Air Force- former operator of three Falcon 50s, one of which was the aforementioned Falcon 50 "Susanna"
- Italy
- TheItalian Air Forceoperated four Falcon 50s from 1985 until 2005, when two aircraft were retired.[14]
- Jordan
- Royal Jordanian Air Force
- Jordanian Royal Flight; Libya
- Morocco
- Portugal
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sudan
- Sudan Government
- Switzerland
- Venezuela
Accidents and incidents[edit]
- 6 April 1994Rwandan PresidentJuvénal Habyarimanaand Burundian PresidentCyprien Ntaryamirawere killed when the Falcon 50 they were travelling in (registration 9XR-NN)was shot down near Kigali,Rwanda, triggering theRwandan genocide. :
- 20 October 2014Falcon 50EX F-GLSA collided with a snow plowwhile taking off from Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Russia, killing all four people on board, including the CEO of Total oil and gas companyChristophe de Margerie. :
Specifications (50EX)[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Dassault_Falcon_illustration.svg/220px-Dassault_Falcon_illustration.svg.png)
Data fromFlight International[15]
General characteristics
- Crew:2
- Capacity:8 to 9passengers/ 1,080 kg (2,381 lb) payload with full fuel
- Length:18.52 m (60 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan:18.86 m (61 ft 11 in)
- Height:6.98 m (22 ft 11 in)
- Wing area:46.83 m2(504.1 sq ft)[16]
- Max takeoff weight:18,008 kg (39,701 lb)
- Max Landing Weight:16,200 kg (35,715 lb)
- Powerplant:3 ×Honeywell TFE 731-40turbofanengines, 16.46 kN (3,700 lbf) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed:1,015 km/h (631 mph, 548 kn)
- Maximum speed:Mach 0.86
- Cruise speed:903 km/h (561 mph, 488 kn) / M0.85 at 15,000 m (49,000 ft)
- Range:5,695 km (3,539 mi, 3,075 nmi)
- Service ceiling:14,936 m (49,003 ft)
- Rate of climb:10.433 m/s (2,053.7 ft/min)
- Take-off run:1,504 m (4,934 ft)
- Landing run:685 m (2,247 ft)
See also[edit]
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Bombardier Challenger 300
- Cessna Citation X
- Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600
- Gulfstream G200
- Hawker 4000
Related lists
References[edit]
- ^ab"News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com".Flightglobal.com.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2008.Retrieved26 April2018.
- ^abTaylor 1988, p.75.
- ^Taylor 1993, p.928
- ^"News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com".Flightglobal.com.Archivedfrom the original on 6 June 2009.Retrieved26 April2018.
- ^"News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com".Flightglobal.com.Archivedfrom the original on 6 June 2009.Retrieved26 April2018.
- ^Mark Huber (December 2018)."For many models, market hitting the apex"(PDF).Aviation International News.pp. 20–21, 24. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2018-12-27.Retrieved2018-12-27.
- ^abType Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 4
- ^abType Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 16
- ^Garcia, Miguel (2018).Iraqi Mirages in Combat: The story of the F.1EQ in Iraq.CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 118–124.ISBN978-1717467553.
- ^Leone, Dario (14 July 2019)."How a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet Nearly Destroyed a US Frigate".The National Interest.Retrieved1 December2020.
- ^de Guillebon, Hugues (February 2020). "L'attaque de la frégate Stark par un" Falcon "50 irakien le 17 mai 1987".Le Fana de l'Aviation(603): 16–28.
- ^Cooper, Tom."In 1987, a Secret Iraqi Warplane Struck an American Frigate and Killed 37 Sailors".War is Boring.Retrieved1 December2020.
- ^"The USS Stark Incident: That time a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet almost Sank a US Navy Frigate".2019-07-10.
- ^"Official website Aeronautica Militare".difesa.it.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2014.Retrieved26 April2018.
- ^"Super Mid-Size Jets".Flight International.
- ^Taylor 1988, pp.75–76.
Bibliography[edit]
- Federal Aviation Administration Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A46EU, Revision 18: Dassault Aviation Mystere-Falcon 50, Mystere-Falcon 900, Falcon 900EX; August 17, 2016
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1993).Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation.London: Studio Editions.
- Taylor, John W. R. (editor).Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89.Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group.ISBN0-7106-0867-5.
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)