Dassault Falcon 50
| Falcon 50 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| French Air Force Falcon 50 | |
| Role | Business jet |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| First flight | 7 November 1976 |
| Status | Production ended; in active use |
| Primary users | Armee de l'Air South African Air Force Italian Air Force |
| Produced | 1976–2008[1] |
| Number built | 352 |
| Unit cost |
$US21.15 million (2006)[2] |
| Developed from | Dassault Falcon 20 |
| Variants | Dassault Falcon 900 |
The Dassault Aviation Mystere-Falcon 50, commonly known as the Dassault Falcon 50, is a French-built super mid-sized, long-range business jet, featuring a three jet engine layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engine Falcon 20 but is a completely new design that is area ruled and includes a more advanced wing design.[3]
Design and development
The first prototype flew on 7 November 1976, with French airworthiness certification on 27 February 1979, followed by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification on 7 March 1979.[3] Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as the Gardian 50.[4]
The Falcon 50 was later updated as the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996,[5] 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-legged jet. The Falcon 50EX designation applies to serial numbers 253–352, which marks the end of the production line for the Falcon 50/50EX.
The last Falcon 50EX was built in late 2007 and delivered in early 2008.
Successors to the Falcon 50 are the Falcon 7X[6] and the Falcon 900 featuring a larger fuselage and the same three-engine arrangement. 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 and Aviation Partners Inc. have announced that High Mach blended winglets were being developed for the Falcon 50 as a retrofit kit.
Attack version
Background
During the Iran–Iraq War several oil tankers had been sunk and in 1986 this led to Iran moving its oil exports to the Sirri Island oil terminal, an island that was out of reach of Iraqi Air Force reconnaissance. The Iraqi Air Force did operate two Dassault Mirage F1 variants equipped for inflight refueling that could reach the oil terminal, but was reluctant to use them because that capability was still a secret.[7] The Iraqi Intelligence Service operated a Falcon 50 in VIP configuration and offered to install reconnaissance cameras in it and then fly a clandestine sortie over Sirri Island. The Falcon 50 would appear to be one of the many civilian aircraft flying along local commercial corridors.[7]
The aircraft had the civil registration YI-ALE and Iraqi Airways markings when it took off from Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan carrying a crew of two, plus three experienced Mirage pilots. Heading to Mumbai airport in India, the aircraft passed about 30 kilometers west of Sirri island.[7] This was close enough for the crew to take photos using a handheld camera with a powerful optical zoom. They repeated the same procedure on the way back to Jordan the next day. The photographs facilitated a successful attack on the oil terminal on Sirri island with Mirage aircraft.[7]
Modifications
The Iraqi Air Force's Mirage F1EQ-5 was equipped with Exocet missiles but could carry only one. An aircraft that could carry two Exocet missiles and that would not draw attention to itself was desired, the Falcon 50 being considered suitable.[7] The Thales Group was asked to modify the aircraft with the same radar and weapons system as the Mirage F1EQ-5, for alleged pilot training purposes.[7]
The attack on USS Stark
Early on 17 May 1987 a pilot from the Iraqi Air Force's No. 81 Squadron took off on the first Falcon 50 attack mission from Wahda Air Base, 45 km south-west of Basra. At the edge of the Iraqi-declared exclusion zone north of Bahrain a medium-sized naval vessel was identified.[7] The pilot determined that it was about to enter the exclusion zone and attacked the vessel with both Exocet missiles. The Iraqi government apologized and claimed that “The pilot mistook Stark for an Iranian tanker”. The American government accepted the apology and assigned blame to Iran instead.[7] American intelligence was convinced it was a Mirage F1 that had attacked.[7]
Variants
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- Falcon 50
- Basic initial variant with Honeywell TFE 731-3-1C engines and optional auxiliary power unit (APU); 252 manufactured, with one serving as a prototype for the Falcon 50EX.[8][9]
- Falcon 50EX
- Marketing name for Falcon 50 with TFE 731-40 engines; an APU installed as standard equipment; changes to the rudder control system; updated avionics; and other improvements; 100 manufactured, plus one modified Falcon 50[8][9]
Operators
- France
- Iran
- Italy
- The Italian Air Force operated four Falcon 50s from 1985 until 2005, when two aircraft were retired[10]
- Morocco
- Portugal
- Serbia
- South Africa
- Venezuela
- Bolivia
Former operators
- Benin
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Royal Jordanian Air Force
- Jordanian Royal Flight
- Libya
- Rwanda
- Spain
- Sudan
- Switzerland
Accidents and incidents
- Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira: Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira, the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan military, two Burundian ministers, and seven others were killed when Habyarimana's Dassault Falcon 50 was shot down over Kigali airport and crashed on the grounds of the Rwandan presidential residence on 6 April 1994. The assassination of Habyarimana triggered the Rwandan genocide.[11][12]
- 2014 Falcon 50 Vnukovo ground collision: on 20 October 2014 at 2357 Local Time, Falcon 50EX F-GLSA was departing from Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on a flight to Paris when it hit a snow removal vehicle. After the impact the aircraft rolled upside down, crashed and was destroyed by fire. All four people on board – the CEO of Total S.A. oil and gas company Christophe de Margerie and the three crew members – were killed.[13]
Specifications (50EX)
Data from Flight International[14]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Capacity: eight to nine passengers
- Length: 18.52 m (60 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10 in)
- Height: 6.98 m (22 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 46.83 m² (504.1 ft²[15])
- Empty weight: 9889 kg (21800 lbs)
- Useful load: 8,119 kg (17,900 lbs)
- Max. takeoff weight: 18,008 kg (39,700 lbs)
- Max Landing Weight: 16,200kg / 35,715lbs
- Payload with full fuel: 1,080kg / 2,380lbs
- Fuel Capacity: 7039 kg / 15520 lbs
- Cabin Length: 23’ 5” / 7.14m
- Cabin Width: Max: 6’ 1” / 1.86m Floor: 5' 2" / 1.57m
- Cabin Height: 5’ 9” / 1.75m
- Powerplant: 3 × Honeywell TFE 731-40 turbofan engines, 16.46kN each (3,700 lbf) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,015 km/h (548 ktas)
- Cruise speed: Mach 0.85 (488 kn; 903 km/h)
- Range: 5,695 km (3,075 nmi) ()
- Service ceiling: 14,936 m (49,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 10.43 m/s (2,053 fpm)
- Take off Distance: 1,504 m / 4,935 ft
- Landing Distance: 658 m / 2,159 ft
Avionics
Collins ProLine4
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
- 1 2 http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html
- ↑ "Purchase Planning Handbook" (PDF). Business & Commercial Aviation. Aviation Week. May 2006.
- 1 2 Taylor 1988, p.75.
- ↑ Taylor 1993, p.928
- ↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html
- ↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 https://warisboring.com/in-1987-a-secret-iraqi-warplane-struck-an-american-frigate-and-killed-37-sailors-b341a948fa21#.av4l0q41w
- 1 2 Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 4
- 1 2 Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 16
- ↑ Official website Aeronautica Militare
- ↑ Raymond Bonner (November 12, 1994). "Unsolved Rwanda Mystery: The President's Plane Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Dassault Falcon 50 9XR-NN Kigali". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ↑ Accident description for ASN Aircraft accident 20-OCT-2014 Dassault Falcon 50EX F-GLSA at the Aviation Safety Network
- ↑ "Super Mid-Size Jets". Flight International.
- ↑ Taylor 1988, pp.75–76.
Bibliography
- 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. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
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