Dassault Aviation now has two Falcon 10X prototypes in the air, after the second aircraft completed its first flight on 24 September from the company’s Mérignac site near Bordeaux. The serial-number-two jet has joined the first prototype already flying from Istres in southern France, expanding the certification campaign for the ultra-long-range business jet.
The second aircraft, reportedly registered F-WTEN, has taken over a distinct flight-test role alongside the lead prototype, with Dassault using the fleet to broaden envelope expansion work at higher speeds, angles of attack and altitudes. Reported sortie patterns for the first aircraft indicate an intensive schedule of about three flights a week, with individual missions lasting roughly four hours.
The first Falcon 10X prototype flew on 19 June, and the second followed about three months later, in line with the planned multi-aircraft test programme for the flagship model. Dassault has previously indicated that a third flight-test aircraft will join the campaign, carrying a full interior for systems and cabin reliability testing as the programme advances toward certification and entry into service.