Dassault Falcon 50
Summary
| Category | Transport aircraft |
| Origin country | 🇫🇷 France |
| First flight | 1 November 1976 |
| Year of introduction | 1979 |
| Number produced | 352 units |
Description
The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. While sharing a similar fuselage cross-section and capacity with the earlier Falcon 20, the Falcon 50 is a new design, area ruled and equipped with a more advanced wing. The development of the Falcon 50 also led to a maritime surveillance and environmental protection variant known as the Gardian 50. The first prototype of the Falcon 50 completed its maiden flight on November 7, 1976, achieved French airworthiness certification on February 27, 1979, and certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on March 7, 1979.
The Falcon 50 was later updated as the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996, and the last of which was delivered in 2008. The Falcon 50EX featured improvements, including enhanced engines with DEEC (Digital Electronic Engine Control), a standard APU, changes to the rudder control system, and updated avionics that provided increased range. Dassault and Aviation Partners Inc. also developed and certified High Mach blended winglets for the Falcon 50 and 50EX as a retrofit kit. The Falcon 50EX has a payload capacity of 1,080 kg (2,381 lb) when carrying full fuel.
The Falcon 50 sees use primarily among corporate and individual owners, though it has also been adopted by various military and government operators. A single, unique variant known as the Falcon 50 "Susanna" was modified for Iraq. This aircraft was equipped with a Cyrano IV-C5 radar and included hardpoints designed to carry two AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. It was reportedly used for training Mirage F1 crews in anti-ship warfare tactics and may have participated in the attack on the USS Stark in 1987, before ultimately being flown to Iran during the Persian Gulf War. On April 6, 1994, a Falcon 50 (registration 9XR-NN) carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down near Kigali, Rwanda, an event that triggered the Rwandan genocide.
Main Variants:
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Falcon 50: The basic initial variant, powered by Honeywell TFE 731-3-1C engines, featured an optional auxiliary power unit, and had 252 units manufactured, with one later serving as a prototype for the Falcon 50EX.
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Falcon 50EX: An upgraded version of the Falcon 50, it featured three DEEC controlled TFE 731-40 engines, a standard APU, changes to the rudder control system, and updated avionics, with 100 manufactured plus one modified Falcon 50.
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Falcon 50 "Susanna": A single Falcon 50 modified for Iraq, equipped with a Cyrano IV-C5 radar and hardpoints to carry two AM-39 Exocet antiship missiles, reportedly used for training Mirage F1 crews and potentially involved in the attack on the USS Stark.
Technical specifications
| Version: Falcon 50MI SurMar | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 888 km/h (552 mph) |
| Wing area | 46.8 m² (504.1 sqft) |
| Wingspan | 18.9 m (62.0 ft) |
| Height | 7.0 m (22.9 ft) |
| Length | 18.8 m (61.7 ft) |
| Service ceiling | 13716 m (45000 ft) |
| Empty weight | 9150 kg (20172 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 18500 kg (40785 lbs) |
| Climb rate | 17.42 m/s (57.2 ft/s) |
| Takeoff distance | 1524 m (5000 ft) |
| Powerplant | 3 × turbojets Honeywell TFE731-3-1C delivering 1681 kgp |
Current operating countries
| Country | Units | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
France | 8 | |
Numbers in parentheses, e.g. '(+5)', indicate units ordered but not yet delivered.