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{{short description|Midsize three engine long range business jet}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
{{Infobox aircraft
|name= Falcon 50
|name= Falcon 50
|image=Armee de l'Air - Dassault Falcon 50.jpg
|image=Armee de l'Air - Dassault Falcon 50.jpg
|caption=French Air Force Falcon 50
|caption=French Air Force Falcon 50
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
|type= [[Business jet]]
|type= [[Business jet]]
|manufacturer= [[Dassault Aviation]]
|manufacturer= [[Dassault Aviation]]
|designer=
|designer=
|first flight= 7 November 1976
|first_flight= 7 November 1976
|introduction=
|introduction=
|retired=
|retired=
|status= In service
|status= In service
|primary user= [[Armee de l'Air]]
|primary_user= [[Armee de l'Air]]
|more users= [[South African Air Force]]<br>[[Portuguese Air Force]]<br>[[Italian Air Force]]
|more_users= [[South African Air Force]]<br>[[Portuguese Air Force]]<br>[[Italian Air Force]]
|produced= 1976–2008<ref name="flightglobal.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|accessdate=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828174249/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html|archivedate=28 August 2008}}</ref>
|produced= 1976–2008<ref name="flightglobal.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828174249/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html|archive-date=28 August 2008}}</ref>
|number built=352
|number_built=352
|unit cost=$US21.15 million (2006)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://awin.aviationweek.com/portals/awin/PDFs/BCAHandbook/2006/2006_business_airplanes.pdf |title= Purchase Planning Handbook |work= Business & Commercial Aviation |publisher= Aviation Week |date= May 2006 |url-status= live |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20170309131814/http://awin.aviationweek.com/Portals/awin/PDFs/BCAHandbook/2006/2006_business_airplanes.pdf |archivedate= 2017-03-09 }}</ref>
|unit cost=$US21.15 million (2006)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://awin.aviationweek.com/portals/awin/PDFs/BCAHandbook/2006/2006_business_airplanes.pdf |title= Purchase Planning Handbook |work= Business & Commercial Aviation |publisher= Aviation Week |date= May 2006 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170309131814/http://awin.aviationweek.com/Portals/awin/PDFs/BCAHandbook/2006/2006_business_airplanes.pdf |archive-date= 2017-03-09 }}</ref>
|developed from = [[Dassault Falcon 20]]
|developed_from = [[Dassault Falcon 20]]
|variants with their own articles =
|variants =
|developed into = [[Dassault Falcon 900]]
|developed_into = [[Dassault Falcon 900]]
}}
}}
⚫
|}


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. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined [[Dassault Falcon 20|Falcon 20]], but is a completely new design that is [[area rule]]d and includes a more advanced wing design.<ref name="Janes 88 p75">Taylor 1988, p.75.</ref>
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. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined [[Dassault Falcon 20|Falcon 20]], but was a new design that is [[area rule]]d and includes a more advanced wing design.<ref name="Janes 88 p75">Taylor 1988, p.75.</ref>


==Design and development==
==Design and development==
The first prototype flew on 7 November 1976, with French [[Type certificate|airworthiness certification]] on 27 February 1979, followed by U.S. [[Federal Aviation Administration]] certification on 7 March 1979.<ref name="Janes 88 p75"/> Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as the '''Gardian 50'''.<ref>Taylor 1993, p.928</ref>
The first prototype flew on 7 November 1976, with French [[Type certificate|airworthiness certification]] on 27 February 1979, followed by U.S. [[Federal Aviation Administration]] certification on 7 March 1979.<ref name="Janes 88 p75"/> Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as the '''Gardian 50'''.<ref>Taylor 1993, p.928</ref>


The Falcon 50 was later updated as the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|accessdate=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606130024/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html|archivedate=6 June 2009}}</ref> and the last of which was delivered in 2008.<ref name="flightglobal.com"/> 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.
The Falcon 50 was later updated as the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606130024/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html|archive-date=6 June 2009}}</ref> and the last of which was delivered in 2008.<ref name="flightglobal.com"/> 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 the [[Dassault Falcon 7X|Falcon 7X]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|access-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606130029/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html|archive-date=6 June 2009}}</ref> and the [[Dassault Falcon 900|Falcon 900]] featuring a larger fuselage and the same [[Trijet|three-engine]] arrangement. Dassault announced in January 2008 what is essentially a replacement aircraft for the Falcon 50, codenamed the "[[Dassault Falcon 5X|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.
The last Falcon 50EX was built in late 2007 and delivered in early 2008.


⚫
Dassault and [[Aviation Partners Inc.]] have developed and certified High Mach blended [[Wingtip device|winglets]] for the Falcon 50 & 50EX as a retrofit kit.
⚫
Successors to the Falcon 50 are the [[Dassault Falcon 7X|Falcon 7X]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html|title=News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com|website=Flightglobal.com|accessdate=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606130029/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html|archivedate=6 June 2009}}</ref> and the [[Dassault Falcon 900|Falcon 900]] featuring a larger fuselage and the same [[Trijet|three-engine]] arrangement. Dassault announced in January 2008 what is essentially a replacement aircraft for the Falcon 50, codenamed the [[Dassault Falcon 5X|"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.


⚫
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.<ref name=AINdec2018>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.ainonline.com/sites/default/files/full-issues/ain_1218.pdf |title= For many models, market hitting the apex |magazine= Aviation International News |author= Mark Huber |date= December 2018 |pages= 20–21, 24 |access-date= 2018-12-27 |archive-date= 2018-12-27 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181227181555/https://www.ainonline.com/sites/default/files/full-issues/ain_1218.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>
⚫
Dassault and [[Aviation Partners Inc.]] have announced that High Mach blended [[Wingtip device|winglets]] were being developed for the Falcon 50 as a retrofit kit.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

⚫
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.<ref name=AINdec2018>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.ainonline.com/sites/default/files/full-issues/ain_1218.pdf |title= For many models, market hitting the apex |magazine= Aviation International News |author= Mark Huber |date= December 2018 |pages= 20–21, 24}}</ref>


==Variants==
==Variants==
⚫
[[File:A Iranian Government Dassault Falcon 50 lands at Mehrabad Airport.jpg|thumb|right|Falcon 50 of the Iranian government landing at [[Mehrabad International Airport]] in Tehran]]
⚫
[[File:9H-AVE Dassault Falcon 50EX FA50 - LSA (26547177406).jpg|thumb|Maltese-registered Falcon 50EX on approach to Geneva in Switzerland]]
[[File:Yugoslav Falcon 50 at Basle - July 1984.jpg|thumb|right|Yugoslav government Falcon 50 in 1984]]
;Falcon 50
;Falcon 50
:Basic initial variant with [[Garrett TFE731|Honeywell TFE 731-3-1C]] engines and optional [[auxiliary power unit]] (APU); 252 manufactured, with one serving as a prototype for the Falcon 50EX.<ref name=TCDSp4/><ref name=TCDSp16/>
:Basic initial variant with [[Garrett TFE731|Honeywell TFE 731-3-1C]] engines and optional [[auxiliary power unit]] (APU); 252 manufactured, with one serving as a prototype for the Falcon 50EX.<ref name=TCDSp4/><ref name=TCDSp16/>


⚫
;Falcon 50EX[[File:9H-AVE Dassault Falcon 50EX FA50 - LSA (26547177406).jpg|thumb|Falcon 50EX]]
;Falcon 50EX
:Marketing name for Falcon 50 with [[Garrett TFE731|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<ref name=TCDSp4>Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 4</ref><ref name=TCDSp16>Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 16</ref>
:Marketing name for Falcon 50 with 3 DEEC (Digital Electronic Engine Control) controlled [[Garrett TFE731|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<ref name=TCDSp4>Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 4</ref><ref name=TCDSp16>Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 16</ref>

;Falcon 50 "Susanna"
:Single Falcon 50 for Iraq modified with a Cyrano IV-C5 radar and hardpoints to carry two [[AM-39 Exocet]] antiship missiles. Used for training Mirage F1 crews and possibly carried out the [[USS Stark incident|attack on the USS ''Stark'']] on May 17, 1987. This aircraft was flown to Iran during the [[Persian Gulf War]] and was not returned.<ref name="Garcia 2018">{{cite book |last1=Garcia |first1=Miguel |title=Iraqi Mirages in Combat: The story of the F.1EQ in Iraq |date=2018 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1717467553 |pages=118–124}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Dario |title=How a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet Nearly Destroyed a US Frigate |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-modified-iraqi-falcon-50-business-jet-nearly-destroyed-us-frigate-66772 |website=The National Interest |date=14 July 2019 |access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=de Guillebon |first1=Hugues |title=L'attaque de la frégate Stark par un "Falcon" 50 irakien le 17 mai 1987 |journal=Le Fana de l'Aviation |date=February 2020 |issue=603 |pages=16–28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=In 1987, a Secret Iraqi Warplane Struck an American Frigate and Killed 37 Sailors |url=https://warisboring.com/in-1987-a-secret-iraqi-warplane-struck-an-american-frigate-and-killed-37-sailors/ |website=War is Boring |access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref>


==Operators==
==Operators==
[[File:F-HUNT Dassault Falcon Mystere 50EX FA50 FAB 002 "Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia" (ex M-GPIK) (10840181333).jpg|thumb|Falcon 50EX of the [[Bolivian Air Force]] for vice-presidential use]]
The majority of Falcon 50s are operated by corporate and individual owners.
⚫
[[File:A Iranian Government Dassault Falcon 50 lands at Mehrabad Airport.jpg|thumb|right|Falcon 50 of the Iranian government landing at [[Mehrabad International Airport]] in Tehran]]The majority of Falcon 50s are operated by corporate and individual owners.


===Military and government operators===
===Military and government operators===

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
; Benin
; Benin
; Bolivia
; Bolivia
Line 66: Line 66:
* [[Egyptian Air Force]] - former operator
* [[Egyptian Air Force]] - former operator
; Iran
; Iran
* [[Iranian Air Force]]
* [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force|Iranian Air Force]]
* [[Iranian government]]
* [[Iranian government]]
; Iraq<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-uss-stark-incident-that-time-a-modified-iraqi-falcon-50-business-jet-almost-sank-a-us-navy-frigate/?fbclid=IwAR1T9JZ5GZFCG9_Whs8_OeqUTUr4rJFrFfGuBsjGAyoQLZCjqJIyfngvtbs | title=The USS Stark Incident: That time a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet almost Sank a US Navy Frigate| date=2019-07-10}}</ref>
; Iraq<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-uss-stark-incident-that-time-a-modified-iraqi-falcon-50-business-jet-almost-sank-a-us-navy-frigate/ | title=The USS Stark Incident: That time a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet almost Sank a US Navy Frigate| date=2019-07-10}}</ref>
*[[Iraqi Air Force]] - former operator of three Falcon 50s, one of which was the aforementioned Falcon 50 "Susanna"
; Italy
; Italy
* The [[Italian Air Force]] operated four Falcon 50s from 1985 until 2005, when two aircraft were retired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/Mezzi/velivoliDotazione/Pagine/Falcon50.aspx|title=Official website Aeronautica Militare|website=difesa.it|accessdate=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215223539/http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/Mezzi/velivoliDotazione/Pagine/Falcon50.aspx|archivedate=15 December 2014}}</ref>
* The [[Italian Air Force]] operated four Falcon 50s from 1985 until 2005, when two aircraft were retired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/Mezzi/velivoliDotazione/Pagine/Falcon50.aspx|title=Official website Aeronautica Militare|website=difesa.it|access-date=26 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215223539/http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/Mezzi/velivoliDotazione/Pagine/Falcon50.aspx|archive-date=15 December 2014}}</ref>
; Jordan
; Jordan
* [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]]
* [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]]
Line 91: Line 92:
; Venezuela
; Venezuela
* [[Venezuelan Air Force]]
* [[Venezuelan Air Force]]
⚫
}}


==Accidents and incidents==
==Accidents and incidents==
* {{Timeline-event |date={{Start date|1994|04|06|df=y}} |event=Rwandan President [[Juvénal Habyarimana]] and Burundian President [[Cyprien Ntaryamira]] were killed when the Falcon 50 they were travelling in (registration 9XR-NN) [[Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira|was shot down near Kigali]], Rwanda, triggering the [[Rwandan genocide]].}}
* {{Timeline-event |date={{Start date|1994|04|06|df=y}} |event=Rwandan President [[Juvénal Habyarimana]] and Burundian President [[Cyprien Ntaryamira]] were killed when the Falcon 50 they were travelling in (registration 9XR-NN) [[Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira|was shot down near Kigali]], Rwanda, triggering the [[Rwandan genocide]].}}
* {{Timeline-event |date={{Start date|2014|10|20|df=y}} |event=[[2014 Vnukovo Airport Falcon 50 crash|Falcon 50EX F-GLSA collided with a snow plow]] while taking off from Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Russia, killing all four people on board, including the CEO of Total oil and gas company [[Christophe de Margerie]].}}
* {{Timeline-event |date={{Start date|2014|10|20|df=y}} |event=[[2014 Vnukovo Airport Falcon 50 crash|Falcon 50EX F-GLSA collided with a snow plow]] while taking off from Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Russia, killing all four people on board, including the CEO of Total oil and gas company [[Christophe de Margerie]].}}
* 27 September 2018: Illegal charter flight of Falcon 50 results in death of pilot and copilot. 2 passengers were seriously injured.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mondor |first=Colleen |title=Illegal Charter and the Falcon 50 Crash {{!}} AIN |url=https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-07/illegal-charter-and-falcon-50-crash |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Aviation International News}}</ref>


==Specifications (50EX)==
==Specifications (50EX)==
[[File:Dassault Falcon illustration.svg|thumb|side view]]

[[File:Dassault Falcon 50 cabin interior.JPG|thumb|Dassault Falcon 50 cabin interior]]
[[File:Dassault Falcon 50 cabin interior.JPG|thumb|Dassault Falcon 50 cabin interior]]


{{Aircraft specs
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Flight International<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=14999 |title= Super Mid-Size Jets |work= Flight International |url-status= live }}</ref>
|ref=Flight International<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=14999 |title= Super Mid-Size Jets |work= Flight International }}</ref>
|prime units?=met
|prime units?=met
<!--
<!--
Line 122: Line 127:
|gross weight note=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=18008
|max takeoff weight kg=18008
|max takeoff weight note=</br>
|max takeoff weight note=<br/>
*'''Max Landing Weight:''' {{cvt|16200|kg|0}}
*'''Max Landing Weight:''' {{cvt|16200|kg|0}}
|fuel capacity=
|fuel capacity=
Line 162: Line 167:
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|thrust/weight=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=</br>
|more performance=<br/>
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt|1504|m|0}}
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt|1504|m|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt|685|m|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt|685|m|0}}
Line 198: Line 203:
==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Dassault Falcon 50}}
{{Commons category|Dassault Falcon 50}}
* [http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/50ex/ Dassault Falcon 50 official website]
* [http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/50ex/ Dassault Falcon 50 official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615021029/http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/50ex/ |date=2008-06-15 }}
* [http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=174 Falcon 50 at Airliners.net]
* [http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=174 Falcon 50 at Airliners.net]
* [https://www.aviationpartners.com/aircraft/falcon-winglet/ Falcon 50 Winglet Modification]


{{Dassault Falcon family}}
{{Dassault aircraft}}
{{Dassault aircraft}}
{{Italian military aircraft}}
{{Italian military aircraft}}
{{Spanish transport aircraft}}


[[Category:Dassault Group aircraft|Falcon 0050]]
[[Category:Dassault aircraft|Falcon 0050]]
[[Category:1970s French business aircraft]]
[[Category:1970s French business aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
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[[Category:Cruciform tail aircraft]]
[[Category:Cruciform tail aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1976]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1976]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]

Latest revision as of 18:47, 24 December 2024

Falcon 50
French Air Force Falcon 50
General information
TypeBusiness jet
ManufacturerDassault Aviation
StatusIn service
Primary usersArmee de l'Air
Number built352
History
Manufactured1976–2008[1]
First flight7 November 1976
Developed fromDassault Falcon 20
Developed intoDassault Falcon 900

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. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon 20, but was a new design that is area ruled and includes a more advanced wing design.[2]

Design and development

[edit]

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.[2] Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as the Gardian 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 the Falcon 7X[5] 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 developed and certified High Mach blended winglets for 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 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.[7][8]
Falcon 50EX
Falcon 50EX
Marketing name for Falcon 50 with 3 DEEC (Digital Electronic Engine Control) controlled 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[7][8]
Falcon 50 "Susanna"
Single Falcon 50 for Iraq modified with a Cyrano IV-C5 radar and hardpoints to carry two AM-39 Exocet antiship missiles. Used for training Mirage F1 crews and possibly carried out the attack on the USS Stark on May 17, 1987. This aircraft was flown to Iran during the Persian Gulf War and was not returned.[9][10][11][12]

Operators

[edit]
Falcon 50EX of the Bolivian Air Force for vice-presidential use
Falcon 50 of the Iranian government landing at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran

The majority of Falcon 50s are operated by corporate and individual owners.

Military and government operators

[edit]
Benin
Bolivia
Bulgaria
Burundi
Djibouti
France
Egypt
Iran
Iraq[13]
  • Iraqi Air Force - former operator of three Falcon 50s, one of which was the aforementioned Falcon 50 "Susanna"
Italy
Jordan
Morocco
Portugal
Rwanda
Serbia
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
  • Sudan Government
Switzerland
Venezuela

Accidents and incidents

[edit]

Specifications (50EX)

[edit]
side view
Dassault Falcon 50 cabin interior

Data from Flight International[16]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Capacity: 8 to 9 passengers / 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) [17]
  • Max takeoff weight: 18,008 kg (39,701 lb)
  • Max Landing Weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Honeywell TFE 731-40 turbofan engines, 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

Related lists

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b Taylor 1988, p.75.
  3. ^ Taylor 1993, p.928
  4. ^ "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  5. ^ "News Channel - Homepage - flightglobal.com". Flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  6. ^ Mark Huber (December 2018). "For many models, market hitting the apex" (PDF). Aviation International News. pp. 20–21, 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  7. ^ a b Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 4
  8. ^ a b Type Certificate Data Sheet A46EU, p. 16
  9. ^ Garcia, Miguel (2018). Iraqi Mirages in Combat: The story of the F.1EQ in Iraq. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 118–124. ISBN 978-1717467553.
  10. ^ Leone, Dario (14 July 2019). "How a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet Nearly Destroyed a US Frigate". The National Interest. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Cooper, Tom. "In 1987, a Secret Iraqi Warplane Struck an American Frigate and Killed 37 Sailors". War is Boring. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  13. ^ "The USS Stark Incident: That time a Modified Iraqi Falcon 50 Business Jet almost Sank a US Navy Frigate". 2019-07-10.
  14. ^ "Official website Aeronautica Militare". difesa.it. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  15. ^ Mondor, Colleen. "Illegal Charter and the Falcon 50 Crash | AIN". Aviation International News. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  16. ^ "Super Mid-Size Jets". Flight International.
  17. ^ 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. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
[edit]
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