Summary
- The Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X had a successful first flight on a Boeing 747 test bed, a crucial milestone for the Dassault Falcon 10X.
- Senior VP of Dassault Business Aviation is thrilled with the engine’s reliability and performance, highlighting its efficiency and low emissions.
- The Falcon 10X, set to compete with other long-range business jets, may face delays due to supply chain issues and certification challenges.
On Wednesday, April 3, Rolls-Royce announced the successful first flight utilizing its latest engine, the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X. The Pearl 10X will be used on the Dassault Falcon 10X, the newest flagship aircraft for the French manufacturer. The first flight of the engine was onboard the company’s dedicated test aircraft, a Boeing 747 flying testbed.
First test flight
The Pearl 10X’s first flight occurred around Tucson, Arizona, where the engine development facility is based. The first flight indicates major progress in the development process and is an important milestone for the overall progress of the Dassault Falcon 10X, which is also currently in development.
Photo: Rolls-Royce
Still left to accomplish in the flight test program includes engine performance and handling checks at various speeds and altitudes. Rolls-Royce engineers will also begin testing the engine’s inflight relight capabilities, the engine’s anti-icing system on its nacelle, and will also conduct fan vibration tests at various altitudes.
Progress on the Pearl 10X
Speaking about the Pearl 10X’s progress, the Senior Vice President of Dassault, Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, Philipp Zeller, stated,
“We are excited to enter into this important next phase of the engine development program with the start of our flight test campaign. All the tests completed to date confirm the reliability of the engine and show it will meet the performance requirements to power Dassault’s flagship, the Falcon 10X.”
Specifically, the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X features one of the most efficient cores to be used on a business aviation plane. It also features a high-performance, low-pressure system that helps the engine produce over 18,000 pounds of thrust. This engine also offers a 5% efficiency improvement while keeping its emissions low. The Pearl 10X also features a best-in-class noise emission.
Photo: Dassault
The first Pearl 10X flight was onboard the Rolls-Royce flying test bed. This aircraft is a Boeing 747-200B registered N787RR. This aircraft is just over 44 years old, per ch-aviation, and was first utilized by Cathay Pacific in 1980. Rolls-Royce eventually acquired the aircraft in June 2005 after a brief stint with Air Atlanta Icelandic. The aircraft has been utilized as a flying test bed and demo plane since it was acquired.
Photo: Rolls-Royce
Flying Engine Testbeds: Everything You Need To Know
Each new engine must undergo ground and flight tests before being certified.
To be used on the Dassault Falcon 10X
The Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X will eventually be utilized on the brand-new Falcon 10X aircraft that is under development by Dassault Aviation. Once certified, this aircraft will be a large, ultra-long-range business jet. This aircraft will compete with the Bombardier Global 7500 and the newly certified Gulfstream G700.
Photo: Dassault Aviation
The aircraft was originally scheduled to begin deliveries as early as 2025. However, during its annual report released on March 6, Dassault Aviation revealed the program had been delayed for a different number of reasons. Specifically, supply chain issues have hit the company hard, which has resulted in delivery delays. It has also forced the company to utilize existing parts on planes to be delivered instead of test articles, like the Falcon 10X.
Additionally, the Falcon 6X experienced a long-running certification process that added to the delay. This forced Dassault to announce that the production of the Falcon 10X is not expected to begin until 2027.
