Julian Moxon
With four years of strong sales, and 1997 figures looking as if they will set a record, Dassault Aviation had good reason to celebrate when its latest business-jet offering received its French certification at the end of May.
The Falcon 900EX provides a good example of how Dassault's business-jet division has survived the ever-tougher competition from other manufacturers, not least the very-long-range offerings which have come from Bombardier and Gulfstream.
Dassault's product strategy is aimed at the mid-to-upper end of the business-jet market - at a price range which begins typically at about $17 million and ends in the $25-30 million bracket. Within this, the company fields a range of four aircraft - the Falcon 900B, 50EX, 900EX and the Falcon 2000. Of these, one (the 900B)is the aircraft originally announced in 1983, while the 50EX and 900EXare derivatives of earlier models. The transcontinental Falcon 2000 is the only new design to come out of the Bordeaux factory in almost 15 years, but even its design draws heavily on that of the 900.
The result is that, despite the arrival of numerous competitors offering various combinations of range, capacity and speed, Dassault has retained its market position with the minimum of investment. It has done so by offering products which combine the traditional, "classy", image of the French business jet with the latest engine and avionics technology to keep its aircraft competitive on up-front and operating costs.
In the early 1990s, Dassault considered seriously proceeding with an all-new ultra-long-range design, the Falcon 9000. Its rationale in remaining with the 900B as the basis for its top-of-the-range offering is explained by marketing manager Pierre-Henri Messiah. "We always look at the market very carefully, and nothing is ruled out. We thought long and hard about the market for a 9,250km [5,000nm] aircraft, but the decision was that, in terms of city pairs, there were few advantages. You have to go beyond 10,175km to see a real marketing benefit, which pushed us towards the idea of an aircraft that could achieve a range of 11,100km flying at Mach 0.80 in long-range cruise," he says.
A major study was then carried out into a totally new aircraft with a laminar-flow wing, three General Electric CFE738 powerplants (similar to those of the Falcon 2000) and a crew rest area, to accommodate the 14h flights that such a range implied.
The launch of the Gulfstream V and Bombardier Global Express in the early 1990s, each with a range of 12,025km, changed the picture. "We knew the cost of developing the Falcon 9000 would be at least $1 billion," says Messiah, "and we also had a problem with the market analysis. We did not believe the Gulfstream prediction of a need for 1,000 aircraft in this category over the next ten years. For us, it was closer to 200-250, and more probably nearer the lower figure." This agreed with a study by BMW Rolls-Royce (the manufacturer of the engines powering the GV and Global Express), which estimated a market for 300 aircraft. "The engine makers are usually very accurate-.and it meant that there was certainly not room for three, and probably not even two, aircraft in this market," he says.
Customer preferences
Dassault was also told by its customers that they preferred the option of a relatively small range increase and lower purchase costs instead of a much longer range, and the purchase cost associated with developing an all-new aircraft. "So we began looking at the 900B again to see what could be achieved," says Messiah. "In the end, it was the customers who decided the issue for us," he adds.
The marketing argument was to "-attack the GV and Global Express from the bottom", he adds. "We now realised we could sell the aircraft on the basis of a 16,650km 'one-stop' concept. In other words, the 900EXcould effectively fly anywhere in the world with only one landing "-an idea which proved popular with customers, most of whom like to stretch their legs halfway through a very long flight", says Messiah. Dassault's claimed Mach 0.85 cruising speed for the 900EX added weight "-on some missions you can get there as quick as a GV, even with the stopover", says Messiah.
"Our marketing strategy had two objectives. First, to show that the 900EXcould do 80-90%of GV and Global Express missions while costing around $8 million less," he says. Maintenance and operating costs would also be lower because the 900EX is smaller and cheaper to operate. "It is also fills a wider range of missions because of the shorter take-off requirement," Messiah adds.
The second objective aims at business jets in the Gulfstream GIV-SP category, where the 900B has traditionally fought. "It is very simple," says Messiah. "You get a lot more range for just a couple of million dollars more," he adds.
Staying with the same airframe meant that the job could be done more quickly, with lower risk, while advantage could be taken of the already highly regarded 900Bdesign. "We only had to fine-tune what we already had," says Messiah.
Another decision was to keep the 900B in production alongside the new 900EX. This was driven partly by the shorter, five-month, delivery time of the 900B, whereas delivery of the 900EX takes closer to a year. "That meant we could 'pilot' demand through adjustments in the production rate," Messiah says, adding that the continued availability of the 900B also ensures that there is no "hole" between the Falcon 2000 and 900EX. He says, however, that the decision to keep the older aircraft in production was still a difficult one "-because we needed to ensure visibility for the 900EX. Naturally, we didn't want to take attention away from the new product." In the event, the sales of each have continued, with the newer aircraft taking around two-thirds of orders.
Different strategy
This strategy was quite different to the one followed with the Falcon 50EX, which, since its launch in 1995, has replaced, rather than joined, the original Falcon 50. Here, improvements were achieved simply by introducing the uprated -40 versions of the original Garrett TFE731-3 turbofans, and introducing the avionics from the Falcon 2000 - changes which needed only two new supplementary type certificates instead of a new certification programme.
Dassault is chary of talking exact development costs for the 900EX, but Messiah says that it was "-around half as expensive to develop as the 2000, which cost $1 billion from drawing board to certification".
This may seem a lot to pay for what appears to be a straightforward derivative, with no external visual differences. That is because the modifications centre on the most expensive single elements of the aircraft - the engines and avionics. Added to this are the additional fuel volume, and improvements to various equipment installations. Within the constraints of the original airframe, Dassault has thus managed to create an aircraft with substantially increased ramp, maximum take-off and zero-fuel weights compared with those of the older machine. Maximum take-off and ramp weights are both increased by 1,270kg, while maximum fuel goes up by just 755kg - a testament to the increased fuel efficiency of the upgraded turbofans. Zero-fuel weight increases by 1,200kg. The result is a 75% increase in maximum payload compared with that of the 900B, and a claimed ability to carry that load further than can any other aircraft in its class.
The 900EX airframe has exactly the same damage-tolerant aluminium main structure as that of the earlier aircraft, with extensive use of carbonfibre composites and Kevlar in secondary structures. The radome, centre air intake and rear engine cowling and nosewheel doors are of Kevlar, while the tailcone, engine centre cowlings, main-undercarriage doors and wing-root fairings are manufactured from carbonÌbre composite.
As with all Dassault business jets, the wing planks are milled from solid, the wing itself having the double-sweep, Mach-optimised, profile common to the whole range, and derived from that of the original Falcon 50. Another element found throughout the range is the all-moving tailplane located at one-third fin height.
There are few differences between the systems of the two aircraft, apart from changes to simplify pilot workload and reduce maintenance. The 900EXretains the Garret GTCP36-150 auxiliary power-unit of the earlier aircraft, along with the air-conditioning system and 0.64 bar (9.3lb/in2) pressurisation system (which maintains sea-level conditions to 8,000ft (2,440m)). The digital pressurisation system is fully automatic, and bleed air is used also for engine inlet, S-duct and wing leading-edge anti-icing.
Two independent, parallel, hydraulic systems, supported by three engine-driven pumps and one electric stand-by pump, provide actuation pressure for all of the primary flying controls, flaps, slats, landing gear, brakes, nosewheel steering and thrust reverser. The flight-control linkage rods actuate fully powered, irreversible, hydraulic servo-actuators, with control feel provided by spring loading. Aileron pressure is increased in proportion to indicated airspeed, while elevator-control pressure varies with the horizontal-stabiliser position, maintaining the stick force to a near- constant level throughout the flight envelope. Trim is provided by a pair of electric actuators. The 900EXretains the 900B's automatic outboard slat extension and inboard slat and airbrake retraction at high angles of attack.
The 28V DC electrical system is supplied by any of five sources: engine-driven starter generators; the auxiliary power-unit-driven generator; external power and two 23A/h batteries.
For the 900EX, a new bleed-air-supply computer has been introduced, to regulate automatically and precisely the amount of bleed air required for anti-ice and pressurisation functions, not only reducing fuel consumption but increasing pilot efficiency. For ease of maintenance, all three high-pressure bleed-air regulating valves on the engines are identical.
A sixth fire bottle has also been added, in the aft-fuselage equipment bay, which also houses the new aft fuel tank. There is a new fire-extinguisher control panel below the glareshield.
Strengthened landing gear
The retractable tricycle-type Messier-Dowty main landing gear and the twin main-wheels have been strengthened to cope with the 900EX's higher weight. The same type of Michelin radial tyre is retained, however. The gear is fitted with triple carbon brakes, from Messier Bugatti, powered independently through an anti-skid system by two hydraulic systems.
Many pilot-related elements of the 900EX remain the same. Dassault has opted, for example, to retain the same colour-coded circuit breakers and systems schematics on the overhead control panel. The cockpit is also where one of the main changes is seen, however, with Honeywell Primus 2000 avionics replacing the 900B's SPZ 8000 system from the same manufacturer (see avionics box).
A visit to Dassault's factory at Merignac, Bordeaux, reveals the company's achievement in making up for the loss in military orders with business-jet sales - the Falcon production line is a hive of activity, with all four products in various stages of construction, and accounting for around 75% of the total civil and military workload. This is still, however, a unique factory: where else can an observer be rewarded by the sight of front-line fighters and high-performance business jets fresh off the production line as they await their maiden flights?
Dassault Aviation delivers virtually all of its aircraft from Bordeaux in "green" condition to its recently revamped finishing centre at Little Rock, Arkansas, in the USA. Here, the customised external paint is added, along with customer-specific features and extra avionics equipment such as a third flight-management system, head-up display, or satellite navigation.
Little Rock is also where the customer meets Dassault Aviation's interior-design specialists to decide on the specific layout of the cabin. To assist in what is often a complex and difficult process, the centre has a computer-based visualisation system which enables the customer to sample the numerous options on offer, while at the same time evaluating the weight and performance implications of, for example, choosing a particularly heavy cabin layout.
Traditional layout
The standard 900EXcabin retains the traditional 12-seat, three-lounge, layout, measuring 10.11m in length, including the aft lavatory. The main door is on the forward left side of the fuselage, leading to a galley bar unit and main cabin closet with kitchen equipment. An emergency exit is located over the right wing. The aft bulkhead of the lavatory has a secondary pressure door that provides access to a 3.6m3 (39ft3) baggage compartment. This can be accessed only at altitudes below 41,000ft - the limit imposed by safety regulations covering the possibility of high-speed turbine rotor failure. External access is by a 0.95m x 0.75m electrically powered door, complete with airstairs.
The secret of the 900EX is its 900km range increase over the earlier aircraft, which is partly the result of the improved engines (see engines box) and also the 753kg increase in fuel tankage compared with that of the 900B. Sixty-eight per cent of the extra fuel is accommodated in an enlarged underfloor fuselage tank forward of the wing, the rest coming from a new aft tank, located just under the fin leading edge.
One of Dassault Aviation's main selling points for the tri-jet configuration of the 900EX is the absence of any need for extended-range twin-engined operations (ETOPS) certification for long-range overwater flights. It says that many business-jet operators still abide by the US Federal Aviation Administration's Part 121 restrictions on trans-oceanic and remote-area flights, claiming that the Etops criteria "-impose a set of conditions on aircraft design, operation and crew training which cannot realistically be met by business aviation". Etops, it adds, "-is not an issue with a tri-jet".
Cost of ownership is another issue where Dassault (in common with 900EX competitors Gulfstream and Bombardier) claims leadership, citing an annual operating cost (based on an annual 322,000km distance flown, and including fixed and direct operating costs) of $3.99 million, against $4.92 million for the GV and $5.03 million for the Global Express.
Dassault also pushes the argument that a 900EX can fulfil the needs of 90% of business travellers. "This aircraft is extremely flexible," says Messiah. He cites the "excellent" short-field performance of all Falcon business jets, which - in the case of a 900EX, loaded with eight passengers - enables the aircraft to take off from the 2,135m runway at Aspen, Colorado, in the USA at 7,815ft above sea level on a hot day, and not touch down until it reaches Dublin in Ireland, Lima in Peru or Honolulu in Hawaii.
Dassault is clearly pleased with its strategy for avoiding the pitched battle between the longer-range, but pricier, offerings of its competitors. "We came up with an affordable solution to providing the best mix of range and performance available today," says Messiah. "There is a lot of activity out there and, with the acceptance of the 900EX in the marketplace, we have no doubt that we made the right decision."
AvionicsThe replacement of the Falcon 900B's Honeywell EDZ-820 electronic flight-display system with the new Primus 2000 system from the same manufacturer leaves the Falcon 900EX with the most advanced avionics of any Falcon business jet, and the equivalent of the best available on any rival aircraft.
The Primus 2000 system is based around a five-tube electronic flight-instrument display, the screens of which are increased in size to 200 x 180mm from the 130 x 150mm versions aboard the 900B.
Two screens are dedicated to primary flight displays, two more to multi-function roles and the fifth to engine functions. This engine-instrument display incorporates most of the features found in airliner-type engine indicating and crew-alerting systems.
The Primus 2000 system incorporates a hub-and-spoke architecture driven from a pair of integrated computers at the system's core, linked to the rest of the system through Honeywell digital communications and Arinc 429 buses. The autothrottle is driven by a third avionics computer.
Each integrated avionics computer provides an adaptive "SmartPerf" management function, which effectively "learns" the aircraft's thrust, drag and fuel-consumption characteristics, organising flight-management functions accordingly. The system also provides multiple waypoint capability, waypoint-specific speed selection coupled to the autothrottles and programming for virtually all approach, departure and arrival procedures, including the global-positioning system (GPS). Dual 12-channel GPS receivers are an option.
The radio-communications and navigation system is still provided by Rockwell-Collins, but has been upgraded from the Proline 2 to the Proline 4 standard - the same system as used on the Falcon 2000.
Other standard equipment includes Honeywell air-data computers, a dual-channel fail-operational autopilot, dual full-colour flight-management-system-control display units, Honeywell Laseref III inertial-reference systems and Primus 880 weather radar.
Standby magnetic compass, attitude horizon, altimeter and Mach/airspeed indicator are supplied by Sextant Avionique. Dassault also offers the Flight Dynamics HGS 2000 head-up display as an option, providing a Category IIIA landing-approach capability.
EnginesThe 900EX is the heaviest and longest-range business jet ever offered by Dassault Aviation and, in developing it, the manufacturer was able to take advantage of the latest in the long-running range of AlliedSignal (formerly Garrett) TFE731 turbofans, the -60. This second-generation member of -20/-40/-60 family offers a reduction in cruise specific fuel consumption of around 8%, along with a 5.8% thrust increase at 40,000ft (12,200m), and an increase in take-off thrust to 22kN (5,000lb) from the 900B's TFE731-5BR's 21kN. The TFE731-60 is also flat-rated to a sea-level ISA+17íC day, which equates to a density altitude of 1,900ft, as opposed to the original engine's flat rating to ISA+10íC.
A larger, 0.777m-diameter, fan has been introduced on the -60, increasing bypass ratio from 3.2 on the -5BR to 4.1, and improving high-altitude performance and fuel efficiency. This has driven increases also in the size of the engine nacelles, pylons, thrust reversers and the centre "S" duct of the 900EX. The reversers, from Alenia/Dee Howard, produce a claimed 60% improvement in performance over the Hurel Dubois version on the 900B.
Maintenance time is also reduced, the intervals between major periodic inspections being extended from 2,100h to 2,500h, with compressor-inspection intervals increased from 4,200h to 5,000h. Dassault says that the improved materials of the newer engine have lowered the cost of maintenance to $118.99/h/ engine from $132.81 for the earlier version.
Source: Flight International
