Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon 10X successfully completed its first flight on 19 June 2026.
“This inaugural flight is another milestone for Dassault,” said Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier during the launch. “It is a reflection of the dedication and high skill of our engineering, production, and flight teams, and also the quality of our global network of partners. All of us are excited to see this day as we launch into a new phase for the 10X.”
Test pilot Sébastien Dupont de Dinechin and copilot Fabrice Dougnac took off from runway 23 at Bordeaux-Mérignac at 11:10am. for a two-hour and 30-minute flight. The pilots evaluated handling qualities and systems at 15,000ft, then retracted the landing gear and all movable surfaces before climbing to 40,000ft, where they accelerated to Mach 0.82. They returned to Bordeaux-Mérignac for a smooth landing at 1:40pm.
“Today’s flight was the culmination of years of work by thousands of Dassault employees and partners,” commented de Dinechin. “It paid off in a flight that went as planned and was a delight to fly”.
The first aircraft will be soon followed into the air by a second test aircraft nearing completion, and by a third, that is being outfitted with a full interior and will be used mainly for systems and cabin functional and reliability testing.
Image: Dassault Aviation – M. Douhaire
