Dassault Aviation reports that the Falcon 6X ultra widebody twinjet has completed preliminary design and entered the detail design phase.

The company says that production of initial long-cycle structural parts has begun and development tests of Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW812D power plant are progressing well. Aircraft architecture has been frozen and contracts with all major Falcon 6X programme partners have been signed.

CEO Eric Trappier says everything is on track for the Falcon 6X to begin deliveries in 2022. He acknowledged that the development schedule was unusually tight but underlined the level of embedded maturity in aircraft and component design. He said the company was very confident of achieving a first flight in 2021.

Manufacture of the aft fuselage began during the summer and production of the mid fuselage section will soon follow. Design activities for the nacelles (inlet, fan cowls, thrust reverser and engine build-up system), supplied by UTC Aerospace Systems, a new Dassault partner, are also underway.

The PW812D engines are performing bench and flight tests with more engines in preparation as the programme evolves. Dassault and its partners have also commenced a number of other important development activities, including stress computation, maintainability analysis and manufacturing validation.

Unveiled in February, the 6X is the successor to the company's earlier 5X project, which was abandoned in December 2017 due to persistent problems with the aircraft's Safran Silvercrest engines.

The Falcon 6X will feature a top speed of Mach 0.90 and a maximum range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,186km), longer than any other jet in its category. The 6X is largely based on the Falcon 5X aerodynamics and system features which were validated during the 5X preliminary flight test program. It has been optimized to take advantage of the new engine, offering a greater range and a 50cm-longer cabin.