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Dassault Falcon 20


Business Jet / Light High-Speed Transport Aircraft


France | 1965



"While no longer actively produced, the Dassault Falcon 20 series still provides a presence in the business world."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Dassault Falcon 20F Business Jet / Light High-Speed Transport Aircraft.
2 x General Electric CF700-2D-2 turbofan engines developing 4,500lbs of thrust each.
Propulsion
534 mph
860 kph | 464 kts
Max Speed
41,995 ft
12,800 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling
2,082 miles
3,350 km | 1,809 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Dassault Falcon 20F Business Jet / Light High-Speed Transport Aircraft.
2
(MANNED)
Crew
56.3 ft
17.15 m
O/A Length
53.5 ft
(16.30 m)
O/A Width
17.5 ft
(5.32 m)
O/A Height
16,535 lb
(7,500 kg)
Empty Weight
28,660 lb
(13,000 kg)
MTOW
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Dassault Falcon 20 family line.
Falcon 20 - Base Series Designation
Mystere 20 - Prototype Designation
Falcon 20C - Initial production models
Falcon 20CC - Low-pressure tires
Falcon 20D - 2 x GE CF700-2D turbofan engines
Falcon 20E - 2 x GE CF700-2D-2 turbofan engines
Falcon 20F - Increased fuel capacity
Falcon 20FH - Prototype of Falcon 200 line
Falcon 20G - Maritime Patrol Platform
Falcon 20H - Original designation of Falcon 200 line.
Falcon 200 - Improved Falcon 20 product; 2 x Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C turbofan engines.
Falcon ST - French Air Force trainers; 2 examples
HU-25A Guardian - USCG spotter; 2 x Garrett turbofans; 41 examples.
HU-25B Guardian - USCG spotter; SLAR equipment
HU-25C Guardian - USCG spotter; Westinghouse radar; WF-360 FLIR.
HU-25C+ Guardian - USCG spotter; upgraded HU-25C; AN/APG-66(V)2 radar with FLIR.
HU-25D Guardian - USCG spotter; upgraded HU-25A; ISAR equipment and FLIR.
Guardian 2 - Proposed USCG model; never produced
CC-117 - Canadian military designation for Falcon 20C.
Fan Jet Falcon - Original American market designation.
Falcon Cargo Jet - Cargo-minded Falcon 20 for FedEx delivery services.
Falcon 20C-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20D-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20E-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20F-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/14/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

In 1965, the French concern of Dassault introduced its line of business jets with the Dassault "Falcon 20" (despite its designation, actually preceding the Falcon 10). The product was initially developed under the name of "Mystere 20" and under the Dassault-Breguet brand label. It was powered by 2 x Pratt & Whitney JT12A-8 series turbofan engines and featured a crew of two with seating for up to fourteen. The design incorporated low-mounted, swept-back wings with a tubular fuselage and mid-mounted tailplanes along a singular vertical tail fin. The cockpit was set forward in its traditional place, aft of a short nose cone with good views afforded. The undercarriage was of the tricycle arrangement. Engines were mounted externally and well aft along the sides of the empennage. The initial prototype aircraft went airborne for the first time on May 4th, 1963.

To reach the desired customer base, Dassault entered into talks with American carrier Pan American (PanAm) and from this the decision was made to select the General Electric CF700 turbofan over the original choice of Pratt & Whitney. PanAm then ordered its first 40 aircraft to which the line then received its requisite certification over American airspace in June of 1965. American versions were recognized as "Fan Jet Falcon".

Eventually some 508 total aircraft would be produced from the span of 1963 to 1988. The American forms eventually evolved under the "Falcon 20" name and an improved model emerged as the "Falcon 200" within time. Military operators became Australia, Belgium, Canada (as the CC-117), Egypt, France, Iran, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, the United States, and Venezuela (among others) while civilian operators came to include France, Lebanon, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa. Federal Express was a primary American operator - purchasing 33 of the type as its first aircraft - and the United States Coast Guard operated the product as the HU-25 "Guardian" in a spotter role.

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Variants to appear after the Mystere 20 prototype were the 20C initial production models, the 20CC model with low-pressure tires, the 20D and 20E variants with uprated General Electric engines, and the longer-ranged 20F. The 20FH served as the prototype to the Falcon 200 model while the 20G was developed for maritime patrolling and outfitted with 2 x Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C engines. The Falcon 20H was the original name for the Falcon 200 line.

U.S. Coast Guard HU-25 platforms have included the original HU-25A from the Falcon 20G (2 x Garrett ATF3-6-2C engines), the HU-25B converted from HU-25A with SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) equipment, the HU-25C with its Westinghouse APG-66 radar and FLIR (Foward-Looking InfraRed) blister (HU-25A converts), the HU-25C+ with improved tracking and search functionality and the HU-25D with ISAR (Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) and FLIR - these upgraded from existing HU-25C models.

FedEx's first Falcon 20 - nicknamed "Wendy" - was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1983. The aircraft proved critical in establishing the overnight delivery-based business from its Memphis, Tennessee headquarters for its speed, reliability and cargo-hauling capabilities. The aircraft currently resides as a showpiece of the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The FedEx version was known as the Falcon Cargo Jet and modified with reinforced floors and a side-fuselage cargo door for the role.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Dassault Falcon 20. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 508 Units

Contractor(s): Dassault Aviation - France
National flag of Algeria National flag of Angola National flag of Australia National flag of Belgium National flag of Canada National flag of Chile National flag of Egypt National flag of France National flag of Guinea National flag of Iran National flag of Jordan National flag of Lebanon National flag of Libya National flag of Mexico National flag of Morocco National flag of Nicaragua National flag of Norway National flag of Oman National flag of Pakistan National flag of Peru National flag of Portugal National flag of South Africa National flag of Spain National flag of Sudan National flag of Syria National flag of Tunisia National flag of the United Kingdom National flag of the United States National flag of Venezuela

[ Algeria; Angola; Australia; Belgium; Canada; Central African Republic; Chile; Djibouti; Egypt; France; Guinea-Bissau; Iran; Ivory Coast; Jordan; Lebanon; Libya; Mexico; Morocco; Nicaragua; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Peru; Portugal; South Africa; Spain; Sudan; Syria; Tunisia; United Kingdom; United States; Venezuela ]
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Going Further...
The Dassault Falcon 20 Business Jet / Light High-Speed Transport Aircraft appears in the following collections:
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