Rolls-Royce Awaits Falcon 10X First Flight As Pearl Production Ramps Up

rendering of the falcon 10x

A rendering of the Falcon 10X.

Credit: Dassault

LONDON—Rolls-Royce has delivered the Pearl 10X to Dassault as the French OEM readies its Falcon 10X for first flight, says Dirk Geisinger, the engine-maker's director of business aviation.

The engine has undergone more than 2,500 hr. of testing and over 7,700 flight cycles, Geisinger said during a media briefing in July. “We are smashing the performance values,” he said, adding the company was looking for the first flight to occur “rather soon.”

Rolls-Royce is ramping up production of its Pearl family of business-jet engines. The Pearl 15 powers the Bombardier Global 5500 and 6500, and the Gulfstream G700 and G800 use the Pearl 700.

Geisinger said Pearl engine deliveries last year represented about one-third of Rolls-Royce's total business jet shipments. The figure will rise to around 180-190 engines and soon after should represent almost all the portfolio’s output. “There is a huge transition right now,” he said.

Aerospace industry supply chain challenges have been an issue, but have not affected delivery plans, Geisinger said. Rolls-Royce has built up strategic buffers to ensure disruptions do not affect future delivery commitments, he added, while noting that “in some elements of the supply chain, we see betterment.”

Robert Wall

Robert Wall is Executive Editor for Defense and Space. Based in London, he directs a team of military and space journalists across the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific.