Rolls-Royce completes Pearl 10X flight test campaign
October 22, 2024
Rolls-Royce has completed the flight test campaign of the Pearl 10X turbofan it is developing for Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X, with the engine having completed some 25 flights onboard Rolls-Royce’s 747 testbed aircraft.
During the US-based airborne campaign, the powerplant logged around 36,000 nm; a distance equivalent to flying around the world one and a half times. A maximum speed of Mach 0.90 was also reached, with the campaign achieving all of its intended test objectives and confirming its “confidence in the maturity of the product [and] the capability of [its] latest Pearl engine technology”.
Thanking the global engineering and test teams, senior vice president Dassault Rolls-Royce, Philipp Zeller commented that the successful completion of the Pearl 10X Flying Testbed campaign is “testament to your commitment, innovation, and global collaboration”.
Rolls-Royce is engineering the new powerplant –the latest, largest and most powerful variant of the Pearl series – specifically for the long-range, twin-engine, 19-passenger business jet. Featuring the Advance2 engine core (described by its manufacturer as the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector), the ultra long range aircraft will benefit will benefit from a “superior thrust of more than 18,000lb”. In a first for any Rolls-Royce production engine, it will also feature 3D-printed combustor tiles, a pioneering technology that has “been developed and extensively tested as part of [the manufacturer’s] Advance2 programme”.
The Mach 0.925-capable Falcon 10X is set to be the largest offering in not just Dassault’s business jet portfolio but also the longest purpose-built bizjet cabin in existence. Although its entry into service was originally set as 2025, it manufacturer is now targeting 2027.
