tuna hp

Last I heard, Dassault was reevaluating the codename "SMS" project. They had gone as far as picking an engine for it (a new 10,000lb RR model) but then last year they decided that they were reevaluating everything.

That 10,000lb number really has me confused. Obviously that makes the next Falcon plane a twinjet, but even then that is a lot of thrust for any Super-midsize jet, and especially for a falcon which has usually been a lighter and more fuel-efficient plane than the competition. I mean the large cabin Falcon 2000 only has 2 x 7,000lb engines, and the big Gulfstream G250 only has 2 x 7,500lb engines.

And even more titillating is that the articles that talked about Dassault reviewing the SMS project including its chosen 10,000lb RR engines is that they said that Dassault was interested in MORE thrust.

This all seems to indicate that the "Falcon SMS" will be unlike anything currently on the market. Which makes sense, because when Dassault introduced the Falcon 50 there was nothing like it: now, super-midsize is probably the most overcrowded category available. Why would Dassault want to compete directly with Cessna (Citation X) AND Hawker (4000) AND Bombardier (Learjet 85 and C300) AND Gulfstream (G250). Seems like an overcrowded segment to me.

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back to the topic of the Falcon 7X, does anyone have real world familiarity with it? I've read mixed things but concrete information seems so hard to get. On one hand, I've heard that finished 7Xs have been delivered way overweight and that its affecting range. On the other hand, I have read positive things about its efficiency at speed, with some operators cruising mostly at M.87 when they would cruise their G550s at M.85.

Anyone have any interesting comments on 7X real world performance?