Dassault Falcon 20

The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet and was the first of a family of business jets built by Dassault Aviation.

Design and development
Marcel Dassault gave the go-ahead for production of an eight or ten seat executive jet or military liaison aircraft the Dassault-Breguet Mystère 20 in December 1961. The Mystère 20 was a low-wing monoplane with two rear-mounted Pratt & Whitney JT12A-8 engines. The prototype, registered F-WLKB, first flew on the 4 May 1963 at Bordeaux-Merignac. Under the influence of Pan American the aircraft was re-engined with two General Electric CF700 engines and some dimensions were increased. Pan American signed a contract to distribute the Mystère 20 in the western hemisphere and ordered 40 aircraft with options on 120. The re-engined aircraft first flew on 10 July 1964. The first production aircraft flew on 1 January 1965 and both French and American certification was awarded in June 1965. On the 10th June 1965, Jacqueline Auriol set the women's world record speed in the first Mystère 20 prototype, F-WLKB, with an average speed of 859 kilometers per hour over 1000km. This prototype was used in the 1966 comedy, How to Steal a Million, starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. The Deliveries began to the Pan American outfitting facility at Burbank Airport, California. In 1966 the company re-designated the American-delivered aircraft as the Fan Jet Falcon, this later became the Falcon 20. Military orders from Australia and Canada were received. All non-American aircraft were fitted out before delivery at Bordeaux-Merignac. In 1967 Pan American Business Jets Division increased their firm orders to 160 aircraft.

Some Falcon 20s powered by General Electric CF700 engines were reengined with Garrett TFE731 engines under AMD-BA Service Bulletin No. 731. These aircraft were redesignated with a "-5" after the model number. Volpar, Inc. worked on a program to reengine Falcon 20s with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305 engines, but the program was abandoned before a FAA STC was awarded.

FAA Supplemental Type Certificate SA5858SW, held by Dassault Falcon Jet allows the installation of underwing pylons on the Fan Jet Falcon, Fan Jet Falcon Series D and Fan Jet Falcon Series E. This modification is commonly used to modify Falcon 20s to operate as special mission aircraft with underwing stores.

The improved Falcon 200 featured more advanced jet engines and other major improvements to increase range, capacity and comfort. The aircraft proved to be so popular that production did not end until 1988, being superseded by more advanced developments of the Falcon family. The United States Coast Guard operates a model called the HU-25 Guardian which is used as a high-speed spotter aircraft to locate shipwreck survivors and direct slower-moving aircraft and rescue vessels, and interdict aerial and shipborne drug trafficking. The Falcon 20G, HU-25 and Falcon 200 were powered by Garrett ATF3 engines.

A total of 473 Falcon 20s and 35 Falcon 200s were built by the time production ended in 1988.

Later developments of the Falcon 20 include the smaller Falcon 10, the larger 30-seat Falcon 30 (not developed) and Falcon 50, an improved three-engined development.

In 2012, a Falcon 20 became the first civil jet to fly on 100% biofuel when it performed a test flight for Canada's National Research Council.

Variants



 * Mystère/Falcon 20
 * Prototype, one built. F-WLKB. Now stored at Musée Air et Espace Aéroport Paris - Le Bourget.


 * Mystère/Falcon 20C
 * Initial production version. known originally as the Standard Falcon 20 both examples converted to D model.


 * Falcon 20CC
 * One aircraft similar to the Falcon 20C, equipped with low-pressure tyres.


 * Mystère/Falcon 20D
 * Higher thrust engines (General Electric CF700-2D) and lower fuel consumption and more fuel capacity.


 * Mystère/Falcon 20E
 * Higher thrust engines (General Electric CF700-2D-2), higher zero fuel weight.


 * Mystère/Falcon 20F
 * Full leading edge slats and more fuel capacity.


 * Falcon 20FH
 * This was the original designation of the Falcon 200 prototype.


 * Falcon 20G
 * Maritime patrol and surveillance version, equipped with two Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C turbofan engines.


 * Falcon 20H
 * This was the original designation of the Falcon 200.


 * Falcon 200
 * Improved variant, powered by two 2360-kg (5,200-lb) Garrett ATF3-6A-4C turbofan engines and with more fuel. First flown 30 April 1980.


 * Falcon ST
 * This designation was given to two Falcon 20s used by the French Air Force as systems training aircraft. The aircraft were equipped with the combat radar and navigation systems of the Mirage IIIE.


 * HU-25A Guardian
 * United States Coast Guard version of the Falcon 20G. 41 built. Equipped with two Garrett AiResearch Garrett ATF3-6-2C turbofan engines.


 * HU-25B Guardian
 * Pollution control version for the US Coast Guard equipped with side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) under fuselage. Seven converted from HU-25As.


 * HU-25C Guardian
 * Drug interdiction version for the US Coast Guard, equipped with a Westinghouse APG-66 search radar and WF-360 Forward looking infrared turret. Nine HU-25As converted.


 * HU-25C+ Guardian
 * Upgrade of HU-25C, with improved AN/APG-66(V)2 radar and new FLIR turret. All nine HU-25Cs converted.


 * HU-25D Guardian
 * Upgraded HU-25A, with AN/APS-143B(V)3 Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) and same FLIR as HU-25C+. 15 upgraded.


 * Guardian 2
 * Maritime patrol and surveillance version of the Falcon 200. Never put into production.


 * CC-117
 * Canadian military designation of Falcon 20C from 1970.


 * Fan Jet Falcon
 * The Falcon 20 was marketed in North America under this name.


 * Falcon Cargo Jet
 * Conversion of Falcon 20 to light cargo aircraft. Large numbers purchased/converted by Federal Express for overnight courier service.


 * Falcon 20C-5, 20D-5, 20E-5, 20F-5
 * Falcon 20 aircraft equipped with Garrett TFE-731-5AR-2C or TFE-731-5BR-2C engines. Also includes adaptation of bleed air, anti-ice, hydraulic, fuel, electrical and engine control systems and installation of ATTCS (automatic takeoff thrust control system).

Civilian operators

 * Private
 * Private


 * USA Jet Airlines
 * Kalitta Charters
 * Kalitta Charters


 * Aerovision
 * Aerovision


 * Cobham plc
 * Cobham plc

Former Civilian operators

 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon
 * Government of Lebanon
 * Grand Aire Express
 * Phoenix Air
 * Fedex Express
 * Fedex Express

Military operators

 * Belgian Air Component (2 x 20E operated from 1973)
 * Djibouti Air Force
 * Egyptian Air Force
 * French Navy
 * Imperial Iranian Air Force
 * Imperial Iranian Navy
 * Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps
 * Royal Norwegian Air Force
 * Pakistan Air Force - Three aircraft in service as of January 2013.
 * No. 24 Squadron Blinders
 * Spanish Air Force
 * Sudanese Air Force
 * Syrian Air Force
 * Tunisian Air Force
 * United States Coast Guard
 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * No. 24 Squadron Blinders
 * Spanish Air Force
 * Sudanese Air Force
 * Syrian Air Force
 * Tunisian Air Force
 * United States Coast Guard
 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * Tunisian Air Force
 * United States Coast Guard
 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * United States Coast Guard
 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * Venezuelan Air Force

Former operators

 * Royal Australian Air Force - Three in service from 1967 to 1989.
 * No. 34 Squadron RAAF
 * Royal Canadian Air Force
 * Canadian Forces
 * Chilean Navy
 * French Air Force
 * Military of Guinea-Bissau
 * Royal Jordanian Air Force
 * Jordanian Royal Flight
 * Lebanese Air Force
 * Libyan Air Force (Mirage Weapons Trainer)
 * 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
 * Nicaraguan Air Force
 * Oman Royal Flight
 * Panamanian Public Forces
 * Peruvian Air Force
 * Portuguese Air Force
 * South African Air Force
 * Jordanian Royal Flight
 * Lebanese Air Force
 * Libyan Air Force (Mirage Weapons Trainer)
 * 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
 * Nicaraguan Air Force
 * Oman Royal Flight
 * Panamanian Public Forces
 * Peruvian Air Force
 * Portuguese Air Force
 * South African Air Force
 * Panamanian Public Forces
 * Peruvian Air Force
 * Portuguese Air Force
 * South African Air Force
 * Portuguese Air Force
 * South African Air Force
 * South African Air Force
 * South African Air Force