FAA Certification on Pratt & Whitney Powerplant Advances 6X Program

The new powerplant already received its TC from Transport Canada and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling its flight test program and global proving missions.

“The FAA is the third aviation authority to give its stamp of approval for the PW812D engine,” said Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada. “We successfully achieved this critical step by working closely with Dassault since the launch of this great program.”

“We congratulate Pratt & Whitney Canada on achieving FAA certification for the PW812D engine,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “Together, the PW812D engine and Falcon 6X aircraft are a winning combination, designed to set the bar in fuel efficiency, performance and comfort. This milestone brings us closer to the exciting entry into service of the Falcon 6X, expected mid-2023.”

The PW812D continues the popular PW800 series, as a twin-spool turbofan engine, with a maximum thrust rating of up to 14,000 lbf (foot-pounds).

Over the course of more than 6,100 hours of engine testing, the PW812D has logged more than 1,150 hours of flight testing, and 20,000 hours on the engine core. The PW800 series has acquired more than 240,000 hours of testing, including field experience, and more than 42,000 hours of flight testing.

The powerplant shares a common core with the PW GTF engine, which has more than 15 million hours since it debuted in 2016.

Dassault’s latest entrant to the field has weathered the ups and downs of the past three years and suffered only minor delays to its timeline for first flights, advanced flight testing, and its first deliveries on the horizon.

The 6X will operate with a maximum takeoff weight of 77,460 pounds, and feature a maximum range of 5,500 nm at Mach 0.80 with eight passengers and three crew. Speed will top out at a maximum Mach number of Mach 0.90. 

On its recent global tour, the 6X covered roughly 50,000 miles, testing reliability and entry-into-service items—more than 250 elements on the checklist to prove resilient. Projected entry into service is in the first half of 2023.