×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024)
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
MODERN AIR FORCES
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
COLD WAR AIRCRAFT
MODERN AIRCRAFT
Aviation / Aerospace

Dassault Falcon 20


Business Jet / Light High-Speed Transport Aircraft [ 1965 ]



While no longer actively produced, the Dassault Falcon 20 series still provides a presence in the business world.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/14/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
In 1965, the French concern of Dassault introduced its line of business jets with the Dassault "Falcon 20" (despite its designation, actually preceding the Falcon 10). The product was initially developed under the name of "Mystere 20" and under the Dassault-Breguet brand label. It was powered by 2 x Pratt & Whitney JT12A-8 series turbofan engines and featured a crew of two with seating for up to fourteen. The design incorporated low-mounted, swept-back wings with a tubular fuselage and mid-mounted tailplanes along a singular vertical tail fin. The cockpit was set forward in its traditional place, aft of a short nose cone with good views afforded. The undercarriage was of the tricycle arrangement. Engines were mounted externally and well aft along the sides of the empennage. The initial prototype aircraft went airborne for the first time on May 4th, 1963.

To reach the desired customer base, Dassault entered into talks with American carrier Pan American (PanAm) and from this the decision was made to select the General Electric CF700 turbofan over the original choice of Pratt & Whitney. PanAm then ordered its first 40 aircraft to which the line then received its requisite certification over American airspace in June of 1965. American versions were recognized as "Fan Jet Falcon".

Eventually some 508 total aircraft would be produced from the span of 1963 to 1988. The American forms eventually evolved under the "Falcon 20" name and an improved model emerged as the "Falcon 200" within time. Military operators became Australia, Belgium, Canada (as the CC-117), Egypt, France, Iran, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, the United States, and Venezuela (among others) while civilian operators came to include France, Lebanon, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa. Federal Express was a primary American operator - purchasing 33 of the type as its first aircraft - and the United States Coast Guard operated the product as the HU-25 "Guardian" in a spotter role.©MilitaryFactory.com
Variants to appear after the Mystere 20 prototype were the 20C initial production models, the 20CC model with low-pressure tires, the 20D and 20E variants with uprated General Electric engines, and the longer-ranged 20F. The 20FH served as the prototype to the Falcon 200 model while the 20G was developed for maritime patrolling and outfitted with 2 x Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C engines. The Falcon 20H was the original name for the Falcon 200 line.

U.S. Coast Guard HU-25 platforms have included the original HU-25A from the Falcon 20G (2 x Garrett ATF3-6-2C engines), the HU-25B converted from HU-25A with SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) equipment, the HU-25C with its Westinghouse APG-66 radar and FLIR (Foward-Looking InfraRed) blister (HU-25A converts), the HU-25C+ with improved tracking and search functionality and the HU-25D with ISAR (Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) and FLIR - these upgraded from existing HU-25C models.

FedEx's first Falcon 20 - nicknamed "Wendy" - was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1983. The aircraft proved critical in establishing the overnight delivery-based business from its Memphis, Tennessee headquarters for its speed, reliability and cargo-hauling capabilities. The aircraft currently resides as a showpiece of the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The FedEx version was known as the Falcon Cargo Jet and modified with reinforced floors and a side-fuselage cargo door for the role.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Service Year
1965

Origin
France national flag graphic
France

Status
ACTIVE
In Active Service.
Crew
2

Production
508
UNITS


National flag of Algeria National flag of Angola National flag of Australia National flag of Belgium National flag of Canada National flag of Chile National flag of Egypt National flag of France National flag of Guinea National flag of Iran National flag of Jordan National flag of Lebanon National flag of Libya National flag of Mexico National flag of Morocco National flag of Nicaragua National flag of Norway National flag of Oman National flag of Pakistan National flag of Peru National flag of Portugal National flag of South Africa National flag of Spain National flag of Sudan National flag of Syria National flag of Tunisia National flag of the United Kingdom National flag of the United States National flag of Venezuela Algeria; Angola; Australia; Belgium; Canada; Central African Republic; Chile; Djibouti; Egypt; France; Guinea-Bissau; Iran; Ivory Coast; Jordan; Lebanon; Libya; Mexico; Morocco; Nicaragua; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Peru; Portugal; South Africa; Spain; Sudan; Syria; Tunisia; United Kingdom; United States; Venezuela
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
TRANSPORT
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.
COMMERCIAL AVIATION
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.
BIZJET
Used in roles serving the business aviation market, primarily VIP and regional travel.
VIP SERVICE
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.
INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.


Length
56.3 ft
(17.15 m)
Width/Span
53.5 ft
(16.30 m)
Height
17.5 ft
(5.32 m)
Empty Wgt
16,535 lb
(7,500 kg)
MTOW
28,660 lb
(13,000 kg)
Wgt Diff
+12,125 lb
(+5,500 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Dassault Falcon 20F production variant)
Installed: 2 x General Electric CF700-2D-2 turbofan engines developing 4,500lbs of thrust each.
Max Speed
534 mph
(860 kph | 464 kts)
Ceiling
41,995 ft
(12,800 m | 8 mi)
Range
2,082 mi
(3,350 km | 1,809 nm)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Dassault Falcon 20F production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None.


Supported Types




(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Falcon 20 - Base Series Designation
Mystere 20 - Prototype Designation
Falcon 20C - Initial production models
Falcon 20CC - Low-pressure tires
Falcon 20D - 2 x GE CF700-2D turbofan engines
Falcon 20E - 2 x GE CF700-2D-2 turbofan engines
Falcon 20F - Increased fuel capacity
Falcon 20FH - Prototype of Falcon 200 line
Falcon 20G - Maritime Patrol Platform
Falcon 20H - Original designation of Falcon 200 line.
Falcon 200 - Improved Falcon 20 product; 2 x Garrett AiResearch ATF3-6-2C turbofan engines.
Falcon ST - French Air Force trainers; 2 examples
HU-25A Guardian - USCG spotter; 2 x Garrett turbofans; 41 examples.
HU-25B Guardian - USCG spotter; SLAR equipment
HU-25C Guardian - USCG spotter; Westinghouse radar; WF-360 FLIR.
HU-25C+ Guardian - USCG spotter; upgraded HU-25C; AN/APG-66(V)2 radar with FLIR.
HU-25D Guardian - USCG spotter; upgraded HU-25A; ISAR equipment and FLIR.
Guardian 2 - Proposed USCG model; never produced
CC-117 - Canadian military designation for Falcon 20C.
Fan Jet Falcon - Original American market designation.
Falcon Cargo Jet - Cargo-minded Falcon 20 for FedEx delivery services.
Falcon 20C-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20D-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20E-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.
Falcon 20F-5 - 2 x Garrett TFE731-5AR-2C or 2 x Garrett TFE31-5BR-2C turbofan engines with other improvements.


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images Gallery



1 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
2 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
3 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
4 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
5 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
6 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
7 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
8 / 8
Image of the Dassault Falcon 20
Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)