The FAA and EASA have issued regulatory approval for the installation of a dual head-up display installation in Dassault’s Falcon 8X business jet. (Photo courtesy of Dassault)
Dassault has achieved civil aviation regulatory approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the installation of a dual head-up display (HUD) modification for its Falcon 8X business jet.
The EASA and FAA approvals were issued for FalconEye, developed by Elbit Systems and first certified as in a single HUD configuration on the Falcon 2000LXS/S and 900LX in 2016. FalconEye is the industry’s first HUD to fuse separate synthetic database-driven terrain mapping and enhanced thermal and low-light camera images in the same display. It is also the first HUD to allow pilots to adjust the split between a synthetic vision system (SVS) and enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) imaging areas.
Carlos Brana, executive vice president, civil aircraft at Dassault Aviation, says the regulatory approval “results in enhanced safety and more capability for Falcons equipped with Dassault’s industry-first FalconEye technology.”
Dassault also has plans for certifying the dual HUD option on the Falcon 6X, due to enter service mid-2023, and on the ultra-long range Falcon 10X, planned for certification in late 2025. Some 8X operators have already scheduled installations for the dual HUD modification.
The French business jet manufacturer also expects the dual HUD configuration to ultimately permit the use of “an EFVS-to-land capability in near zero-zero conditions, pending new EASA regulations.”