Aircraft Model (Name & Manufacturer)
Dassault Falcon 20 - developed by Dassault AviationICAO DESIGNATOR: FA20
(Produced from 1965 to 1988; over 500 aircraft built)
Aircraft Category
ICAO Aerodrome Aircraft Classification: Category B aircraft
(Wingspan of 16.3m)
Purpose or Role in Game
The Dassault Falcon 20 was a very capable platform serving multiple roles with various operators, both commercial and military, such as a business jet, cargo jet, military/VIP transport, and even a testbed with several variants developed over the years allowing the Falcon 20 to be capable and flexible at whatever role it was given to perform.In the game’s current state, I can envision that the Falcon 20 would be a nice, small cargo aircraft, serving as a notable alternative to the current cargo aircraft in-game, offering more options and variety for those who might either want to use this aircraft for small, quick cargo operations, or otherwise just for those who simply want to see this aircraft operated to their airports.
Later on, if the idea for business or corporate jets comes to be, the Falcon 20 would only add to the amount of variety and aircraft types players could experience from the feature, as by then there would be a plethora of operators that could be represented in-game with the Falcon 20… but that’s not to say that the Falcon 20 would be lacking or a bad addition otherwise.
(This will be explained more in detail with the “Airlines that use it” section.)
Why should this aircraft be added?
As stated above, the Dassault Falcon 20 was an undeniably versatile and historically significant aircraft, with a production run spanning nearly 25 years - and it still sees continued service with multiple operators, both civilian and military, to this very day.Adding this aircraft would not only expand on the diversity of aircraft types one can see at their airport but also allow for a larger variety of operators to be added or represented in the game, such as smaller, possibly lesser-known airlines.
It could allow for more variety with fleet aircraft - being a Category B aircraft in its wingspan, it would make for a unique aircraft for those either managing smaller fleets, those who want more diversity, or those who want a quick, flexible aircraft for their airports, such as at the likes of smaller airports, such as BRI, SAN or SXM.
Airlines that use it
When it comes to airlines or organizations that either have used it or continue to use it, there are quite a lot of options - I’ll cover some notable examples of airlines still operating these first before going to cover some other former, historical operators.Current civil operators:
Air Cargo Carriers, Air Nunavut, Ameristar, Guardian Air, IFL Group, Kalitta Air Charters, Royal Air Freight / Royal Air Charter, Sierra West AirlinesFormer civil operators:
Aerostar Airlines, Air Truck, Alliance Air Charter, USA Jet, DHL (on behalf of Vensecar Internacional), Evergreen International, FedEx, Grand Aire Express, Iran Aseman Airlines, Iraqi Airways, Japan Airlines (for training purposes), Libyan Arab Airlines, Pan Am, Reliant Airlines, Zephyr ExpressCurrent military operators:
AvDef / Aviation Defense Service, Belgian Air Force, Draken Europe, French Navy, Mexican National Guard, Venezuelan Air Force, Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, Iran Army, Iran Navy, Police Command of the Islamic Republic of IranFormer military operators:
Cobham Aviation, Canadian Air Force, Dassault Aviation (manufacturer), FR Aviation, French Air Force, Government of Oman, Mexico Federal Police, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Spanish Air Force, United States Coast Guard(Correct me if any information is wrong, or if you’d like to add anything - thank you in advance.)
Special characteristics or variants
As to be expected, being such a long-lasting aircraft, the Falcon 20 spawned in a lot of variants; they will be listed below in a drop-down box, divided into a few sections.
Keep in mind these are my summaries of the variants - the descriptions may include a few comments or extra notes here and there.(Alternatively, other information about the variants can be found in the Wikipedia page below.)
Variants of the Dassault Falcon 20
Baseline variants:
(This section refers to the general, main variants of the aircraft - or those that are the most relevant.)Dassault Falcon 20 - The first, prototype Falcon 20 variant which only had one such example built, which is preserved to this very day - now known as F-WLKB.
Dassault Falcon 20C - Initial production variant, featuring lengthened fuselage compared to the prototype, and more powerful engines.
Dassault Falcon 20CC - A direct modification of the 20C, primarily made to cater to unpaved runway operations, featuring slight yet still notable modifications to the fuselage and landing gear.
Dassault Falcon 20D / 20E - Two variants with generally minor improvements - mainly to the engines - alongside providing more fuel capacity (20D) and providing more zero-fuel weight (20E).
Dassault Falcon 20DC - A converted variant of the Falcon 20 designed for cargo, made primarily for FedEx, which ordered quite a few of the type (33 total) - a large part of FedEx’s success can actually be attributed to this variant.
(Do note that the 20DC was not the only cargo variant of the Falcon 20 - over time, other variants have seen freighter conversions, too, albeit unofficial.)Dassault Falcon 20F - A enhanced and quite notable variant of the Falcon 20 - more specifically through its addition of leading-edge droop flaps across the entire wing (whereas before, they were only on the outer wing), alongside improving the aircraft’s range.
Dassault Falcon 20G - A military variant more tailored to operations as a maritime patrol and/or surveillance aircraft, alongside further upgraded turbofan engines. Some examples of this variant were sold to the United States Coast Guard and received their own designation with them - more details in the “Further Developments” section.
Dassault Falcon 20C-5 / D-5 / E-5 / F-5 - General improvements made to already existing Falcon 20 airframes, as opposed to entirely new airframes, such as the Falcon 200. Also features improvised engines (though not the same engines as the Falcon 200), alongside internal improvements such as to hydraulics, electrical systems, and engine control systems.
Dassault Falcon 200 - The last, yet most improved variant of the Dassault Falcon 20, with production beginning much later in the aircraft’s history, around the early 1980s. Featured new, enhanced engines which reportedly increased thrust by over 25% compared to the standard Falcon 20, alongside more fuel capacity, thus significantly boosting general performance, and made for a much more efficient aircraft.
From what I read, the aircraft was discontinued not because it was a “failure” or didn’t perform well, but allegedly because it threatened sales of the Falcon 50, which I think is kind of amazing, honestly.Further developments:
(This section refers to extra variants or designations that weren’t directly part of the native family / design of aircraft.)Dassault Falcon 20SNA - A variant of the Falcon 20 intended to train pilots for other Dassault aircraft, namely military aircraft such as the Mirage 2000; modified and used exclusively by the French Air Force.
(General information on this variant is somewhat scarce, so if you have any corrections, do let me know.)Dassault Falcon 30 - A planned variant of the Falcon 20, designed to function as a regional airliner. Only one prototype was built and flown, until the project was fully cancelled due to a lack of interest from airlines. General dimensions, such as wingspan, appeared to have been modified - for example, wingspan increased from around 16 meters to 18 meters.
CC-117 - Canadian designation of the Dassault Falcon 20C; unsure if there were any modifications or significant changes made to the aircraft.
HU-25A / B / C / C+ / D Guardian - The designation(s) of the Dassault Falcon 20Gs operated by the United States Coast Guard, each serving various roles; the HU-25A was the standard variant, and the HU-25D was the last, most advanced variant, with its various modifications intended for different roles, such as marine pollution control and maritime law enforcement.
Other notable aircraft:
(This section primarily refers to unique aircraft that didn’t qualify as an official variant.)N200GT - Modified by the United States Coast Guard, this aircraft was a Dassault Falcon 20C configured with new, afterburning engines; this addition required a titanium heat shield to be installed around the tail, given the engines’ proximity to the fuselage. I’m unsure if it ever received any HU-25 designation or modification, and it was eventually retired. Unsure of its fate, as it is currently de-registered.
N20NY and N448TB - These two aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 20C and HU-25A respectively, were acquired to become testbed aircraft on behalf of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. N20NY was acquired first in the 1990s, whereas N448TB was acquired around 2006.
The aircraft were also retired in that order; around the 2000s N20NY was retired from use and donated to a local college. Many years later, in June 2022, N448TB was also retired and donated to the same school.N524NA and N525NA - Ex-Coast Guard HU-25A and HU-25C+ aircraft respectively, these became research aircraft working with NASA, seeing use primarily through operations such as Operation IceBridge. Both of these aircraft are listed as inactive on NASA’s website now though; I’m unsure of their fate.
Optional: Links or references
SOURCES:
Dassault Falcon 20 Wikipedia Page
Dassault Falcon 20 GlobalMilitary Page
Dassault Falcon 20 Skybrary Page
An Aircraft Recognition Guide page, detailing some of the visual differences with the variants
Dassault Falcon 200 General Information (from Quantum Jets)MEDIA SOURCES:
Gallery
(This section is dedicated to a list of media I compiled of various Dassault Falcon 20 operators, going in order of the variants listed above, and including the sections within it.)
Baseline variants:
Dassault Falcon 20 [prototype] media:
Dassault Falcon 20C media:
Dassault Falcon 20CC media:
Dassault Falcon 20D/20E media:
Dassault Falcon 20DC media:
Dassault Falcon 20F media:
Dassault Falcon 20G media:
Dassault Falcon 20C-5 to F-5 media:
Dassault Falcon 200 media:
Further developments:
Dassault Falcon 20SNA media:Dassault Falcon 30 media:
CC-117 media:
HU-25A to D media:
Other notable aircraft:
N200GT media:
N20NY and N448TB media:
N524NA and N525NA media:
as u could probably guess, this suggestion took a while lol, so thanks for checking this out and reading
(i’d also like to give thanks to @Hirohitoswaifu for some help with formatting in this segment, really helped a lot)
