Dassault Falcon 50

Updated: October 2026 – A small, white business jet taxis to the runway, and at the tail sit not two but three engines. The fuselage is short and narrow, the row of windows modest: that is, with high probability, a Dassault Falcon 50. In 1976 it was the French manufacturer’s first tri-jet and laid the foundation for the Falcon 900, 7X and 8X. For decades it flew presidents, ministers and executives. Today it is a classic that is getting rarer. How to identify it, tell it from its larger sisters and where you still have chances of a sighting, you read here.

What is the Dassault Falcon 50?

The Falcon 50 is a midsize three-engine business jet from Dassault Aviation. Depending on the configuration, it takes eight to ten passengers; the cabin is around 7.2 meters long, 1.86 meters wide and 1.80 meters high. Range is around 5,700 to 5,800 kilometers depending on version and reserve assumptions – enough for many Atlantic crossings and flights across North America without a stop.

That was exactly the goal when Dassault began development in the early 1970s. The twin-engine Falcon 20 had sold well but was too tight for the Atlantic. The solution: take over the proven fuselage cross-section of the Falcon 20, build a new wing and put a third engine in the tail. In the early phase the project even ran under the working name Falcon 20-3. Three engines had a solid advantage at the time: strict rules applied to twin-engine aircraft on how far they may stray from an alternate airport. Tri-jets were exempt.

The prototype took off for its first flight on November 7, 1976 at Bordeaux-Mérignac. Shortly afterward, Dassault decided to give the aircraft a supercritical wing – a profile that produces less drag at high subsonic speeds. With this wing the prototype flew again in May 1977, and the Falcon 50 thus became the first civilian aircraft with this technology. Certification in France followed in February 1979, in the US in March 1979. Construction was divided up: the fuselage came from Saint-Nazaire, the wings from Colomiers, and final assembly and flight testing took place at Mérignac.

By the end of production in 2008, 352 Falcon 50s were built, the last around 100 of them as the modernized Falcon 50EX. Its successor in the program is the Falcon 7X; the 50’s supercritical wing served as the basis for the Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000.

Variants: from the Falcon 50 to the 50EX and Surmar

Over more than three decades of production, the Falcon 50 produced only a few main variants, which are hard to tell apart from the outside.

Variant	Features	Engines
Falcon 50	Original version, analog cockpit, auxiliary power unit optional; 252 built	3 × TFE731-3-1C
Falcon 50EX	First flight 1996, glass cockpit (Collins Pro Line 4), digital engine control, auxiliary power unit standard; around 100 built	3 × TFE731-40
Falcon 50M Surmar	Maritime surveillance for the French Navy, radar, infrared sensor, observation windows, droppable life rafts	as base version
Converted ex-government jets	Former French Air Force aircraft, converted for surveillance duties for the Navy	as base version

The Falcon 50EX was announced in 1995 and completely replaced the base version. Its TFE731-40 engines are, according to the manufacturer, around seven percent more efficient and need maintenance less often. From the outside you practically cannot see the difference – only the registration with the construction number helps here. You can find more about the engine manufacturer, formerly operating under the name Garrett, on the page for Honeywell Aerospace.

One detail you see on some aircraft: for the Falcon 50 and 50EX there are retrofittable Blended Winglets, developed by Dassault and Aviation Partners. A Falcon 50 with upswept wingtips is therefore not a case for another type, but a modernized example.

The three features that are enough to identify it

Many business jets look alike: white fuselage, engines at the tail, hardly any lettering. With the Falcon 50, one feature helps you rule out most competitors at a stroke.

Another detail at the tail: the horizontal stabilizer sits about halfway up the fin, and seen from behind the two form a cross. A T-tail as on Gulfstream, Learjet or Global does not exist on any Falcon of this generation. How to read nacelles and engine layouts in general is explained in the article Identifying engines.

Falcon 50, 20, 900 or 7X?

Over the decades the Falcon family has produced many similar-looking models. The table places the Falcon 50’s relatives.

Feature	Falcon 20	Falcon 50	Falcon 900	Falcon 7X
ICAO type designator	FA20	FA50	F900	FA7X
Engines	2	3	3	3
Fuselage	narrow	narrow (cross-section of the 20)	wider, longer	wider, much longer
Flight controls	conventional	conventional	conventional	fly-by-wire
Status	Classic	Production ended 2008	built in several variants up to the 900LX	newer program

The Falcon 20 is the predecessor and has only two engines – without an intake on top of the fuselage. The Falcon 900 took over the 50’s wing and tri-jet layout but got a new, wider fuselage. It is the most common mix-up: if only one aircraft stands in front of you, the ratio of fuselage to wing helps – on the 50 the wing looks large by comparison. The Falcon 7X and the stretched Falcon 8X are more modern long-range tri-jets, about five to six meters longer than the 50 and with a horizontal stabilizer low at the base of the fin.

Falcon 50 or another tri-jet?

Not only Falcons have three engines at the tail. Especially with older aircraft, a second look is worthwhile. The finder narrows it down with three questions.

The Yakovlev Yak-40 is the classic mix-up from Eastern Europe, the Hawker Siddeley HS 125 a twinjet with a similarly compact silhouette. And anyone who knows the big airliners of the 1960s and 70s sees in the Falcon 50 a kind of mini Boeing 727: there, too, one engine sits in the center of the tail, fed through an S-duct. An overview of how to tell the common business jets apart is offered by the guide Telling Gulfstream, Global, Falcon, Citation and Challenger apart.

The Falcon 50 as a government jet

Hardly any business jet is as closely tied to state flights as the Falcon 50. Its combination of range, short-field capability and the sense of security of three engines made it a popular VIP transport in the 1980s and 1990s. The majority of aircraft built flew for companies and private owners, but the list of government operators is long: it ranges from Spain, Portugal and Italy via Morocco, Jordan and South Africa to Venezuela and Bolivia.

Switzerland: The Federal Air Transport Service (Lufttransportdienst des Bundes) operated a Falcon 50 with the military serial T-783 from 1996 to 2013. A larger Falcon 900EX had already been flying alongside it for the federal authorities since 2002.

France: The Air Force’s government squadron, today’s ET 60 / ETEC, took over three Falcon 50s from the disbanded government squadron GLAM in 1995; the last left the squadron in 2013. Former government jets were later converted for the French Navy.

Italy: From 1985 the Italian Air Force put four Falcon 50s into service with the 31° Stormo at Rome–Ciampino. Between 1999 and 2006, Falcon 900s replaced two of the four aircraft; in the wing’s present fleet with Gulfstream, Falcon 900EX and Airbus A319, the type is no longer listed.

Portugal: Esquadra 504 of the Portuguese Air Force at Base Aérea No. 6 in Montijo uses Falcon 50s alongside Falcon 900s for government, transport and ambulance flights. How many Falcon 50s still fly there at present is best checked before a visit.

The best-known and most tragic episode is April 6, 1994: a Rwandan government Falcon 50 with the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi on board was shot down on approach to Kigali, and everyone on board died. The attack is regarded as the trigger of the genocide in Rwanda. More about spotting state aircraft is in the article Spotting government aircraft.

The navy version: Falcon 50M Surmar

A particularly interesting subject is the Falcon 50M Surmar of the French Navy. Instead of leather seats, it carries a maritime search radar under the fuselage, an infrared sensor and large observation windows. Through a hatch it can drop life rafts for shipwreck survivors. The first aircraft joined flotilla 24F at Lann-Bihoué in Brittany from late 1999. The fleet was supplemented until 2016 by converted former Air Force government jets, bringing the total to eight aircraft. In 2024 the Surmar aircraft received a new infrared and camera sensor.

In the long term the Falcon 2000 Albatros replaces the navy Falcons; as things stand, some Falcon 50s stay in service until around 2030. The navy Falcons show up mainly on the French coast and in the overseas territories, but occasionally at air shows and exercises too.

Where to find the Falcon 50

Business jets do not fly fixed routes. The Falcon 50 turns up where its operators want to go, and today that is mainly smaller charter companies, corporations, private owners and a few states. Because the fleet is aging and shrinking, every sighting is getting rarer – a good reason to add it to your collection. How to judge how special a catch is, the articles Spotting rare aircraft and How rare is my sighting? explain.

Switzerland: Geneva Airport, with its dense business jet traffic, is a classic for Falcon fans; local tips are provided by the guide Plane spotting in Geneva. At Zurich Airport, the World Economic Forum in Davos brings a rush of government and business aircraft every January; spots and procedures are covered in the guide Plane spotting in Zurich.

France: Paris–Le Bourget Airport is one of Europe’s most important business jet airports and every two years the scene of the Paris Air Show. If you want to photograph there, you should know the rules – details in the article Photography at French airports.

Italy: At Rome–Ciampino Airport, civilian traffic shares the field with the government wing – a good place for state and business jets.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Geneva	medium	Lots of business jet traffic all year, including older types
Paris–Le Bourget	medium	Dassault’s home market, big business jet airport
Zurich (January, WEF)	medium	Many government and business aircraft in a short time
Rome–Ciampino	low to medium	Government and business traffic
Major German airports	low	Irregular one-off arrivals

How to follow flights live and what ADS-B data reveals is explained in the guide on flight tracking with ADS-B.

Spotting in Geneva and Zurich

In Geneva the observation deck is the obvious starting point. The airport has only one big runway, so every business jet passes the same spot. In Zurich the Butzenbüel and observation deck B are good starting points. Which runway is in use depends on the wind – how to judge that in advance is covered in the article Understanding the runway direction at an airport.

Whether your vantage point is legally unproblematic is covered in the article Is plane spotting allowed?. General tips on business travel jets are provided by the guide Spotting business jets.

Photo tips specifically for the Falcon 50

At a good 18.5 meters long, the Falcon 50 is smaller than any regional jet. That has consequences for equipment and composition.

You can calculate in advance when the light fits at your spot – the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot shows how. If you are just starting out, Plane spotting for beginners quickly gets you on course.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The Falcon 50 is the origin of a whole tri-jet dynasty. With its supercritical wing and the third engine in the tail it set standards in 1976, and as a government jet it has written aviation and world history. Today it is a classic that still turns up at business jet airports like Geneva, Le Bourget or Zurich – but a little rarer every year.