Falcon 900
ICAO F900A three-engine Dassault business jet flown by a dozen air forces. Live Falcon 900 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30sAirframe
- Manufacturer
- Dassault
- Role
- Government transport and utility
- Class
- L3J — Landplane, 3 jet engines
- Crew
- 2 to 3
- First flight
- 21 September 1984
- In service
- 1986
Operators airborne
About the Falcon 900
The Falcon 900 is distinctive for a reason that has largely disappeared elsewhere: it has three engines. Two are mounted on the rear fuselage in the usual way and a third sits in the base of the fin, which was Dassault's answer to over-water range rules at a time when twin-engine limits were stricter.
Air forces bought it for government travel and liaison, and France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia and several others still operate the type. The French Air and Space Force examples are among the most consistently visible on this feed.
Some are fitted for medical evacuation, which is a natural fit for a fast aircraft that can reach most of a continent without stopping.
Callsign prefixes
- CTM
- Cotam — French Air and Space Force
- AME
- Spanish Air and Space Force
- IAM
- Italian Air Force
How to recognise it
- —Three engines: two on the rear fuselage and one in the fin root. Almost nothing else in service is arranged this way.
- —A rounded Dassault nose and a swept T-tail.
- —Similar in size to a Gulfstream but visibly different from behind.
Common questions
+ Why does the Falcon 900 have three engines?
Range rules. When it was designed, restrictions on how far a twin-engine aircraft could fly from an airport were tighter, and a third engine removed the limitation. Those rules have since relaxed, which is why the layout has largely died out.
+ Which air forces fly the Falcon 900?
France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia, Greece, Nigeria and others, mostly for government transport, liaison and medical evacuation.
+ Is it related to the Falcon 2000 or 7X?
They are the same Dassault family. The 2000 is the twin-engine derivative and the 7X and 8X are later three-engine models; each reports its own ADS-B designator.