German Aerospace Center DLR and Dassault Aviation signed an agreement for the acquisition of a Falcon 2000LX twinjet. The agreement was signed at the Berlin Air Show in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The deal entails the delivery of a Falcon 2000LX and its transformation into an inflight Systems and Technology Airborne Research (iSTAR) vehicle capable of testing flight characteristics of new aircraft designs, real or virtual, piloted or unmanned, in real life operating conditions. In addition, iSTAR will serve as a test bed for aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, structures, propulsion, flight control and flight guidance applications.
“Dassault is granting DLR access to its internal development know-how and extensive experience in aerodynamics” said the Chair of DLR Executive Board Pascale Ehrenfreund, describing the special partnership. “The 2000LX has the performance and safety margins we need for a research vehicle and considerably reinforce our ability to conduct interdisciplinary research across the entire aviation system.”