The RAAF’s five Falcon 900's lined up on the Fairbairn flightline. Note Parliament House in the background. (Defence PR)

Aircraft of the ADF — A26 Falcon 900

A26 — Dassault Falcon 900

The Falcon 900 introduced a new method of acquisition to the RAAF, that of procuring an aircraft on long-term lease. The earlier twin jet Mystere/Falcon 20, which had served in the RAAF under the A11 identifier, had been developed into the three-engined Falcon 50, which flew in 1976. During the 1983 Paris Air Show, Dassault announced its intention to build the Falcon 900, a more powerful, large cabin version of the Falcon 50. The first Falcon 900, with the French registration F-GIDE, flew on September 21, 1984, and deliveries of the production aircraft began in December 1986.

The Falcon 900 was chosen in 1989 to replace the two BAC-111s and three Falcon 20s of the RAAF VIP fleet, operated by No 34 Squadron at Fairbairn. These five older VIP jets were accepted as trade-ins on five Falcon 900s when contracts were signed in December 1988. Both the BAC-111s were sold in England, and two of the Falcon 20s have subsequently been sold in the USA. One aircraft, A11-090, remains in Australia, now operated by the Christmas Island Resort as VH-CIR.

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