Michelin Air X Sky Light for Falcon 10X

Michelin has achieved a new major milestone in aircraft tyre innovation and development with the Air X Sky Light tyre, which has been chosen as the fitment for equipping Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X business jet. This follows several years of development, testing, and high-level industrial collaboration with Dassault Aviation.

The Michelin Air X Sky Light tyre and the Falcon 10X share the same innovation-driven philosophy: a radically reengineered tyre architecture based on advanced materials and innovative industrial processes, fully aligned with the Falcon 10X’s technological choices in terms of weight optimization, overall performance, and integration of next-generation solutions.

Unveiled as a world premiere at the 2023 Paris Air Show (Le Bourget), the Air X Sky Light is a next-generation aircraft tyre specifically designed to address the key challenges facing aviation: weight reduction, improved durability, enhanced operational performance, and a direct contribution to the decarbonization of air transport.

Michelin’s Air Sky Light Aircraft Tyre

Thanks to a new radial technology, the Michelin Air X Sky Light tyre achieves a 10 to 20 per cent weight reduction compared with previous generations, whilst delivering a 10 to 20 per cent increase in service life. This weight saving is critical in aviation, where every kilogram matters and contributes to a significant reduction in fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, and maintenance and transportation costs.

These performance gains are made possible by an optimized summit architecture and footprint, the use of ultra-high-strength carcass materials, and next-generation hybrid cords and fabrics.

Michelin aircraft tyres systematically integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into their design, evaluating environmental impacts from raw materials through end-of-life to sustainably reduce their footprint on health, climate, natural resources, and biodiversity, in line with a responsible performance and circular economy approach.

Along with the increasing integration of materials from renewable sources and recycling streams, this approach is fully aligned with the Michelin Group’s ambition to achieve 100 per cent renewable and recycled materials by 2050.

The Michelin Air X Sky Light tyre has been developed in close cooperation with Dassault Aviation, as part of a trusted and long-standing relationship built over more than 40 years. During this time, Dassault Aviation has supported Michelin’s major aeronautical innovations, from the Air X radial tyre on the Mirage III to today’s Michelin Air X Sky Light.

This initial Michelin Air X Sky Light size developed for the Falcon 10X is a precursor to a broader product range, intended to expand across commercial aviation, both for new aircraft programs and retrofit applications on existing fleets.

The development of each new size, subject to extremely rigorous certification and qualification processes, is part of a roadmap defined in close coordination with airframers, airlines, and aviation authorities.