Comparing Ksh7.3 Billion Private Jet To Ruto's Ksh2B Presidential Jet [FEATURES]

Rumours spread like wildfire through social media on Tuesday, May 30 that President William Ruto had purchased an expensive aircraft to replace the age-old Fokker ER 7 Executive Jet dubbed KAF 308.

Most of the reports had claimed that the Head of State spent approximately Ksh7.3 billion on a jet that would replace the 28-year-old presidential aircraft, reports Viral Tea established through highly-placed sources close to Ruto to be false and misleading.

A Google Image Reverse Search further revealed that the plane in question is a Falcon 6X, a twin-engine, ultra-wide body business jet which is part of the famed Dassault Falcon family under Dassault Aviation, a manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets based in Paris, France.

A Dassault Falcon 6X in flight. /DASSAULT AVIATION

Dassault Falcon 6X Features

The reason it is called an "ultra widebody" business jet, not to be confused with Airbus' "extra wide-body" A350 airliner, is that it offers a wider cabin than anything from transatlantic rivals Gulfstream and Bombardier. Its cabin, the tallest and widest in business aviation, provides unparalleled spaciousness.

The Falcon 6X is the largest and most capable aircraft in the Falcon family with a 5,500 nm (10,186 km) range and a Maximum Mach Operating speed (MMO) of Mach .90 (1,111.32 km/hr), meaning one can travel across continents and oceans on non-stop journeys, increasing the health and safety benefits of flying private that also includes access to private terminals and executive airports, thanks to its capability to stay airborne for up to 12 hours.

In simple terms, with this aircraft, you can travel from, let's say, London to Hong Kong or Los Angeles to Moscow nonstop or Nairobi to London direct, or directly to New York from Nairobi at maximum speed. In comparison, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which national carrier Kenya Airways owns, has a range of 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km).

Going fast isn't its only unique feature as the 6X has an approach speed of 109 knots (201.87 km/hr), allowing it to access airports with short runways or steep approaches.

"The Falcon 6X's cabin allows more freedom of movement, privacy and relaxation, and more room for teamwork.

"Equally important, it can be customized to your specific needs. The combination of flexible working and living space, with ergonomically designed comfort, will help you stay refreshed and accomplish more as you travel farther," Dassault describes the aircraft on its website.

F-Wave's spacious cabin with a maximum width of 102 inches (259 cm) makes it the widest in business aviation. The cabin can accommodate up to 16 passengers in three zones, and it features a variety of amenities, including a galley, a lavatory, and sleeping berths.

Dassault’s revolutionary FalconEye combined vision system will be standard on the 6X, providing enhanced safety and situational awareness on approaches in darkness or poor weather.

The 6X will also be the first Falcon equipped with the FalconScan advanced diagnostics system, which monitors and reports on 100,000 maintenance parameters. As with all Falcons, it will offer superior operating flexibility, thanks to its unparalleled performance on steep approaches to short runways.

A rendering of the inside of Dassault Falcon 6X. /DASSAULT AVIATION

The 6X’s aerodynamic control surfaces are linked to a next-generation fly-by-wire flight-control system. The 6X also adds integrated digital control of nosewheel steering, which makes manoeuvring on the ground more precise, and its flaps are electrically powered, as opposed to controlled hydraulically.

The aircraft is powered by new-generation Pratt & Whitney PW812D engines, which in addition to outstanding flight safety and performance will provide double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. The engines are capable of delivering 13,500 pounds (6,123kg) of thrust each and 10 per cent better fuel economy than legacy engines in their thrust class.

Its new wing is designed to mitigate turbulence and is equipped with flaperons, leading-edge slats, and trailing-edge flaps. The flaperons save weight, improve control, and smooth out turbulence by combining flaps and ailerons into a single control surface: flaps deploy to increase lift at low speeds while ailerons regulate bank and roll.

The new wing provides good high- and low-speed performance; its leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flaps combine to lower takeoff and approach speeds up to 10 knots slower than those of comparable business jets. 

The 6X, which has an estimated equipped price of $52.75 million (Ksh7.3 billion) made its first flight in 2021, and deliveries are expected to commence in early 2023.

Ruto's Presidential Plane

The KAF 308 Fokker ER 7 Executive Jet is estimated to be worth over Ksh2 billion and was acquired in 1995 to boost VVIP transport. It has a cruise speed of 845km/hr and a range of 3,410km, just 1,000 shy of the Embraer 190, meaning it can do trips from Kenya to South Africa.

The aircraft is customised to the executive style and class fit for a Head of State, and despite holding a maximum capacity of 72 to 85 passengers, it can only carry a maximum capacity of 10.

The narrow-body, twin-engined, medium-range, turbofan regional airliner was made in the Netherlands and it is believed that its cabin crew is trained abroad. The value tag makes it considered one of the most expensive presidential jets in Africa.

Retired President Daniel Arap Moi was the first president of Kenya to use the aircraft on January 26, 1996. He was on a journey to an official function in Uganda.

The Fokker 70 is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Tay 620 turbofan engines, positioned at either side of the aircraft and mounted on the rear fuselage; each engine is capable of providing up to 61.6 Kilonewtons (kN) of thrust.