Federal Aviation Administration
FAA adds cyber safeguards for a connected Falcon 900EX
The FAA says the Falcon 900EX’s added connectivity could expose onboard systems to hackers, so it set new protections against unauthorized access through networks, wireless devices, satellite links and the internet.
The FAA issued final special conditions for a Dassault Falcon 900EX modified by Honeywell Aerospace US LLC. The agency says the jet’s new connectivity creates security risks that existing transport-airplane rules do not fully cover.
- The FAA issued final special conditions for a Falcon 900EX modified by Honeywell.
- The jet’s new architecture can connect to networks, wireless devices, satellite links and the internet.
- The agency says existing rules do not fully cover that level of external access.
- Honeywell must build protections against unauthorized external sources.
- Comments are open through Aug. 3, 2026.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued final special conditions June 18, 2026, for a Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 900EX modified by Honeywell Aerospace US LLC. The new rules take effect the same day, because the airplane’s added connectivity creates a security risk the old airworthiness standards do not fully address.
The change is not about a breach or a live attack. It is about a design that ties the jet more closely to the outside world, and the FAA says that means the aircraft needs extra safeguards before it can be treated as meeting the same safety bar as other transport-category airplanes.
A wider doorway into the avionics
The modification adds a digital systems architecture that increases connectivity to and access from external network sources. Those links can include operator networks, wireless devices, internet connectivity, service provider satellite communications and electronic flight bags.
The FAA says the airplane’s previously isolated electronic assets, including networks, systems and databases, now have more paths in and out. That matters because a more connected aircraft has more places where unauthorized wired or wireless access could affect safety-critical systems or the data those systems rely on.
The bar for equivalent safety
The special conditions are meant to supply the safety standards the FAA says are necessary to establish an equivalent level of safety under the current rules. Honeywell must protect the airplane from unauthorized external sources, identify and assess electronic-system threats, and keep the safeguards working through later modifications.
The action applies only to this Falcon 900EX modification. The FAA is also taking comments through Aug. 3, 2026.