Yves Thiriet

Yves Thiriet helped with the sale of more than 2,000 Mirage IIIs, Mirage F1s, Alpha Jets, Super Etendards, Jaguars, Mirage 2000s and Atlantics in 33 countries.

Yves Thiriet, former senior vice-president for research, design and engineering, passed away on Monday June 13, 2011, aged 82.

Born on May 29, 1929 in Bougie, Algeria, he graduated from the Sup’ Aéro engineering school at the head of the class of 1951.

He performed his military service in the French Air Force as a navigator-bomber before joining the company’s preliminary projects design bureau in 1952, where his work included weight breakdown for the Mystère II.

He became head of department in 1953 before joining the design team working on the Etendard II light tactical fighter two years later. He subsequently held the position of technical manager on the Etendard IV Marine (1956) and technical manager on the Balzac V 001 vertical takeoff prototype (1959).


A new chapter in his career opened in the early 1960s when he became technical director for exports, responsible for the promotion of Dassault aircraft around the world. Between 1963 and 1990, he could take credit for the sale of more than 2,000 Mirage IIIs, Mirage F1s, Alpha Jets, Super Etendards, Jaguars, Mirage 2000s and Atlantics in 33 countries.

He finished his career as senior vice-president for research, design and engineering from 1990 to 1998.

He held the following distinctions:

  • Chevalier in the Legion of Honor.
  • Emeritus member of the French Aeronautical and Astronautical Association (AAAF).