Highlights

Cornerstone laid for the Nagpur plant in India

Following the creation in February 2017 of the joint venture DRAL (Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd.), Dassault Aviation’s investments in India continued in October with the cornerstone laid for the Nagpur plant. The ceremony was attended by the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, the Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, and the Minister of Road Transport in the Modi administration, Nitin Gadkari.

Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited manufacturing: Mihan, Nagpur, State of Maharashtra, India

Falcon 8X, certified for operation at London City Airport

London City Airport is one of the world’s most demanding in terms of flight safety. The Falcon 8X was certified to operate at this airport in March 2017. Our flagship Falcon jet clearly demonstrated its full maturity, excellent performance and unrivaled acoustic comfort in the cabin. All Falcon jets are known for their accessibility to demanding runways and high degree of operational flexibility. The Falcon 8X also features the FalconEye combined vision system (CVS), the first system of this type with combined vision on a head-up display for business aircraft.

Éric Trappier, President of Gifas, ASD and Cidef

Éric Trappier, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation, was named head of French aerospace industries association Gifas (Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales) and the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe in May 2017, then head of French defense industry council Cidef (Conseil des industries de défense françaises) in January 2018. As president of Gifas, he welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the Paris Air Show in June 2017.

Inauguration of 52th Paris Airshow by Emmanuel Macron, French President, and Éric Trappier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation and President of GIFAS.

nEUROn tests continue

After several years of productive tests, French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction générale de l’Armement) approved the continuation of tests for nEUROn, the first unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) developed through a joint European program. French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and head of the DGA, Joël Barre, traveled to Istres in September 2017 to see one of the new test flights.

nEUROn and Rafale M in flight over the aircraft carrier.

More Rafales for Qatar

In December 2017, with French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance, the armed forces of Qatar and Dassault Aviation signed an agreement to convert the country’s option on 12 new Rafale fighters, as well as a future collaboration including an option on 36 more aircraft.

Falcon Épicure program announced

In early 2018, the French Armed Forces Ministry announced its choice of Dassault Aviation to integrate the universal electronic warfare capability (CUGE) function, developed by Thales through the Epicure program, into three Falcon jets. The key to this latest success for Falcon special-mission aircraft is the versatility of our business jets, coupled with our recognized expertise as industrial architect for both civil and military platforms.

Falcon 6X program launch

The Falcon 6X, the most spacious, agile and modern business twinjet on the market, was launched on February 18, 2018. This new aircraft, initiated following the termination of the Falcon 5X program, is scheduled to make its first flight in early 2021, with first deliveries following in 2022. The Falcon 6X is optimized to fully capitalize on the qualities of the new PW812D engine; it features longer range (5,500 nautical miles) and a longer cabin.

Man-Machine Teaming

On March 16, 2018 at our office in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, kicked off Man-Machine Teaming (MMT), a study financed by the French defense procurement agency DGA and led by Dassault Aviation and Thales. The MMT program seeks to develop an ecosystem for innovations in artificial intelligence and new human-machine relationships, applied to combat aircraft.