On October 8, 2024, Sébastien Lecornu, French Armed Forces Minister, announced the launch of the development phase of an unmanned combat air system (UCAS) intended for integration into the Rafale F5 standard after 2030. Drawing on the achievements of the nEUROn program, this system will be designed to enable collaborative combat.
In mid-October 2024, a series of Rafale Marine trials were carried out on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to validate the assisted landing features developed as part of the F4 standard program.
In July 2023, the Indian government chose the Rafale Marine for use by the Indian Navy, with a potential order for 26 aircraft as the next step. These aircraft would join the 36 Rafales already in service with the Indian Air Force. India is the first country outside France to have decided to field both versions of the Rafale.
Éric Trappier and Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić signed a contract for the purchase of 12 Rafales, with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, in attendance. Serbia thus joins the ranks of Dassault’s defense customers, becoming the eighth country worldwide, and the third in Europe, to acquire the Rafale.
In January 2024, the third tranche (18 aircraft) of the Indonesian Rafale contract came into effect, bringing the confirmed overall order to 42 fighters. Indonesia is a first-time military customer and our second Rafale customer in the Indo-Pacific region.
Following its entry into service in November 2023, the Falcon 6X is now being flown by our customers, who are enjoying its high levels of performance and handling qualities. Its spacious cabin sets a new standard of comfort for business jets capable of flying non-stop for more than twelve hours.
The Falcon 2000LXS Albatros made its maiden flight at Mérignac on January 24, 2025. The Albatros will provide the French Navy with invaluable support in its search and rescue, fisheries policing, anti-pollution and anti-trafficking missions.
In April 2024, we opened a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center at Subang airport, on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. This state-of-the-art service center, operated by our subsidiary Execujet is capable of servicing ten to 15 aircraft, including the Falcon 6X and the future Falcon 10X. Environmental considerations were an integral part of the facility’s design from the outset.
The AD2S, a major trade show devoted to military operational support, was held at Air Force Base 106 in Bordeaux-Mérignac in September 2024. A vast Dassault Aviation exhibition space showcased our long-term support contracts (Ravel, Océan, Balzac, Alpha Care), training solutions, cutting-edge products and services (Big Data, Field), as well as our efforts to address environmental issues.
In 2024, Dassault Aviation added 2,400 employees, including some 240 apprentices.
In Statista’s 2025 ranking of France’s 500 best employers, conducted for Capital magazine, we came third in the Aerospace, Rail and Naval category.
For the past decade, Dassault Aviation has been ranked by students and graduates as one of the top 10 companies to work for. In the Universum 2024 ranking of the most attractive employers across all fields, we once again came in among the top 5; in addition, we were ranked in the top 3 most popular manufacturing companies according to an Epoka survey.
Dassault Aviation has been playing an active part in the development of the Indian supply chain through the signing of contracts with two Indian companies, Dynamatic and Aerolloy, the latter a subsidiary of the PTC Group.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to pursue our initiatives to develop local skills: the Dassault Aviation Services India – Engineering Center (DASI-EC) in Pune is fully operational, and the Dassault Skill Academy is being extended to Uttar Pradesh.
Dassault Reliance Aviation Limited (DRAL) manufactures, among other things, the T12 and T4 sections of the Falcon 2000.
Our Cergy plant was completed in 2024. This state-of-the-art facility will take over from its predecessor in Argenteuil. It delivers 30% better energy performance than required by current regulations, thanks to optimized plant management, heat recovery, connection to the urban heating grid and more than 300,000 sq ft of solar panels.
On 8 October 2024, to mark the 60th anniversary of France’s airborne nuclear deterrent, Éric Trappier and Sébastien Lecornu, Minister for the Armed Forces, unveiled a Mirage IV, positioned next to the Charles de Gaulle Memorial in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. The same day, our Chairman and CEO signed a corporate patronage agreement with Hervé Gaymard, Chairman of the Charles de Gaulle Foundation.
Signed at the end of August 2024 by Éric Trappier and General Thierry Burkhard, Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, this manifesto reaffirms our support for all the men and women who serve in our armed forces: active and reserve personnel, veterans, the wounded, as well as their families.
Dassault Aviation is a major corporate sponsor of the Maubuisson forest in the Val-d’Oise department of France. This 1340-hectare, one-million-tree reforestation project will help link the forests of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Montmorency, and contribute to enhancing the natural environment of the Greater Paris region.