Dassault Aviation and Thales, through their artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator cortAIx, have formalized a strategic alliance of major significance for France’s defense architecture. The agreement, signed on 18 November by Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, and Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales, lays the groundwork for the development of sovereign, controlled and supervised AI dedicated to defense aeronautics.

The official announcement was made on Tuesday, 25 November during the Sommet international Adopt AI in Paris, an event held under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic. The initiative underscores the commitment of France’s Defense Industrial and Technological Base (BITD) to maintaining strategic autonomy in the high-intensity air domain.

Signing of the MoU between Patrice Caine, Chairman & CEO of Thales (left of the image) and Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation (right). Photo: Dassault.
Signing of the MoU between Patrice Caine, Chairman & CEO of Thales (left of the image) and Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation (right). Photo: Dassault.

AI for Collaborative Air Combat Systems

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) aims to integrate sovereign AI solutions into both manned and unmanned aircraft. This technological development is critical for cutting-edge military functions ranging from observation and situational analysis to accelerated decision-making, mission planning and operational control during military maneuvers.

According to Pascale Lohat, Technical Managing Director of Dassault Aviation, the agreement is the “culmination of strategic reflection” materialized through research and innovation programs focused on future collaborative air combat. The overarching goal is to incorporate AI safely into defense aeronautical systems, ensuring trust, sovereignty and human control.

The initiative is fully aligned with ethical principles and with national and European regulations — including the AI Act — guaranteeing development under a framework of human oversight and sovereign technological control consistent with French doctrine.

Unlike other international models, France promotes an AI doctrine in which algorithms do not replace the human operator but enhance their decision-making capacity. According to Dassault, the joint work is aimed at creating AI that is:

  • Reliable: validated in real operational contexts.
  • Auditable: able to explain its recommendation criteria.
  • Sovereign: free of external dependencies in software, networks or critical hardware.
  • Secure: protected against cyberattacks and adversarial manipulation.

The Rafale F5 Modernization Plan

The formalization of this structured cooperation in AI takes on particular relevance as it is directly linked to the Rafale upgrade program to the F5 standard and to the development of France’s future stealth combat drone, which will operate alongside it.

As previously announced, Dassault Aviation, Thales and Safran have received approval to develop a stealth Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Conceived to complement the Rafale F5, the system will act as a remote sensor and effector in high-risk missions, including penetration of enemy air defenses and Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD).

France makes the leap to the Rafale F5, featuring Artificial Intelligence and a new «Loyal Wingman» stealth drone

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has determined that the Rafale F5 will not have a dedicated SEAD/DEAD variant, relying instead on the capabilities of its SPECTRA self-protection suite and, fundamentally, on coordination with drones. In this operational scheme, the AI to be developed by Dassault and cortAIx is the critical enabling component. The synergy between AI, the F5’s advanced mission computers and its fiber-optic architecture will allow the manned fighter to act as the “brain” coordinating, in real time, the actions of combat drones, ensuring operational superiority in highly contested environments.

Mickael Brossard, Vice President of cortAIx Factory at Thales, stressed that the accelerator will bring “the best of Thales’ technological legacy, enriched by the feedback of the armed forces,” transforming AI advances into “concrete levers of sovereignty and effectiveness.”

FCAS in Crisis and the Momentum of France’s Plan B

The signing of the MoU comes at a particularly sensitive time. The FCAS/SCAF program is bogged down by industrial disputes between Dassault and Airbus over leadership, intellectual property and workshare. Paris and Berlin are even discussing the possibility of salvaging only the Combat Cloud — the AI-enabled command-and-control network — while the development of the next-generation fighter (NGF) may be postponed or cancelled.

In this context, the creation of a French nucleus for advanced AI development is interpreted as a move to secure Dassault’s technological leadership, guarantee continuity for national programs — such as the Rafale F5 and its family of stealth drones — and reduce reliance on foreign platforms and architectures.

The Rafale F5, expected to enter service around 2030, will be the first French platform conceived from the outset to operate in networked combat with drones and next-generation AI algorithms. The cooperation with cortAIx strengthens that trajectory.