Dassault & Thales Partner on AI for Combat Aircraft: A New Era?
Dassault Aviation and Thales have formalized a long-term strategic partnership to develop controlled and supervised artificial intelligence for next-generation air combat systems. The agreement, signed November 18, 2025, and announced November 25 at Paris’s International Adopt AI Summit, marks a pivotal moment in European defense technology development.
The collaboration brings together Dassault Aviation, France’s prime contractor for collaborative air combat systems, with cortAIx, Thales’ dedicated AI accelerator. This partnership aims to establish sovereign AI capabilities for both manned and unmanned military aircraft, addressing mission-critical functions including observation, situation analysis, decision-making support, operational planning, and air operations control.
Crewed-uncrewed teaming forms the partnership’s conceptual core. Rather than replacing human pilots, the initiative envisions tightly networked forces where manned fighters and unmanned systems operate as a unified team. Pascale Lohat, Chief Technical Officer at Dassault Aviation, emphasized that the partnership represents research and innovation programs dedicated to collaborative air combat’s future, integrating AI into aeronautical defense systems while maintaining human oversight.
Thales positions cortAIx as a bridge between its established military technology expertise and the agility required for innovation. The accelerator currently operates in France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore, with planned expansion into the United Arab Emirates. Both companies have emphasized their commitment to AI assurance and supervision aligned with ethical principles and European regulations, including the EU’s emerging AI framework.
This partnership arrives amid accelerating European efforts to develop AI-enabled collaborative air-combat architectures. While France, Germany, and Spain’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) faces industrial and political obstacles, AI-enabled loyal wingmen concepts offer a more achievable near-term solution for augmenting existing Rafale and Eurofighter fleets. Simultaneously, US manufacturers strengthen their European presence through collaborative combat aircraft initiatives, with companies like GA-ASI and Airbus-Kratos proposing solutions for allied air forces.
The Dassault-Thales initiative underscores Europe’s determination to maintain technological sovereignty while advancing autonomous capabilities. By combining industrial heritage with modern AI expertise, the partnership positions Europe to compete in the rapidly evolving defense technology landscape.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764151234218-967