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.