Strategy
Strategy
Éric Trappier
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation
March 2025
In today’s rapidly changing international environment, France can pride itself on having forged a truly autonomous defense capability. Our country has worked over decades to assemble armed forces equipped with the full gamut of nuclear and conventional military capabilities.
These forces are supported by a highly effective and competitive domestic industrial base which, thanks to its expertise in strategic technologies, ensures that they enjoy the kind of practical autonomy without which a country lacks any genuine freedom of action, and hence any authentic sovereignty.
Dassault Aviation has played a key role in this policy, which was put in place by Charles de Gaulle. As a result, today we are the only aircraft manufacturer and industrial architect in Western Europe capable of designing, producing, supporting and upgrading a combat aircraft from scratch, in collaboration with our French partners. Thanks to our years of experience, our skills base and our technological expertise, we have become the prime mover behind a number of ambitious programs at both French and European level.
The Rafale continues to enjoy outstanding sales in the export market, with 30 orders placed in 2024 and promising negotiations underway for more in 2025. We exceeded our delivery targets last year: as compared with a forecasted figure of 20 Rafales, we actually delivered 21 combat aircraft to our customers, of which 14 went to the French armed forces. On the design front, we have also been extremely busy, with the completion of work on the F4 standard, and the launch of the F5 and its companion UCAS. We are also continuing to press forward with the New Generation Fighter, the Falcon 8X Archange and the Falcon 2000 Albatros (which completed its maiden flight in 2024).
All these programs will enhance the air defense capabilities of our country and its partners. In view of the international situation, we are ready to fast-track certain projects or launch new ones, should the French government request us to do so.