Dassault Aviation at the 53rd Paris Air Show

Dassault Aviation was particularly proud to present its dual civil and defence know-how at the 53rd edition of the Paris Air Show.The Dassault Aviation stand and displays included mockups of the Falcon, Rafale, special-mission Falcon, ATL2, UAVs, FCAS and space vehicles. A “Rafale Inside” space offered visitors a virtual reality experience. The static display featured the Rafale, Falcon 8X, 900LX, 2000S/LXS and the Falcon 6X cabin. There was also a special exhibit, with a simulator demonstrating the operational capabilities of the Rafale. Every day in the afternoon, the Rafale flight demonstration was performed by the French Air Force, while the Falcon 8X demonstrations were flown by the company’s test pilots. “The 2019 Paris Air Show highlight show we are preparing for the future: extending the Falcon family (6X), reinforcing our support services, presenting what could be a demonstrator for the Next Generation Fighter (NGF) under the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and the agreements between Dassault Aviation and Airbus”, stated Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO ÉricTrappier.

The Rafale in all its glory on a bright summer day at the Show

Dassault Aviation and Airbus SE have delivered a joint industrial proposal to the governments of France and Germany for the first Demonstrator Phase of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This next major milestone achievement in the programme was showcased by the revealing of the New Generation Fighter and Remote Carriers models to a world public on the opening day of the 2019 Paris Air Show. This unveiling of the models by Eric Trappier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dassault Aviation and Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space was witnessed by the host of the opening ceremony at Le Bourget airport, President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, the German Federal Minister of Defence, Ursula Von Der Leyen and the Spanish Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles. This Demonstrator Phase will cover the period between 2019 and mid-2021 and will serve as a starting point for demonstrators and technology development for a New Generation Fighter (NGF), Remote Carriers (RC) and an Air Combat Cloud (ACC) to fly by 2026. The various teaming agreements, which also include the companies MBDA Systems and Thales, contain a defined scope of planning of the first Demonstrator Phase, ways of working and commercial agreements.

In parallel, Safran and MTU are in charge of developing a new engine. “The Joint Concept Study awarded to Dassault Aviation and Airbus in January 2019 was the first step in a fruitful cooperation between both companies. The first Demonstrator Phase marks another decisive step in the Next Generation Weapon System industrial organisation in which the New Generation Fighter, to be built by Dassault and Airbus, with Dassault Aviation as Prime contractor, as well as the Remote Carriers and Air Combat Cloud with Airbus as Prime contractor, will be the corner stone of the Future Combat Air System”, stated Eric Trappier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation. 

After initiating the negotiation phase through the delivered proposal, Dassault Aviation and Airbus expect a contract award for the first Demonstrator Phase by Q4 2019.