Dassault Aviation and Thales have announced a strategic partnership to develop controlled and supervised artificial intelligence (AI) for defense aeronautics, the companies said Tuesday. The agreement, signed on November 18 by Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, and Patrice Caine, CEO of Thales, was presented at the International Adopt AI Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris under the patronage of the French President.
The partnership, conducted through Thales’ AI accelerator cortAIx, aims to develop sovereign AI solutions for manned and unmanned aircraft, covering observation, situational analysis, decision-making, planning and operational control in military contexts.
Pascale Lohat, Chief Technical Officer at Dassault Aviation, said the collaboration reflects “our shared commitment to trusted, sovereign and controlled artificial intelligence for the armed forces” and builds on research and innovation programs focused on collaborative air combat of the future.
Thales emphasized that cortAIx will bring decades of military technology expertise to the partnership, supported by a global network including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Mickael Brossard, Vice President of cortAIx Factory, noted the program aims to transform AI advances into concrete levers of sovereignty and operational efficiency.
The partnership was showcased to attendees of the Adopt AI event, demonstrating research and innovation initiatives backed by the European Defence Fund. Dassault Aviation and Thales presented their strategy for AI that is controlled, supervised, sovereign, secure and trustworthy, aimed at supporting armed forces and broader societal needs.
