Dassault Aviation SA () is a French
manufacturer
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...
of
military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:
* Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
and
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
s.
It was founded in 1929 by
Marcel Bloch as
Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
The Société des Avions Marcel Bloch was a French Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer of military and civilian aircraft. It was founded by the aeronautical designer Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch (hence "MB" in the aircraft designation ...
or "MB". After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Marcel Bloch changed his name to
Marcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault (born Marcel Ferdinand Bloch; 23 January 1892 – 17 April 1986) was a French engineer and industrialist who spent his career in aircraft manufacturing.
Early life and education
Born on 23 January 1892 in Paris, he was the young ...
, and the name of the company was changed to Avions Marcel Dassault on 20 January 1947.
In 1971 Dassault acquired
Breguet, forming Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation (AMD-BA). In 1990 the company was renamed Dassault Aviation, and is a subsidiary of
Dassault Group
Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French corporate group, group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, a ...
.
The Dassault Aviation Group has been headed by
Éric Trappier
Éric Trappier (born 6 January 1960) is a French businessman and engineer. Since January 2013, he has been the CEO of Dassault Aviation, French Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer of military aircraft, military and business jet, business ...
since 9 January 2013.
History
![Dassault Marcel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Dassault_Marcel.jpg)
The
Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
The Société des Avions Marcel Bloch was a French Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer of military and civilian aircraft. It was founded by the aeronautical designer Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch (hence "MB" in the aircraft designation ...
was founded by
Marcel Bloch in 1929. In 1935 Bloch and
Henry Potez
Henry Potez (Méaulte, 30 September 1891 – Paris, 9 November 1981) was a French aircraft industrialist.
He studied in the French Aeronautics School '' Supaéro''. With Marcel Dassault, he was the inventor of the Potez-Bloch propeller which, aft ...
entered into an agreement to buy Société Aérienne Bordelaise (SAB), subsequently renamed ''Société Aéronautique du Sud-Ouest''. In 1936 the arms industry in France was nationalised as the ''
Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud Ouest
SNCASO (abbreviated from ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest'', or commonly, ''Sud-Ouest'') was a French aircraft manufacturer.
Created during 1936 as one of seven nationalised aeronautical manufacturing companies, ...
'' (SNCASO). Marcel Bloch was asked to act as delegated administrator of the Minister for Air.
[ During the occupation of France by Nazi Germany the country's aviation industry was virtually disbanded. Marcel Bloch was imprisoned by the ]Vichy government
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
in October 1940. In 1944 Bloch was deported to the Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...
concentration camp by the German occupiers where he remained until it was liberated on 11 April 1945.
On 10 November 1945, at an extraordinary general meeting of the ''Société Anonyme des Avions Marcel Bloch'' the company voted to change its form to a limited liability entity, ''Société des Avions Marcel Bloch'', which was to be a holding company. On 20 January 1947 ''Société des Avions Marcel Bloch'' became ''Société des Avions Marcel Dassault'' to reflect the name adopted by its owner.
In 1954, Dassault established an electronics division (by 1962 named ''Electronique Marcel Dassault''), the first action of which was to begin development of airborne radars, soon followed by seeker heads for air-to-air missiles, navigation, and bombing aids. From the 1950s to late 1970s exports become a major part of Dassault's business, major successes were the Dassault Mirage Mirage is a name given to several types of jet aircraft designed by the French company Dassault Aviation (formerly Avions Marcel Dassault), some of which were produced in different variants. Most were supersonic fighters with delta wings. The most s ...
series and the Mystere-Falcon.
In 1965 and 1966, the French government stressed to its various defense suppliers the need to specialize to maintain viable companies. Dassault was to specialise in combat and business aircraft, Nord Aviation
Nord-Aviation ( en, Northern Aviation) was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France.
On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was cr ...
in ballistic missiles
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...
and Sud Aviation
Sud Aviation (, ''Southern Aviation'') was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating from the merger of Sud-Est (SNCASE, or ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est'') and Sud-Ouest (SNCASO or ''Société n ...
civil and military transport aircraft and helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s. (Nord Aviation and Sud Aviation would merge in 1970 to form Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...
which would itself later merge with 2 other firms and become EADS (now Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
)).
On 27 June 1967, Dassault (at the urging of the French government) acquired 66% of Breguet Aviation Breguet or Bréguet may refer to:
* Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer
**Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker
**Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work
* Bréguet ...
. Under the merger deal Société des Avions Marcel Dassault was dissolved on 14 December 1971, with its assets vested in Breguet, to be renamed Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation (AMD-BA).
Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes SE () (abbreviated 3DS) is a French software corporation which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D related products.
Founded in 1981, it is headquartered in Vélizy-Villacoublay, Fr ...
was established in 1981 to develop and market Dassault's CAD program
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
, CATIA
CATIA (, an acronym of computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application) is a multi-platform software suite for computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CAE), 3D modeling and Product lif ...
. Dassault Systèmes was to become a market leader in this field.[
In 1979 the French government took a 20% share in Dassault and established the Societé de Gestion de Participations Aéronautiques (]SOGEPA
SOGEPA (Societé de Gestion de Participations Aéronautiques) is a French holding company owned completely by the French Republic. It is one of the largest public bodies investing in European aerospace technology, indirectly owning 11.11% shares o ...
) to manage this and an indirect 25% share in Aerospatiale (the government also held a direct 75% share in that company). In 1998 the French government transferred its shares in Dassault Aviation (45.76%) to Aerospatiale. On 10 July 2000, Aérospatiale-Matra merged with other European companies to form EADS
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
(presently Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
).
In 2000 Serge Dassault
Serge Dassault (; born Serge Paul André Bloch; 4 April 1925 – 28 May 2018) was a French engineer, businessman and politician. He was the chairman and chief executive officer of Dassault Group, and a conservative politician. According to ' ...
resigned as chairman and was succeeded by Charles Edelstenne. Serge Dassault was appointed honorary chairman.
The American company Atlantic Aviation based in Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
, was acquired in October 2000.
Airbus sold some of its ownership back to Dassault in 2014, and further reduced its share to 27% in 2015 then to 10% in 2016.[Dassault Aviation]
Dassault Aviation shareholding
''Dassault Aviation'', 31 December 2016.
Subsidiaries
Sogitec, a wholly owned subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of Dassault, makes advanced avionics
Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...
simulation, 3D imaging
In computer vision and computer graphics, 3D reconstruction is the process of capturing the shape and appearance of real objects.
This process can be accomplished either by active or passive methods. If the model is allowed to change its shape i ...
, military flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
s, and document imaging Document imaging is an information technology category for systems capable of replicating documents commonly used in business. Document imaging systems can take many forms including microfilm, on demand printers, facsimile machines, copiers, multifu ...
systems.
Products
Military
* Breguet family ''See main article: Dassault Breguet''
* MD 315 Flamant, 1947
* MD 450 Ouragan, 1951
* Mystère, 1951
** MD 452 Mystère I, II, 1951
** MD 453 Mystère III, 1951 (a one-off MD-452 nightfighter)
** MD 454 Mystère IV, 1952
** Super Mystère, 1955
* MMD 550 Mystère-Delta, 1954 prototype
* Étendard, 1956
** Étendard II, 1956
** Étendard IV, 1958
** Super Étendard
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard butto ...
, 1974
* Cavalier MD 610 – VSTOL concept, 1959
* Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...
, 1956
* Mirage IV
The Dassault Mirage IV was a French supersonic strategic bomber and deep-reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Dassault Aviation, the aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in October 1964. For many years it was a vital part of the ...
(strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, ...
), 1959
* MD 410 Spirale, 1960
* Balzac V, 1962 VSTOL
* Mirage IIIV, (1965–1966)
* Atlantique (ATL 1, originally a Breguet product), 1965
* Mirage F2, 1966 (Prototype)
* Mirage F1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family.
During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would b ...
, 1966
* Mirage 5
The Dassault Mirage 5 is a French supersonic attack aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter and spawned sever ...
, 1967
* Mirage G, 1967
** Mirage G, 1967
** Mirage G-4/G-8, 1971
* Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, 1968
* MD 320 Hirondelle, 1968 (light military utility aircraft, only 1 prototype was built)
* Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet
The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, a ...
(Joint venture with Dornier) 1973
* SEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.
Originall ...
(50/50 joint venture with BAC
BAC or Bac may refer to:
Places
* Bac, Rožaje, Bac, a village in Montenegro
* Baile Átha Cliath, Irish language name for Dublin city.
* Bîc River, aka ''Bâc River'', a Moldovan river
* Baç Bridge, bridge in Turkey
* Barnes County Municipal A ...
) begun within Breguet, 1973
* Falcon Guardian 1, 1977
* Mirage 2000
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (''Arm ...
, 1978
** Mirage 2000N/2000D 1986
* Mirage 4000, 1979 (Prototype)
* Mirage 50
The Dassault Mirage 5 is a French supersonic attack aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter and spawned several ...
, 1979
* Falcon Guardian 2, 1981
* Mirage III NG, 1982
* Atlantique 2 Atlantique may refer to:
* ''Atlantique'' (film), a 2019 film
* Atlantique Department in Benin
* SNCF's TGV Atlantique class of high-speed trains
* The Breguet Atlantique airplane
* Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire-based shipyard
* The V ...
(ATL 2), 1982
* Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...
, 1986
* nEUROn
A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...
, (experimental, first flight 2012)
* New Generation Fighter (Rafale replacement)
Civilian
* Breguet family ''See main article: Dassault Breguet''
* Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
family
** Falcon 10 ( Falcon 100 Upgraded Version)
** Falcon 20
The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet developed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. The first business jet developed by the firm, it became the first of a family of business jets to be produced under the same name; of these, both t ...
( Falcon 200 Upgraded Version)
** Falcon 30
** Falcon 50
The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon ...
** Falcon 900
The Dassault Falcon 900, commonly abbreviated as the F900, is a French-built corporate trijet aircraft made by Dassault Aviation.
Development
The Falcon 900 is a development of the Falcon 50, itself a development of the earlier Falcon 20. Th ...
** Falcon 2000
The Dassault Falcon 2000 is a business jet produced by French Dassault Aviation, a member of its Falcon business jet line. Developed from the Falcon 900 trijet, the smaller twinjet has less range.
Development
The Falcon 900 fuselage was s ...
** Falcon 6X
** Falcon 7X
The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, range business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the second largest of its Dassault Falcon line. Launched at 2001 Paris Air Show, its first flight was on 5 May 2005 and it entered service on 15 June ...
(originally Falcon FNX)
** Falcon 8X
** Falcon 10X (in development)
* Mercure
Mercure may refer to:
* MERCURE, an atmospheric dispersion modelling CFD code developed by Électricité de France
* Mercure Hotels, a chain of hotels run by Accor
* French ship Mercure (1783), French ship ''Mercure'' (1783)
* Dassault Mercure, a ...
– The only commercial airliner that ever flew made directly by Dassault Aviation. Designed to compete with Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
. Only 12 units ever built.
* Communauté – Only 1 prototype was built.
* Mystere 30 – 30/40 passenger regional jet not brought into production.
Facilities and offices
Production
* St. Cloud – c. 1938 former engine and fighter plant now heavy-duty simulation systems, and technical branch headquarters t
* Argenteuil
Argenteuil () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Argenteuil is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise Departments of France, ...
- c. 1952
* Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
– acquired Breguet plant 1971
* Merignac - c. 1947
* Talence
Talence (, ; oc, Talança, ; ca, Talença, ) is a commune in the Gironde department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the south side. It is ...
- operating from 1939 to 1947
* Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
– c. 1951 as rented facility before moved to Argenteuil
* Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL, joint venture with Reliance Aerostructure Limited) MIHAN
The Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) is an airport project for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur. It is the biggest economical development project currently underway in India in terms of invest ...
, Nagpur
Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...
, Maharashtra, India
Service Facilities
* United States, France, China, Brazil
Sales Offices
* China, Greece, Malaysia, Oman, Russia, Taiwan
DAS Network
* Paraguay and United States
See also
* Dassault Group
Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French corporate group, group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, a ...
* Dassault Falcon
The Dassault Falcon is a family of business jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
July 2017 saw the 2,500th Falcon delivered – a Falcon 900LX – since the first Falcon 20 was handed over to a customer in 1965. The fleet has accumula ...
* Dassault Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...
* Mirage 2000
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (''Arm ...
* nEUROn
A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...
References
* Dassault Aviatio
History, 1916 to this day
Accessed 5 Jan. 2006.
External links
*
{{Authority control, state=expanded
Dassault Group
Aerospace companies of France
Aircraft manufacturers of France
Defence companies of France
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1930
Dassault family
French companies established in 1930
Companies listed on Euronext Paris
Multinational companies headquartered in France
Marcel Dassault