Dassault, Harmattan AI to accelerate artificial intelligence into France's combat aviation

First showcased at the Paris Air Show 2025, the Dassault UCAS will be operated remotely from the cockpit of the F5-standard Rafale using AI. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Dassault Aviation and Harmattan AI announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the integration of controlled autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into combat aviation systems.

The collaboration announced on 12 January will see Dassault Aviation leading Harmattan AI's USD200 million Series B funding round. Harmattan AI was founded in 2024 to build autonomy and mission-system software.

“A vital partnership with Dassault Aviation, and a major fundraising round have granted Harmattan AI the status of a new French unicorn [private start-up company]!” French President Emmanuel Macron said of the deal, adding, “This is excellent news for our strategic autonomy, for the technological superiority of our armed forces in the field of AI-enabled defence drones, and for our economy.”

The chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, said this partnership will support the development of embedded AI capabilities by Harmattan AI within Dassault Aviation's future air combat systems, namely for the manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) of the F5 standard of the Rafale and the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS). The Rafale F5 is due to be operational from 2030.

As noted in the announcement, Harmattan AI has been awarded multiple programmes of record by the French and UK defence ministries for its autonomous systems portfolio, and is now scaling globally in response to growing demand. “The proceeds from this investment round will be used to expand the deployment of AI-enabled missions across new operational theatres, extend Harmattan AI's product offering into new domains, and scale industrial manufacturing of its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), drone interception, and electronic warfare platforms,” Dassault said.