Dassault Aviation: France Places New Falcon Albatros Order

On September 26, 2025, the French Defense Procurement and Technology Agency (DGA) placed an order with Dassault Aviation for five Falcon 2000 Albatros aircraft as part of the Maritime Surveillance and Intervention Aircraft (AVSIMAR) program. A total of twelve aircraft are planned under this program, of which seven were previously ordered in December 2020. Dassault Aviation, together with the many French companies contributing to the Falcon programs, would like to thank the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, the French Navy and DGA for their confidence.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros is equipped with a multifunction radar housed beneath the fuselage, a high-performance optronic turret, observation windows, a SAR (Search & Rescue) kit release solution, and dedicated communication systems. It is based on the Falcon 2000LXS business jet – the latest addition to the Falcon 2000 family, with several hundred units in service worldwide. The versatile Falcon 2000LXS has a range of 4,000 nm and offers strong low-speed performance, allowing it to operate at the most challenging airports.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros is developed by Dassault Aviation in collaboration with Naval Group, Safran, and Thales. The aircraft are tested at Dassault Aviation’s flight test center in Istres, southern France, and the company’s Mérignac facility, in western France, is responsible for the conversion work.

Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said: “From the Falcon 20 operated by the U.S. Coast Guard to the Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000MSA with the Japanese Coast Guard, and the Falcon 200 Gardian and 50M in service with the French Navy, we have extensive experience in maritime surveillance. Several countries have shown interest in these aircraft, which provide an effective response to the major challenges of homeland protection, maritime security, and government action at sea, including combating pollution and trafficking, monitoring borders and exclusive zones, fisheries policing, and search and rescue at sea. It is only fitting that France, which has the world’s second largest exclusive economic zone, should be at the forefront of the use of this type of aircraft. Dassault Aviation also has unique expertise in Europe in maritime patrol, with the Atlantique 1 and 2 combat aircraft, designed in particular to perform the highly demanding mission of protecting France’s nuclear submarines.”

Over the past 60 years, Dassault Aviation has adapted many Falcon aircraft for missions such as maritime surveillance, medical evacuation, cargo transport, calibration, intelligence gathering, and training. These multi-role aircraft account for roughly 10% of the Falcon fleet currently in service.