Dassault Aviation and cortAIx, the AI accelerator of Thales, have established a strategic partnership to develop “controlled and supervised” AI for defence aeronautics.
An agreement in this connection was signed by Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier and Thales chairman and CEO Patrice Caine on 18 November 2025.
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The initiative was announced publicly on 25 November at the Grand Palais in Paris during the International Adopt AI Summit.
This event took place under the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and included the participation of representatives from key French and European institutional, academic and economic organisations.
The initiative will focus on designing sovereign AI solutions for both manned and unmanned aircraft.
These solutions aim to support observation, situation analysis, decision-making, planning and control during military operations.
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By GlobalDataDassault Aviation chief technical officer Pascale Lohat said: “This partnership is reflected in research and innovation programmes dedicated to the collaborative air combat of the future, with a view to incorporating AI into aeronautical defence systems.
“It is the culmination of strategic discussions launched by Dassault Aviation and Thales’ AI accelerator, cortAIx, and illustrates our shared commitment to trusted, sovereign and controlled artificial intelligence for the armed forces.”
Dassault Aviation and cortAIx will conduct their work in line with national and European ethical standards and regulations, including the AI Act.
On 25 November, the partnership was showcased to attendees of the Adopt AI event through a major demonstration highlighting the goals of research and innovation programmes and initiatives presently backed by the European Defence Fund.
Thales cortAIx Factory vice president Mickael Brossard said: “cortAIx will bring to this strategic partnership with Dassault Aviation the best of Thales’ technological heritage, enriched by decades of military experience, combined with the agility and dynamics of a powerful innovation accelerator.”
