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15 October 2026

Dassault Aviation Flight-Tests Two AI Algorithms on Rafale

Dassault Aviation has flight-tested two sovereign AI algorithms aboard the Rafale fighter, including one developed with Thales/cortAIx, for potential future aircraft upgrades.
A Dassault Rafale fighter seen from above and ahead, in flight over a calm sea, with the pilot visible in the cockpit and a missile on its wingtip.
© Dassault [© Dassault Aviation – A. Paringaux]
Edited by:
African Pilot Newsdesk

Dassault Aviation has flight-tested two new sovereign AI algorithms on the Rafale fighter jet. The first was developed by the company’s engineers, while the second was developed in collaboration with Thales/cortAIx.

CONTINENTAL AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES™

The development of these new functions is part of a broader initiative to integrate controlled and supervised AI into the cockpit, serving the human crew. They have reached a level of maturity that makes them eligible for future Rafale upgrades.

The in-flight testing of these functions forms part of Dassault Aviation’s work to integrate AI into combat systems. This capability requires addressing several key challenges specific to military aviation: ensuring the availability and quality of operational data (real or simulated), leveraging and synergising domain expertise, and optimising resource efficiency on an embedded platform subject to stringent constraints.

These challenges have been central to Dassault Aviation’s work as an industrial architect and integrator of complex systems for decades.

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