Dassault Aviation has led a $200 million Series B investment round in Harmattan AI, a defence-oriented artificial intelligence firm, as part of a strategic partnership to embed AI-enabled autonomy into future combat aviation platforms.
The collaboration is focused on developing and integrating controlled and supervised AI functions for military aircraft, spanning both manned and unmanned systems. Harmattan AI’s technologies are expected to be applied across Dassault Aviation’s future air combat programmes, including the Rafale F5 upgrade standard and concepts for unmanned combat air systems, with particular emphasis on drone control and coordination roles.
Harmattan AI specialises in AI-driven solutions for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, drone interception, and electronic warfare, and has already secured multiple programmes of record with the French and UK Ministries of Defence.
The newly raised capital will support the expansion of Harmattan AI’s technologies into additional operational environments, the development of new mission-focused products, and the scaling of industrial production capacity.
Dassault Aviation’s investment reflects a broader shift among major defence contractors to strengthen in-house and partnered capabilities in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, as European governments place increasing emphasis on technological sovereignty and secure control of critical defence software.
For Dassault, the partnership complements ongoing work on next-generation combat aircraft and collaborative combat concepts built around manned–unmanned teaming. As part of the agreement, Dassault Aviation will also provide expertise in complex systems architecture, mission-system integration in contested environments, and access to international defence markets through its established export network.
