French DGA order brings Falcon Albatros fleet size up to 12

The French General Armaments Directorate (Direction générale de l’armement – DGA) has placed an order with Dassault Aviation for five Falcon 2000 Albatros aircraft as part of the Maritime Surveillance and Intervention Aircraft (AVSIMAR) programme, Dassault announced on 3 October 2025.

The order, placed on 26 September 2025, follows a previous order for seven of the aircraft made in December 2020, bringing the total number of aircraft covered by the programme to 12.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros, which was developed by Dassault Aviation in collaboration with Naval Group, Safran, and Thales, is equipped with a multi-function radar housed beneath the fuselage, a high-performance optronic turret, observation windows, a search-and-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, of which there are several hundred units in service worldwide. The Falcon 2000LXS has a range of 4,000 n miles (7,408 km) and offers strong low-speed performance, allowing it to operate at the most challenging airports.

The Falcon 2000 Albatros aircraft are tested at Dassault Aviation’s flight test center in Istres, southern France, while the company’s Mérignac facility, in western France, is responsible for the conversion work.

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.