The French General Directorate for Armament (DGA) announced on September 26 the purchase of five additional Falcon 2000 LXS Albatros aircraft from Dassault Aviation, under the Maritime Surveillance and Response Aircraft Program (Avsimar), aimed at equipping the French Navy.
The Avsimar plan calls for the acquisition of a total of twelve aircraft, seven of which were already ordered in December 2020. These new units will replace the eight Falcon 50M and five Falcon 200 Gardian aircraft currently operated by the French Naval Aviation, based both at Lann-Bihoué Naval Air Base in Morbihan and at various overseas bases in the Pacific. The retirement of the older models began earlier in 2025.
The Albatros will be primarily used for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but will also be able to assist civilian authorities in disaster relief operations. It is a militarized version of the civil Falcon 2000 LXS, equipped with sensors and systems designed for maritime operations. The aircraft will feature a range 10–30% greater than that of the models currently in service.
Among its capabilities are a satellite communications (Satcom) system, Search and Rescue beacon detectors, mechanisms for deploying life rafts and smoke markers for sea rescue. The Thales SearchMaster maritime surveillance radar and Safran’s Euroflir 410 optronic turret will be managed by a mission system developed by Naval Group.
The aircraft’s maiden flight took place on January 24, 2025, followed by a test and certification campaign involving the DGA Essais en vol center in Istres. Initial operational capability is expected by late 2026.
The addition of five new aircraft will complete the first phase of the Avsimar program, which aims to cover all intervention missions and part of the surveillance tasks. According to the DGA, this latest order secures around one hundred jobs at Dassault Aviation related to the aircraft’s military conversion.
In a second phase, the program envisions integrating complementary systems — including drones — to achieve full coverage of France’s maritime surveillance missions.
The project originated in 2020 with the first order for seven aircraft. At that time, Dassault Aviation assigned Safran Electrical & Power the responsibility of modifying and installing the aircraft’s electrical wiring. “After the Archange contract we won in 2021, this is the second Falcon mission program we have been selected for. We will industrialize these electrical systems from the client’s digital definition, using a solution from our digital suite. The agreement with Dassault Aviation is a turnkey project that includes the manufacture of the wiring, its installation on board, and all associated testing,” said Benoit Gagey, Program Director at Safran Electrical & Power.
The Dassault Falcon family comprises more than 2,250 aircraft delivered to over 80 countries, with more than 16 million flight hours accumulated. Around 10% of these are in military or government service, performing missions such as surveillance, maritime reconnaissance, training, electronic warfare, air ambulance, and other multipurpose roles.
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