Dassault Aviation has secured a new order from France’s defense procurement agency for five Falcon 2000 Albatros aircraft, advancing the country’s long-term maritime patrol and surveillance program. The order supplements the original December 2020 contract for seven units, bringing the fleet to 12 aircraft under the Maritime Surveillance and Intervention Aircraft program. These jets will gradually replace the French Navy’s aging Falcon 50 Surmar and Falcon 200 Guardian platforms.
The Falcon 2000 Albatros is derived from the Falcon 2000LXS business jet, reconfigured for defense and surveillance missions. It is optimized for low-speed operations and capable of operating from short or difficult airstrips, broadening its deployment flexibility. Its features include a fuselage-mounted multifunction radar, an optronic turret, dedicated observation windows, a search-and-rescue kit dispenser, and advanced communications systems for maritime operations.
The aircraft offers an extended range of 4,000 nautical miles (about 7,400 kilometers), ensuring long-duration missions over vast maritime zones. Dassault developed the Albatros in collaboration with Naval Group, Safran, and Thales, integrating specialized systems to enhance operational efficiency. Testing is being conducted at Dassault’s Istres flight center in southern France, while modifications take place at its Mérignac site, where the first Albatros completed its maiden flight earlier this year.
Dassault’s extensive experience with government and military variants of its Falcon jets underpins this program. Of the 2,500 Falcons delivered worldwide, around 10 percent serve in specialized roles, including maritime patrol, medevac, intelligence collection, calibration, and training. The Albatros thus represents not only a continuation of Dassault’s legacy in defense aviation but also a significant step in modernizing France’s maritime surveillance capabilities.
