Dassault flight-tests two AI algorithms on Rafale fighter

Dassault Aviation has flight-tested two artificial intelligence algorithms on board its Rafale fighter jet, the French manufacturer said in a statement dated September 22, 2026.

One algorithm was written by Dassault's own engineers. The second was produced together with cortAIx, the artificial intelligence arm of the defence electronics group Thales. Dassault described both as sovereign algorithms and said they had reached a level of maturity that allows them to be considered for later Rafale standards. It did not say what the algorithms do, or which standard might carry them.

The work sits within Dassault's broader push to put controlled, supervised AI in the cockpit, where the technology is meant to assist the human crew rather than replace it. The manufacturer listed several difficulties in bringing AI onto combat aircraft: obtaining dependable operational data, merging expertise from several disciplines, and fitting algorithms into the limited computing capacity available on embedded systems.

The flight tests follow a strategic partnership Dassault and Thales signed on November 18, 2025, covering the development of controlled and supervised AI for crewed and uncrewed military aircraft. That agreement spans uses including observation, analysis of a situation, decision-making, mission planning and control.

Thales has separately worked on AI functions for the Rafale's TALIOS targeting pod. In November 2024 the company said an AI-assisted function able to detect and shortlist objects of interest for the pilot was due to enter service with the F4.3 standard in 2026.

Dassault is also pursuing AI for cooperation between the Rafale and uncrewed aircraft, including through a partnership with Harmattan AI aimed at the F5 standard and at uncrewed platforms.