The first seven aircraft were ordered in December 2020 and will replace eight Falcon 50 M and five Falcon 200 Gardian aircraft currently in service in Morbihan and the Pacific, which began their retirement in 2025. The Albatros will reinforce the French Navy’s air component for maritime defence and national sea-based operations.
Primarily tasked with surveillance and protection missions, the Albatros will also provide assistance to civilian populations during natural disasters. It is based on the civilian Falcon 2000 LXS and adapted with the necessary equipment for maritime patrol duties, offering a range 10 to 30% greater than existing aircraft.
The aircraft includes advanced capabilities such as Satcom communications, a Search and Rescue beacon detector, a survival raft deployment system, and smoke marker dispensers for sea rescue operations. Its main sensors, including the Thales SearchMaster X-band AESA radar and Safran’s Euroflir 410 optronic turret, will be managed through a mission system developed by Naval Group.
Following its maiden flight on 24 January 2025, the Albatros is undergoing testing and certification flights with DGA Essais en vol at the Istres site, aiming for initial operational capability by the end of 2026. The phased Avsimar programme is structured to initially meet all intervention and part of the surveillance missions.
This additional order secures around one hundred jobs at Dassault Aviation to complete the military configuration of the aircraft. A second phase of the programme will focus on acquiring complementary assets, including drones, to achieve full surveillance capability.
Source: DGA (press release).
