Dassault Aviation leads $200m Series B in Harmattan AI
A major European aerospace player is doubling down on artificial intelligence for combat aviation. Dassault Aviation has led a $200m Series B funding round in Harmattan AI as part of a newly announced strategic partnership focused on controlled autonomy and AI-driven military systems.
The deal underlines the growing importance of sovereign, embedded AI in next-generation air combat platforms, and signals accelerating investment momentum in European defense technology.
Strategic partnership around controlled autonomy
The partnership aims to speed up the integration of controlled and monitored AI technologies into combat aviation systems. According to the companies, Harmattan AI’s technology will support future Dassault programs, particularly in the control and coordination of unmanned aerial systems alongside crewed aircraft.
Harmattan AI has already secured multiple Programs of Record from the French and UK Ministries of Defence for its autonomous systems portfolio. With demand rising across allied nations, the company is now scaling internationally.
The fresh funding will be used to expand AI-enabled missions into new operational theaters, extend Harmattan AI’s platforms into additional domains, and scale industrial manufacturing. Key focus areas include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), drone interception, and electronic warfare systems.
“Dassault Aviation has always placed technological excellence and sovereignty at the heart of its values. This partnership with Harmattan AI reflects our commitment to integrating high-value autonomy into the next generation of combat air systems. By joining forces with a fast-moving and innovative company, we reinforce our ability to deliver the advanced capabilities required by our armed forces in the decades ahead,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Scaling AI for future air combat
Beyond capital, Dassault Aviation will contribute deep expertise in system architecture for complex military platforms, integration of mission systems in high-intensity operational environments, and international business development through its global defense network.
For Harmattan AI, the partnership provides both industrial credibility and a fast track into future combat air system programs where embedded autonomy is becoming a core design requirement rather than an add-on.
“This partnership with Dassault Aviation marks a decisive step in the emergence of a new generation of autonomous defense systems. Dassault Aviation’s trust and leadership accelerate our mission: delivering scalable, sovereign AI capabilities to allied forces. By combining frontier AI with world-class military aviation expertise, we are shaping the future of collaborative air combat,” said Mouad M’Ghari, CEO and co-founder of Harmattan AI.
As European governments push for technological sovereignty and tighter control over defense AI, deals like this point to a future where autonomy is tightly engineered, certified and embedded directly into aircraft architectures—rather than layered on after the fact.
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