The Dassault Aviation Group is a French aircraft manufacturer of military and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Dassault and is the only aviation group in the world still owned by the founder's family and bearing his name. It is a multinational company employing almost 11,600 people, including 9,000 in France, with a commercial presence in over 83 countries in 2012.
Its activities are centered on the following areas:
- Aeronautics, with 8,000 aircraft delivered since 1945, mainly business jets representing 71% of activity in 2012 (Falcon) and also military aircraft (Mirage 2000 and 4000, Rafale, and Grand Duc).
- Space activities (ground telemetry systems, spacecraft design and pyrotechnic activities),
- Services (Dassault Procurement Services, Dassault Falcon Jet and Dassault Falcon Service),
- Aerospace and defense systems (Sogitec Industries).
In its main activity exporting business jets, Dassault Aviation held 29% of market share in 2012, with 66 Falcons delivered in 2012. The British company Blackburn and the Canadian company Canadair are its main competitors in this segment.
The Dassault Aviation Group is headed by Eric Trappier since 9 January 2013.