DASSAULT AVIATION

Their core work

Dassault Aviation is a major French aerospace manufacturer producing military combat aircraft (Rafale), business jets (Falcon series), and formerly commercial aircraft. In H2020, they contribute deep aerodynamics and flight simulation expertise to European aviation research — focusing on noise reduction, drag optimization, icing simulation, and air traffic management modernization. They bring industrial-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capability and real aircraft design validation data to research consortia, bridging the gap between academic simulation tools and actual aircraft certification requirements.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2014–2018, Dassault Aviation focused heavily on air traffic management infrastructure through numerous SESAR projects (PJ01–PJ20) and broad airframe design through Clean Sky 2, with early aerodynamics work on drag reduction and turbulent boundary layers. From 2018 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward high-fidelity numerical simulation — CFD, adjoint-based optimization, turbulence modelling with machine learning, and 3D icing prediction — reflecting a company-wide push to industrialize advanced simulation tools for aircraft design and certification. The noise reduction thread strengthened throughout, moving from general airframe noise toward specific topics like sonic boom regulation and innovative low-noise configurations.

Dassault Aviation is investing heavily in computational simulation industrialization — partners seeking collaboration in HPC-driven aerodynamic design, digital twins, or ML-augmented turbulence modelling will find strong alignment.

How they like to work

Dassault Aviation operates overwhelmingly as a participant (37 of 39 projects), contributing specialist industrial capability rather than leading research agendas — typical for a large OEM that wants access to pre-competitive research without bearing administrative overhead. With 394 unique partners across 34 countries, they are a highly connected hub in European aerospace research, working in both large SESAR consortia and focused RIA teams. Their broad partner network and consistent participation make them a reliable, well-resourced consortium member who brings real industrial validation requirements to the table.

Exceptionally well-networked with 394 unique consortium partners across 34 countries, making them one of the most connected aerospace actors in H2020. Their partnerships span the full European aviation ecosystem — from national aerospace labs (ONERA, DLR, NLR) through SESAR to university research groups.

What sets them apart

Dassault Aviation is one of only a handful of European aircraft OEMs that designs, builds, and certifies complete aircraft — from military fighters to business jets. This gives them a unique end-to-end perspective: they don't just develop simulation tools in the abstract, they need those tools to actually certify real aircraft. For consortium builders, this means Dassault brings genuine industrial pull — research results that pass through their validation process have a credible path to real-world application in aircraft programs.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GAM AIR 2018
  Their largest project by far (EUR 15.7M) and one of only two they coordinated — a Clean Sky 2 Airframe ITD project demonstrating their leadership in next-generation airframe technology.
• MADELEINE
  Represents their strategic push into adjoint-based multidisciplinary optimization using HPC — a key enabler for future digital aircraft design workflows.
• ICE GENESIS
  Addresses a critical certification challenge (icing simulation including snow and supercooled large droplets) where regulatory requirements drive strong industrial demand for better tools.