French Albatros details
On 19 November 2020, one year after the press conference in Las Vegas during the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) where the Falcon 2000 Albatros MSA (Maritime Surveillance Aircraft) was mentioned together with the Falcon 8X SIGINT (Signal Intelligence), the French minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, announced the upcoming contract for the Falcon 2000 Albatros.
During her visit to the Dassault Aviation plant in Seclin (France), she gave details of this contract that will involve seven Falcon 2000s, out of a planned total of twelve, Avions de Surveillance et d’Intervention Maritime (AVSIMAR, Maritime Surveillance and Reaction Aircraft), with deliveries starting in 2025.
The Falcon 2000s will replace the Falcon 50MS and the Falcon 200 Guardian in the AVSIMAR role. The Aeronautique Navale (French Navy) operates the Falcon 50MS with 24 Flotille at Lorient/Lann-Bihoué and the Falcon 200 with 25 Flotille at Tahiti/Faaa and a detachment at Noumea/La Tontouta (New Caledonia).
The manufacture of the Falcon 2000 is part of the offset programme related to the 2016 Indian Air Force Rafale contract. It is reported that the first three Falcon 2000s will be manufactured in France with the remainder in India. The conversion of the aircraft to the Albatros will be done in France.
Artis impression: Dassault Aviation