Planes and Choppers Photos

In 1930 Marcel Bloch founded Société des Avions Marcel Bloch, and after WW2 the family adopted Dassault as its new surname. The name of the company was then changed to Avions Marcel Dassault in 1947, with its factory at first located at Talence, and later at Bordeaux-Mérignac.. The first products were the Flamant light transport and the Ouragan jet fighter. Fighter development followed, with the Mystere and the Mirage fighter and bomber models. Business jets began to be produced in 1963. In 1971, Dassault acquired Breguet, forming Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation (AMD-BA). It built the Rafale, then the Etendard and Atlantique 2. In 1990, the company was renamed Dassault Aviation, after the French government acquired a large shareholding. In 1998 the French government transferred its almost 50% share in Dassault Aviation to Aérospatiale. In 2000, Aérospatiale-Matra merged with other European companies to form EADS.