Dassault Aviation

A pilot abandoned a Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter jet as it was taxiing at the runway of the 114 Combat Wing in Tanagra on Monday afternoon, the Air Force said in a press release.

The incident was recorded shortly after the jet landed, as part of a training flight. 

The Air Force did not mention why the pilot had to abandon the fighter jet. 

The purchase comes as French lawmakers express concern over a Franco-German project to develop a successor to the Rafale. The Future Combat Air system, as it is known, is not expected to enter service before 2045 or 2050, according to the French Senate's defense committee, writes Defense News.

French billionaire Olivier Dassault, a politician and scion of the Dassault aircraft-making family, was killed in a helicopter crash on March 7.

Dassault, 69 and a father-of-three, died around 6 pm (1700 GMT) when his helicopter crashed near the upmarket coastal resort of Deauville in northwest France, parliamentary and investigation sources told AFP.

Olivier Dassault was the son of industrialist Serge Dassault, founder of the famous aeronautical industry

Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey.

Florence Parly, the French defense minister, is due in Athens to sign the agreement to deliver 12 used and six new aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in mid-2021.

Greek lawmakers are scheduled to vote Thursday on a defense procurement program to purchase 18 French-made Rafale fighter planes, part of an armaments plan announced by the government in September.

Greece on Tuesday said it will take delivery of 18 French-made Rafale fighter jets next year, as part of a major 11.5-billion-euro ($14.5-billion) drive to modernize its armed forces amid tension with neighbor Turkey.

Turkish conglomerate Koç Group has bought a Falcon 8X business jet manufactured by the French Dassault Aviation, becoming one of the first buyers of the business jet featuring a longer range and improved wing design.

The 14-seat business jet will be delivered to the holding in Little Rock, Arkansas in late October.

Just a month after signing a government-to-government deal with France's Dassault Aviation for acquiring 36 Rafale fighter jets, India has hinted that it will purchase 200-300 more fighters, if foreign companies agree to manufacture those aircraft under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' programme.

Dassault Aviation has delivered its first Falcon 8X ultra-long-range business jet to Greek business aviation services provider and long-time Falcon operator Amjet Executive. The 5th October handover at Dassault’s Bordeaux-Mérignac final assembly facility comes four months after the manufacturer’s flagship aircraft secured US and European certification.