Mr. Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, and Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister of Defense, have signed the SME Defense Pact.

This event took place during Mr. Le Drian’s visit to Dassault Aviation’s Mérignac plant (France) last Friday.

In joining the SME Defense Pact, Dassault Aviation again confirms its long-standing aim of supporting the hundreds of SMEs which are its defense program partners.

The French industrial fabric, of which Dassault Aviation is a part, has been patiently built up over a period of decades, accumulating valuable know-how, working methods and professional rules, which it is essential to preserve.

These skills ensure technological sovereignty, something that very few countries possess. They also mean jobs: production of the Rafale alone, at the current rate of one aircraft a month, thus occupies 7,000 people in the 500 companies concerned.

As prime contractor, Dassault Aviation knows that it carries a particular responsibility on its shoulders. Its good practices led the “Opinion Way – Croissance plus – La Médiation inter-entreprise 2013″ survey to rank it 3rd among the major French prime contractors and 1st in the aeronautical sector.

Dassault Aviation is proud to be even more closely involved in preserving the remarkable Defense SME ecosystem. The 40 provisions of the SME Pact have come at just the right time, when budgets are tight, to prolong the efforts of the major lead contractors.

With more than 8,000 military and civil aircraft delivered to 83 countries over the past 60 years, and having logged nearly 28 million flight hours to date, Dassault Aviation can offer recognized know-how and experience in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, from the Rafale fighter to the Falcon range of high-end business jets, as well as military unmanned air systems.

 In 2012, Dassault Aviation reported revenues of €3.94 billion, with around 11,600 employees.