Image: Harmattan – Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation and Harmattan AI have completed a collaborative in-flight engagement between a Rafale F4 fighter jet and an unmanned aerial system carrying the new NAMIB electronic warfare payload, as per a recent press statement.
NAMIB detects, identifies, and geolocates electromagnetic emissions, particularly those from air defence systems. Tactical drones, including quadcopters and longer-endurance fixed-wing aircraft, can carry the payload. During the trial, NAMIB quietly detected a radar system located several dozen kilometres away and pinpointed its exact location. The drone then transmitted these coordinates to the Rafale, which simulated a strike on the target.
Dassault Aviation and Harmattan AI launched the NAMIB programme in January 2026. The project forms a central pillar of their strategic partnership, which seeks to embed autonomous capabilities into next-generation air combat systems.
Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, commented: “This flight demonstrates the Rafale’s real and tangible multi-domain collaborative combat capabilities.” He added that the F4 standard architecture allows seamless communication with a broad range of operational assets, including ground forces, enabling it to exploit new capabilities such as NAMIB’s detection and geolocation functions. He added that the trial illustrates the Rafale’s ongoing adaptation to a “high-low mix” of sophisticated systems and expendable autonomous effectors.
Mouad M’Ghari, Co-Founder and CEO of Harmattan AI, commented: “Electronic warfare has become a decisive factor in achieving operational superiority.” He added that NAMIB proves these capabilities can now operate on lightweight autonomous systems close to the threat, combining Dassault’s air combat expertise with Harmattan AI’s autonomy know-how to accelerate collaborative combat architectures.
Read more on Dassault Aviation’s website
