Marcel Bloch was born in 1892 in Paris. The son of a doctor and the youngest of four children, he developed a passion for the technological innovations of his time, particularly electricity, from an early age. After completing his secondary education, he enrolled at the Breguet School of Electricity and later at the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space), graduating in 1913.

During World War I, Marcel Bloch put his engineering talents to work for France by creating the “Eclair” propeller with Henry Potez, a fellow alumnus of the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace. Their propeller stood out from its competitors due to its superior performance, a result of using their own flight measurements rather than relying on data from aircraft manufacturers. In 1929, he founded the Société des Avions Marcel Bloch, which built both civilian and military aircraft.

During World War II, Marcel Bloch refused to put his industrial resources at the service of the Nazi regime. He was deported as a political hostage to Buchenwald. After his release, he changed his surname to Bloch-Dassault, and later to Dassault in 1949 in homage to the resistance codename “Char d’assault” used by his brother, General Paul Darius Bloch.

Marcel Dassault gained international recognition by creating the first French supersonic fighter jets—the Ouragan (1949) and Mystère (1952). He continued to innovate by adopting the delta wing, which provided greater stability at high speeds and improved manoeuvrability. This silver arrow silhouette made the Mirage family (1956) famous worldwide.

In 1963, the Mystère Falcon 20, the company’s first business jet, was chosen by Charles Lindbergh for Pan Am. A joint venture was established in the United States, Falcon Jet Corporation, which later became Dassault Falcon Jet.

The adoption of 3D modeling in Dassault’s design offices led to the creation of Dassault Systèmes, solidifying the pioneering and innovative status of the future Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault (1990). The ambition was to make digital tools, which help accelerate the design and development process of industrial products, accessible to a wider audience. 

Marcel Dassault passed away in 1986. An exceptional tribute was paid to him by the Government and the highest authorities of the State during his funeral, which, in an unprecedented gesture for a French industrialist, was held at Les Invalides. His pioneering and innovative spirit marked his era, having done much, as General De Gaulle said, for the “standing of France”.

Serge Dassault, a graduate of Polytechnique and the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, took over the company upon Marcel Dassault’s death. The company was renamed Dassault Aviation in 1990. He led the development of the Rafale program through to its deployment in the French forces and significantly expanded the Falcon range. Driven by the same passion as his father, Serge Dassault was a visionary who left an indelible mark on the history of French aviation.