French billionaire politician dies in helicopter crash Abroad

The pilot of the helicopter was also killed. The circumstances of the accident are not yet clear.

French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to 69-year-old Dassault on Twitter. Oliver Dassault loved France. He was one Career Captain, People’s Representative and a Reserve Commander in the Air Force. During his lifetime he never stopped serving the country and improving its values. His sudden death was a great loss. My thoughts go to his family and his loved ones, ”said Macron.

The public prosecutor has opened an investigation. He was the grandson of the crashed politician Marcel Dassault, who amassed a fortune by designing and building warplanes during World War II. Later his company grew into a military-industrial joint venture.

Olivier’s father Serge Dassault, who died in 2018, took over as heir. As a millionaire he was also active in politics. It was thought that Oliver, the eldest son, would succeed Dassault in the group, but it eventually became Charles Edelstein, the former CEO of Dassault Aviation.