PARIS (Reuters) - French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds Rafale warplanes, died in Paris on Monday aged 93, a spokesman for Dassault Group said.
He was the fifth richest person in France according to Challenges magazine.
The Dassault group which his father had created controls Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) national newspaper Le Figaro as well as holding major stakes in Dassault Systemes (DAST.PA) and Thales (TCFP.PA) and smaller stakes in several other listed French businesses.
Dassault, also a conservative politician, had passed on leadership of Dassault Aviation in 2000 but he was still chairing Dassault Group.
He died in his Paris office around 4 pm (10.00 a.m. ET), the spokesman said.
Reporting by Jean-Michel Belot; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Matthias Blamont
