It takes the total number of SAMP/T NG systems ordered by France and Italy to 18.

A total of eight systems will be delivered to the French Air Force while the rest will go to the Italian Army and Air Force.

France is expected to receive the first system by 2026 and the rest by 2030. Paris reportedly plans to procure four more systems by 2035.

Can Counter Hypersonics

The NG is an upgrade on the SAMP/T, which has been in service since 2010.

It provides an interception range of over 150 kilometers (93 miles) against a variety of threats, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles. 

A consortium of Thales and MBDA produces the system, which uses the munitions of the Aster family (A30 B1 and A30 B1NT).

Features

The system is based on the multifunction Thales GF300 rotating active electronically scanned array radar and the New Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG) developed by Thales and MBDA Italy.

The radar provides 360-degree coverage and has a detection range of 350 kilometers (217 miles).

The ME-NG is designed to integrate a diverse range of radars and munitions to cater to the needs of different nations, according to Thales.

The truck-based system can be equipped with six launchers, each carrying Aster 30 missiles.

“Thales is proud to contribute to the sovereignty of nations with its most innovative Air Defence technologies, including the New Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG) and the GF300 radar,” executive VP of Land and Air Systems at Thales Herve Dammann said.

“This contract for seven additional SAMP/T NG for France is a significant step forward in the European Air Defence. It further strengthens Thales’ role as a trusted partner of the French Air and Space Forces.”

The post France Orders Seven Next-Gen SAMP/T Air Defense Systems appeared first on The Defense Post.

Thales UK will supply the Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to Ukraine as part of a 162-million-pound ($212 million) contract.

The first batch is expected to be delivered by the end of this year.

“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defenses and demonstrates our new government’s commitment to stepping up support for Ukraine,” British Defence Secretary John Healey MP said.

“In recent days we have seen the tragic cost of Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on Poltava and Lviv. These new UK-made missiles will support Ukraine to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin’s brutal attacks.”

Artillery Ammunition for Ukraine

The contract is primarily funded through the UK’s three-billion-pound ($3.92 billion) annual financial aid package for Ukraine and from Norway’s contributions through the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU).

It comes following a bilateral meeting between Healey and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in London last week.

The meeting also provided a 300-million-pound ($392 million) package of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, procured through the IFU.

The ammunition delivery is also expected to start by the end of this year.

Lightweight Multirole Missile

The versatile guided missile is built by Thales at its Belfast facility, featuring a range of over 6 kilometers (3.72 miles) and a speed of Mach 1.5 (1,152 miles/1,852 kilometers per hour).

It can be fired from a variety of platforms on land, sea, and air at a broad set of targets, such as installations, armored personnel carriers, fast in-shore attack craft, and drones.

Hundreds of LMM missiles have been delivered to Ukraine since the start of the war, “destroying hundreds of Russian drones and other air threats,” according to London.

UK Orders LMM Missiles

To replenish its stocks, the UK Ministry of Defence placed an order of 176 million pounds ($227 million) in July for the missiles.

“Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, UK MoD and Thales have worked in close collaboration to support the Ukrainian effort by delivering key air defense systems at pace,” a Thales spokesperson said.

“We are pleased that this contract is the first to be signed under Task Force Hirst, which has been established to deliver a deeper defense industrial partnership between the UK and Ukraine.”

The post UK Announces 650 Air Defense Missiles for Ukraine appeared first on The Defense Post.

The 200-million-euro ($222.3 million) deal follows a 2022 contract that ordered non-rotating radars with four fixed antenna arrays for the fleet’s initial four vessels.

The latest acquisition will supply two more warships to be built under the program, revealed in June 2024.

Hensoldt’s proprietary TRS-4D technology, which covers up to 250 kilometers (155 miles), was the solution selected for both contracts.

The TRS-4D uses 360-degree panels with a cross-section detection capability of 0.01 square meters and a capacity for up to 1,500 targets.

The system can track small surface objects to combat jets with an update rate of less than a second.

“Our TRS-4D and its high-end components will be deployed on six German Navy ships in the future and offer the customer a high degree of commonality,” Hensoldt Naval & Ground Radars Head Markus Rothmaier stated.

“We are already working on the radars for the four frigates on a daily basis and are delighted that the option for two more has been taken up.”

Germany’s Niedersachsen Frigate

Berlin’s F126 Niedersachsen-class frigate was conceptualized in the 2010s to replace the navy’s F125 Baden-Württemberg for land attack and anti-submarine warfare applications.

The 166-meter (544.6-foot) ship will have a capacity for approximately 110 personnel, an unmanned aerial system, inflatable boats, and two NH90 Sea Tiger helicopters.

It will be armed with Naval Strike and Evolved SeaSparrow missiles, rolling airframe launchers, Vulcano naval guns and guided ammunition, a SeaSnake revolver cannon, Lionfish remote weapon stations, heavy machine guns, water guns, and acoustic devices.

The F126 will sail with four combined diesel-electric and diesel engines, electric drive motors, and lithium-ion battery modules for speeds of more than 26 knots (48 kilometers/30 miles per hour) and a range of over 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 kilometers/4,603 miles).

The post Hensoldt to Supply More Radars for Future German F126 Frigates appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Thales radar is a temporary replacement for the Medium Power Radar until the commissioning of the long-range SMART-L Multi-Mission/Fixed system, also from Thales.

A mobile NATO radar has been operational at the station since the decommissioning of the Medium Power Radar in March, according to Military Leak.

GM400α will monitor the country’s southern airspace while an already operational SMART-L radar in Wier, Friesland, has been scanning the country’s northern airspace since 2021.

It enhances Amsterdam’s situational awareness, enabling better monitoring of NATO airspace while supporting military air operations. 

Ground Master 400 Alpha

An upgrade to the GM400, the Alpha features a five-fold increase in processing power and a 10 percent greater range than its predecessor’s 470 kilometers (292 miles).

It has an update time of six seconds and an elevation coverage of up to 40 degrees, allowing continuous airspace scanning and simultaneous detection of all types of high, medium, and low altitude targets such as jets, missiles, low-flying drones, and helicopters.

Additional features include advanced artificial intelligence-based algorithms and enhanced cyber security.

The post Netherlands Installs Upgraded GM400 Radar for Airspace Monitoring appeared first on The Defense Post.

Under the deal, the French multinational will deliver navigation and communication antennas for the ground-breaking platform.

These commercial off-the-shelf components will reportedly help ensure the efficiency and sustainability of the innovative Lilium aircraft for future operations.

According to Lilium VP Martin Schuebel, Thales’ selection as one of the main suppliers for the eVTOL jet was fueled by its “unwavering commitment to quality” and “unparalleled understanding” of fixed-wing and helicopter platforms.

“Quality and experience are key factors in choosing the right supplier for each component for the Lilium jet,” he said. “We are happy that we are working with Thales [which has] decades of experience in the field.”

Revolutionizing Air Mobility

Lilium’s eVTOL jet program aims to develop an aircraft that combines the convenience of vertical take-off capability with the speed of a jet.

It will feature 30 battery-electric motors to maintain a low acoustic signature and make it suitable for military operations.

Its flaps are designed to be the only moving exterior parts, significantly minimizing the aircraft’s external noise.

According to Thales, the eVTOL jet is set to revolutionize air mobility by drastically reducing carbon emissions.

It is targeted for entry into service by 2026.

The post Thales to Provide Critical Components for German eVTOL Jet appeared first on The Defense Post.

Announced on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, the contract has a total value of 176 million pounds ($227 million).

According to the ministry, the weapon is expected to bolster the British Army’s short-range air defense and the Royal Navy’s anti-surface warfare capabilities.

“Now more than ever, we need to ensure the UK Armed Forces and our allies are fully equipped to defeat the evolving global threats we face,” UK MoD procurement arm chief Andy Start said. “This order with Thales UK is a key element of that collective effort.”

Armed with Martlet missiles, a Wildcat helicopter from @RNASYeovilton flies around a range off the coast of Wales ready for the trials. The missile system will be on the Wildcats that deploy next year with @HMSQNLZ's carrier strike group

https://t.co/Ic3ixlV6Ft pic.twitter.com/XjQC9pTrS5

— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) May 24, 2020

The multi-role missiles will be produced at Thales’ facility in Belfast, supporting 135 jobs and the local supply chain.

Once delivered, they will be used on Stormer combat vehicles and Wildcat helicopters.

‘A Precision Solution’

Also known as the Martlet, the Lightweight Multirole Missile is designed to neutralize a wide range of conventional and asymmetric threats.

It is described as a precision solution that significantly reduces collateral damage and optimizes air defense operations.

Weighing only 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds), it boasts an operational range of six kilometers (3.7 miles) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.5.

According to Thales, the Martlet has been proven effective in engaging various targets, from drones, helicopters, and swarming fast attack craft to enemy armored vehicles.

Replenishing Stockpiles

The company did not provide the exact number of missiles ordered to avoid revealing sensitive information about UK stockpiles.

However, it said the munitions are meant to replenish supplies after Britain donated “hundreds” of the weapon to Ukraine.

“In a more dangerous world, we must continue to provide weapons to Ukraine but also replenish our own stocks,” British defense procurement minister Maria Eagle said.

The Ukrainian military has been using the lightweight missiles from the frontlines to fend off invading Russian forces.

The post UK Orders Lightweight Multirole Missiles From Thales appeared first on The Defense Post.

The new Syracuse IV satcom station will be installed on the Serval light multi-role armored vehicles being developed for the Scorpion program.

It will be an on-the-pause tactical communication node for high-throughput satellite communications services.

Jam-Proof

The system offers joint communications capability to the army, featuring “secure, high-data-rate satcom services with robust protection from jamming, interference, cyberattacks and other threats to guarantee end-to-end connectivity and tri-service interoperability,” Thales explained.

The two satellites for the Syracuse IV defense communications systems are the Syracuse 4A and Syracuse 4B, jointly built by Thales Alenia Space (a consortium of Thales and Leonardo) and Airbus Defence and Space.

$87M Contract

The 80-million-euro ($87 million) contract follows an earlier agreement to deploy satcom stations on French Navy surface vessels and submarines. 

Before that, a production and development contract for the Mercure on-the-move stations was awarded for the French Army’s Griffon and Serval vehicles and airborne stations for the French Air Force’s wide-body aircraft.

The post Thales to Equip French Armored Vehicle With Satcom Capability appeared first on The Defense Post.

The federal government said a “fix” has been identified for the vehicle’s troubled braking system, which caused the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to stop accepting them in 2020.

According to Brigadier John-Paul Ouvrier, the Australian Army worked closely with the manufacturer to identify the fault with the modulator and quickly find a solution.

Canberra’s defense industry minister Pat Conroy said a total of 1,100 Hawkei vehicles sitting idle outside a Thales facility in Central Victoria are set to be rolled out to defense units across the country, though he did not provide a timeline.

“These vehicles are critical to the mobility of the Australian Army. [We will roll them out] through a remediation program to have the fix installed,” he said, adding that a specific timeline for full operational capability will be discussed with the government.

‘Trouble-Plagued Program’

In 2015, Thales was awarded a contract for 1.3 billion Australian dollars ($876 million) to produce 1,100 locally-built Hawkeis.

Meant to replace aging Land Rover Perentie fleet variants, the Hawkei will be used to transport up to five military personnel with its blast- and ballistic-protected crew cell.

“The Hawkei will improve protection for soldiers and enable them to operate in high-risk areas,” an Australian senator said in 2015.

But since entering full-rate production in September 2020, the program has been caught up in legal battles and scathing audits.

An ABC News report stated that Thales was concerned about the Commonwealth finding that it could save hundreds of millions of Australian dollars if it instead procured US-made Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

“Defence has not clearly demonstrated that the acquisition provides value for money, as it did not undertake robust benchmarking in the context of a sole-source procurement,” an Australian National Audit Office report concluded.

The post Australia to Begin Accepting Hawkei Military Vehicles as Issues ‘Fixed’ appeared first on The Defense Post.

Costing 45 million Australian dollars ($30.3 million), the fleet will be integrated as part of the service’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) regiment to bolster the Australian Defence Force’s long-range fire capability.

Work for the Bushmasters will be facilitated by Thales’ Australian segment in Bendigo.

The effort is expected to support hundreds of local jobs and additional opportunities across the supply chain in greater Victoria.

Before the latest contract, Canberra had invested more than 200 million Australian dollars in the city of Bendigo for approximately 90 domestically-produced Bushmasters.

“This additional investment in Bendigo is another example of the Albanese Government’s commitment to a future made in Australia,” Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy stated.

“Protected vehicles such as the Bushmaster are part of the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities in the Albanese Government’s Defence Industry Development Strategy, and this announcement shows we are supporting the Australian defence industry to deliver our priorities.”

The Bushmaster deal follows Australia’s $1-billion purchase of 22 HIMARS systems from the US in August 2023.

Protected Mobility Vehicle

The Australian Army’s Bushmaster, also called the “Protected Mobility Vehicle,” weighs 12,500 kilograms (13.7 tons) and can carry up to 10 warfighters.

It operates with a Caterpillar 3126E diesel engine for speeds over 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) per hour and an operational range of up to 800 kilometers (497 miles).

The system can be equipped with various levels of NATO-standard armor, open or remote-controlled turrets, heavy machine guns, and automatic grenade launchers.

The post Thales to Build 15 Bushmasters for Australian Army appeared first on The Defense Post.

The company said a new assembly line was launched in Belgium to facilitate increased manufacturing for its 70-millimeter laser-guided rockets.

Thales produces 1,000 guided rockets per year, but it aims to make it 5,000 by 2025.

The firm said it hired dozens more personnel and strengthened the supply chain to support the planned increase.

“The higher production rates will make it possible to respond faster to the ammunition requirements of the armed forces,” it stated.

Growing Demand

Widely used in Ukraine, the NATO-standard 70mm rocket reportedly offers a high level of interoperability and resistance to jamming.

It can be deployed by various types of manned and unmanned platforms — either on land, in the air, or at sea.

The weapon can also be used for counter-drone operations and to support ground-to-ground strike missions.

Because of its apparent success in Ukraine, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said the demand for 70mm rockets is rapidly growing.

“The expansion of the 70mm rocket production line responds to rapidly growing international demand, as well as to the needs of defense, due to a worrying global security situation,” she said.

“In the face of today’s geopolitical challenges, this initiative contributes to strengthening Belgium’s strategic autonomy and guaranteeing peace and security in Europe.”

The post Thales to Increase Rocket Production Fivefold to Meet European Demand appeared first on The Defense Post.