THALES at the International Paris Air Show

Alex Cresswell - Thales Executive Vice President for Land and Air Systems

Before the next International Paris Air Show (www.siae.fr/en ) to be held at Le Bourget from 17 to 23 June 2019, Alex Cresswell, Thales Executive Vice President for Land and Air Systems has returned to the components of modern warfare. Particularly, he emphasized the globalization of the battlefield, the saturation of attacks using conventional means now fully interconnected, sophisticated electronic tools and attacks with cyber weapons. The digital and connected revolution for network warfare requires real-time information, available to all players in the battlefield: what is called collaborative combat.

The THALES Group makes its contribution through products such as TALIOS or the GF 300 multifunction Radar.

The TALIOS optronic Pod features high-resolution electro-optical and infrared sensors, line-of-sight stabilization and high-performance image processing to identify targets at both day and night for deep strikes at long range. Embedded Artificial Intelligence will enable almost instantaneous in-flight processing of large volumes of collected data to retrieve and identify targets, and then engage them safely. The TALIOS Pod was qualified in 2018 by the French DG and is being deployed on the F3R RAFALE standard.

Thales Pod under Rafale by Dassault

GF 300 by Thales

Presented for the first time at the Paris Air Show 2017, the Radar GF 300, family Ground Fire multifunction radars, is fully digital. Equipped with active antenna technology (AESA), it is very compact, deployable in less than 15 minutes, mobile on any ground and air transportable. It has its place in the context of surveillance and air defense missions, including anti-ballistic missiles. The DGA is currently consulting THALES on the GF 300 in view of the final choice of the radar that will equip the SAMP / T NG program; the decision will be made by the end of 2019.

The June 6, 2019 announcement of Thales's acquisition of the American company PSIBERNETIX is ​​in keeping with the logic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) equipment for these collaborative combat tools. Originally made famous by its aerial combat application called ALPHA, which consistently defeated the world’s top pilots in simulated air combat, Psibernetix is a pioneer in computationally efficient AI technologies. www.thalesgroup.com

Photos credits Thales

German Army performs European SPIKE firing campaign with Rafael Defence Systems

The German army has finalized its annual training in firing of Rafael’s SPIKE LR ATGM missile (also named MELLS in Germany). The firing was performed in Germany under adverse weather conditions, and included the firing of as many as 54 live SPIKE LR missiles by German Army gunners from the new SPIKE ICLU launchers (Integrated Control Lunch Unit), which includes a new digital user interface.    

During the training, German personnel launched SPIKE LR missiles in complex firing scenarios, including engagements in BLOS (Beyond-Line-of-Sight: targets hidden behind cover), retargeting midflight scenarios, firing in total darkness in IR (infrared) mode, as well as firing in day mode under harsh conditions of intense rain and strong winds. Both launchers and gunners performed flawlessly and all 54 missiles hit their targets successfully.  

Rafael’s SPIKE Family missiles, sold to 31 countries around the world, with over 30,000 missiles supplied, consists of missiles suited for land, air and naval platforms, multiple ranges and a variety of targets. The missiles in this family have a sophisticated electro-optic multispectral seeker for day/night operation, as well as an advanced tandem anti-tank warhead. Their lofted trajectories enable the warhead to strike the target at its most vulnerable location with pinpoint precision. All of the SPIKE Family members have a low life-cycle cost, due to high reliability and operational, logistic support and production commonality between members.

SPIKE is in production in Europe by EUROSPIKE, through major EU defence OEM‘s as well as numerous EU SME‘s and is already integrated and qualified to a large variety of terrestrial and aerial EU armed forces platforms, including armored vehicles, attack helicopters and naval vessels. 

“SPIKE has proved to be a high quality and reliable system chosen by 18 EU/NATO members (as well as 13 additional nations). EUROSPIKE and Rafael see great importance in maintaining the commonality of the European user nations SPIKE launchers & missiles. The nations’ interoperability is a key factor both tactically and economically. Part of our roadmap in all SPIKE weapon system upgrades includes investment of substantial R&D funds to maintain this commonality”, said Mr. Moshe Elazar, Executive Vice President and Head of Rafael’s Land and Naval Division.

For video please press the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lykPiWxgaoU

Photos credits Rafael Advanced Defence Systems

Chinook Helicopters in the sky of Paris

What a surprise to see 4 Chinook helicopters CH-47 by Boeing above Paris during this spring Sunday !

May be it’s a training for the D Day celebration….

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol (later known as Boeing Rotorcraft Systems

Photos credits Alain Establier