11 October 2013
Thales strengthens its position in Advanced Weapon Systems
Thales UK today confirmed that it has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for a further 200 STARStreak short-range surface-to-air missiles, a key component of the UK's Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capability.
The multi-million pound contract was announced by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. David Cameron MP, in a speech to the Northern Ireland Investment Conference in Belfast.
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne MP said: We saw during the Olympics last year how important our air defence capability is. This contract for 200 extra STARStreak missiles will not only provide our Armed Forces with a highly capable weapon, but it also secures hundreds of highly skilled defence jobs in Northern Ireland and should provide confidence to the export markets of the STARStreak system.
The order has been placed to increase STARStreak stocks as part of the Government's transformation agenda for the Armed Forces, Force 2020, to equip both the Regular and Reserve forces with the STARStreak systems.
David Beatty, Managing Director of Thales in Belfast, said, Not only will this contract sustain jobs at our facilities in Northern Ireland, but it also demonstrates very clearly to our export customers the ongoing importance and trust that the UK MOD places in the STARStreak system and our design, manufacturing and support capabilities .
The STARStreak missile systems, and its Air Defence Alerting Device, were deployed in the UK by the British Army during London 2012, where they were considered essential to the delivery of a safe and secure Olympic Games.
Thales: a market leader in integrated weapon systems
Thales is constantly improving its systems in response to evolving military requirements. Today, air defence systems must be highly interoperable and operationally effective. Thales is developing and delivering complex distributed network architectures and command and control systems to coordinate different types of weapons (including very short range, short range, and extended air defence) and engagement between different types of missiles (STARStreak II, VT1, Aster, etc).
Notes to Editors
STARStreak is the world's fastest very-short-range air defence (VSHORAD) missile. Its peak velocity of over Mach 3 means it can cover a kilometre in under a second. Targeting and full control of the three dart missiles is maintained by the operator via the use of a unique laser beam riding guidance system throughout the entire engagement, thus increasing positive target identification and significantly reducing the risk of fratricide.
The system can be deployed from a variety of vehicle platforms such as RAPIDRanger - a highly mobile lightweight platform with the options of both Early Warning, Slew to Cue and Command and Control interfaces - or from the tripod-based Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML) that is easy to set up and which can provide a rapid deployment capability.
Cost of ownership is low as the missiles require no maintenance through life. They have a shelf life of 15 years and a proven record of high reliability. They are fully qualified to the exacting specifications of the UK MoD which includes compliance with up-to-date Insensitive Munitions requirements.
The system has been in service in UK since 1995 and will remain in-service until post 2025.
- Ends -
About Thales and Thales UK
Thales is a global technology leader for the Defence & Security and the Aerospace & Transport markets. In 2012, the company generated revenues of 14.2bn (equivalent of £11.5bn) with 67,000 employees in 56 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers and local partners.
Thales UK employs 7,500 staff based at 35 locations. In 2012 Thales UK's revenues were around £1.3bn.
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11 October 2013
