Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales in the UK is delighted to announce that apprentices and employees based in its Optronics business in Glasgow, have joined the AA810 Spitfire Restoration project, to overhaul and repair the original F24 reconnaissance camera installations ahead of the plane's anticipated post restoration flight in 2024.
The project is centred around the Spitfire PR.IV AA810 reconnaissance plane, shot down on 5 March, 1942, after carrying out key reconnaissance on the Tirpitz, one of the most important battleships for the German navy.
The Spitfire plane wreckage was recovered in 2018, having spent 76 years in a peat bog on a Norwegian mountain. Despite being shot 200 times, it is the most substantial surviving wreck of the three Spitfire PR.IV reconnaissance aircraft known to exist in the world.
This model is the earliest surviving unarmed reconnaissance aircraft in existence and has the highest operational hours of any surviving Mk1 Spitfire. It is also the only aircraft linked to anybody who escaped in the world-famous breakout from Stalag Luft III.
The restoration of the reconnaissance cameras, led by Thales in Glasgow, is a hugely significant aspect of the project. The earliest British reconnaissance aircraft used F24 cameras, designed by the Williamson Manufacturing Company - but the need for more powerful cameras saw the company team up with W. Vinten Ltd, who continued to produce the majority of aerial reconnaissance cameras for the RAF throughout WW2.
With W. Vinten Ltd having become part of Thales Optronics in 1988, these cameras and their technology represent an important historic legacy for Thales, from which the company's apprentices will learn more about the history of aerial camera development.
W. Vinten Ltd is not the only Thales link to the project either. 80 years ago, Alastair Sandy Gunn - the last pilot of AA810 - also served his own engineering apprenticeship at the Govan shipyards where the cameras for the aircraft will now be restored.
Here, Thales apprentices will work alongside senior staff to restore and overhaul two 14 F24 and one 8 F24, along with their associated mounts and control equipment.
Stephen McCann, Managing Director of Thales's Optronics business in Glasgow Thales, said: Our history is important to the company and its employees. For over 100 years, we have been producing complex electro-optical systems for use on land, at sea, and in the air. Since 1917 we have been the sole supplier of submarine periscopes and optronic masts to the Royal Navy, so to restore these cameras from such an important period in history for use in such an iconic aircraft is very special to us all.
The cameras were delivered to the Glasgow site in September 2022, and have already undergone assessment by the skilled engineers at. Relevant material has been drawn from the archives, and it is anticipated that these restored and operational cameras will be completed later in 2023.
Anthony Hoskins, Director of the Spitfire AA810 Restoration Ltd, said: We're incredibly grateful for contribution of Thales in the UK to this project who are funding the restoration of the cameras themselves. The efforts of their staff and apprentices will go a long way to ensuring the success of the restoration in time for the AA810 Spitfire to fly again in 2024. We can't thank them enough.
Once complete, the restored aircraft will be based with the Shuttleworth Trust at Old Warden airfield, where it will be available for the public to see both on the ground in the museum and in the air when it flies to events around the UK.
It is anticipated that the aircraft will make a return flight to Norway, as well as flying across the USA in a tour during 2025 or 2026. Further, it has been invited to Wanaka, the largest air show in southern hemisphere, and Oshkosh, the largest air show in the world.
For more information about the restoration project, and history of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit during the Second World War, please visit: https://www.spitfireaa810.co.uk/
ENDS
For more information, please contact Stephen Radford-Hancock
E: s.radford-hancock@clearb2b.com
T: 07816 534416
11 May 2023
Thales awarded multi-year contract for new generation US Passport eCovers
Read more
10 May 2023
Thales Annual General Meeting approves all resolutions submitted
Read more
09 May 2023
Thales to provide Royal Navy with a sixth combat management system for T31 Frigate programme
Read more
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Facebook 
