Another Ground Master 400 radar base for France

ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) will supply the French Air Force with a third Ground Master 406 (GM 406) radar for the Lyon Mont-Verdun airbase. The order includes the supply and installation of a tower-mounted GM 406 radar, associated civil engineering, through-life support for three years, and information system security.

TRS was contracted in September 2012 to deliver a GM 406 to the Nice Mont-Agel base, in addition to the earlier acquisition of a GM 406 to protect the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, and a GM 403 mobile radar.

As with the earlier orders, the new GM 406 will be integrated with the air defence network of the SCCOA air command and control system to provide airspace monitoring. The new radars will provide the armed forces with a guaranteed threat detection capability at low and high altitudes, high operational availability of 98% and simplified maintenance.

The radar base at Lyon Mont-Verdun will feature advanced security solutions to protect armed force missions from potential threats to information systems and data integrity, ensuring that air command and control systems can continue to provide effective air defence protection for an area, region or country under all circumstances.

Philippe Duhamel, CEO of TRS France, said: ‘This additional order for a new-generation radar confirms the trust that the DGA and the French armed forces continue to place in the radar systems developed by TRS and Thales. We are delighted that the GM 406 has been selected to equip the Lyon Mont-Verdun air force base, which is one of the cornerstones of France’s airspace surveillance capability.’

The GM 406 radar will be coupled with the NATO ACCS C2 centres, the SCCOA system and C3M system (the deployable component of the French SCCOA programme) centers as well as navy and army installations.