British MoD awards Thales UK a £98 million air defence missile contract

The British MoD has awarded a £98.4 million (US $136 million) contract to Thales UK to maintain Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) capability for the British Army and Royal Marines. The agreement was announced on 04 March on the MoD’s website.

The deal confirms a five-year extension to the initial contract the company won in 2018 to support the modernisation and development of the missile systems as part of the Future Air Defence Availability Project (F-ADAPT).

SHORAD is made up of High Velocity and Lightweight Multi-role Missile systems that can intercept air threats including fast jets, attack helicopters and UASs in a matter of seconds.

This agreement ‘ensures the vital air defence capabilities, capable of dealing with a multitude of threats, are maintained and readily available to deploy,’ Minister for Defence Procurement claimed.

The SHORAD missile systems can be fired from three platform variants: Shoulder-Launch for single fire, Lightweight Multiple Launcher capable of firing three missiles via a tripod (pictured) and Self-Propelled launcher designed to fire up to eight missiles from a Stormer armoured vehicle.

In addition to providing air defence, the contract will also secure 119 jobs at Thales UK’s Belfast site and more roles in the wider Northern Ireland supply chain.

This is the second multi-million defence deal awarded to a Northern Ireland-based industry this year. In January, Spirit AeroSystems in Belfast, won a £30 million (US$ 41 million) agreement for the UK’s first uncrewed fighter aircraft supporting over 100 local jobs.