• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution

  12th June 2025

  The solution, named HTeaming, has already been tested in flight with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and an Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

• Defence Notes

  Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave

  1st August 2025

  Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.

• Land Warfare

  Thales to modernise Netherlands TACTIS combined arms trainer

  30th April 2025

  Thales will modernise the Royal Netherlands Army’s TACTIS simulation system over eight years with enhanced synthetic environments, new simulators for the CV9035NL, Boxer and Leopard 2 tanks.

• Land Warfare

  British Army defeats swarm with Thales radio frequency anti-drone system

  18th April 2025

  Developed by a Thales UK-led industry consortium, the demonstrator has been designed to explore the potential of radiofrequency weapons for the UK Armed Forces and is being trialled by the British Army.

• Naval Warfare

  Thales to supply sonar systems for the Netherlands’ Orka submarines

  20th March 2025

  The company will deliver a comprehensive sensor suite when the Orka class comes into service in the early 2030s.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Aarok to be offered to India

  18th June 2025

  Turgis Gaillard and Bharat Forge have signed an MoU to offer the Aarok, produced in India, to the Indian Ministry of Defence. The UAV could satisfy the country’s desire for an indigenous MALE UAV, offering an alternative to the TAPAS BH-201 that has had a rocky development.

• Naval Warfare

  Thin-line towed arrays on uncrewed vessels deliver more cost-effective sonar, says SEA

  24th April 2025

  Miniaturisation of technology opens up radical sensing technologies to smaller navies under submarine threat, according to SEA sonar expert.

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore to upgrade Super Rapid 76mm guns with Strales system

  12th May 2025

  A total of 28 active surface ships will receive the upgrades to their weaponry to help them combat the growing threat from UAVs.

• Air Warfare

  France pushes for 80% workshare as FCAS programme nears critical development stage

  9th July 2025

  Tensions on the programme have long simmered, with Airbus and Dassault recently clashing over workshare in June ahead of the Paris Air Show. The sixth-generation fighter programme is due to replace Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon jets beginning in 2040.

• Land Warfare

  Europe’s next-generation tank crawls forward and adopts a proven process

  5th May 2025

  The Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is ambitious and is using a procurement system which has had some success in the continent’s aircraft purchasing processes with a separate company established and subsystems identified.

• Land Warfare

  Engineering and design mean smaller vehicles can be tank killers but is it a good idea?

  29th September 2025

  The eulogy for the dedicated tank hunter or buster appears to have been written with most armies putting them out to retirement in the face of alternatives like longer-range missiles or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). However, arming infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) or armoured personnel carriers (APCs) with medium-range missiles seems to indicate some kind of tank killer is required.

• Naval Warfare

  France and Sweden sign defence roadmap as Naval Group positions FDI frigate for Swedish surface ship programme

  23rd June 2025

  A pact signed at the Paris Air Show has seen Sweden turn to the French FDI frigate to lead its next-gen surface combatant fleet amid shifting security dynamics in the Baltic Sea.

• Land Warfare

  Thales to supply 500 of its new Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radios to a NATO country

  12th March 2025

  The newly disclosed Thales UK Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radio (VMSR) offers full interoperability with the soldier radio variant to provide secure and reliable voice connection.

• Naval Warfare

  UK Royal Navy begins training with autonomous mine counter measures vessel

  17th March 2025

  The uncrewed surface vessel (USV) is the first of four autonomous mine vessels the UK Royal Navy (RN) will deploy this year.

• Land Warfare

  GM Defense teams up with NP Aerospace for British Army vehicle requirement

  23rd June 2025

  The UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) has three types of vehicles: medium protected, light protected and light mobility (LMV). US company GM Defense and the UK’s NP Aerospace have teamed up to make an offering for the latter. The LMP will replace more than a dozen vehicle types with as few as three or four models.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• ISR/special mission

  Strategic Intelligence Aircraft [France]

  Background In February 2018, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, announced that the strategic intelligence aircraft program CUGE Universal EW Capability began to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land 121 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme background Three suppliers were originally down-selected to meet the Land 121 Phase 4 requirement: Thales Australia, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Force Protection ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Flexible Tactical Uncrewed Air System (FTUAS) [UK]

  Background Tender notice and timeline On 25 May 2021, the MoD published a tender notice for the urgent acquisition of a UAS and ancillaries under ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Long-Range Ground Strike (FLP-T) [France]

  Background The French Army currently operates the M270 as its only MLRS. France previously procured a total of 55, though this number had reduced to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Su-30SM Armenia

  The Su-30SM is upgraded variant of Su-30MKI. Its capabilities include Bars-R radar, RVV-SV medium-range air-to-air missile, Thales SMD55S/VEN-3022 or Russian IKSh-1M avionics replacing Elbit SU967 head-up display, LINS-1000RS inertial ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  French MALE UAVs [France]

  Background Requirements The French Ministry of the Armed Forces wishes to develop a French MALE offering comparable to the MQ-9 Reaper, which would, it is hoped, promote ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) Package 2 [UK]

  Background The MRV-P platforms will replace a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, thereby helping to standardise ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  LAV Replacement [Japan]

  Programme Background The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) received 1,937 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) from Komatsu between 2001 and ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project NYX: Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) strategy Reflecting on lessons from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VBCI (Qatar)

  Programme Background The VBCI-2 was selected in preference to a competing offer comprising Patria's AMV 8x8 equipped with a Lockheed Martin turret. However, at the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Acquisition of an Initial Depth Support Drone Capacity (ADAPT) [France]

  Background Aftermath of SDT To fill the capability void left by the cancellation of the second section of the Tactical Drone System (SDT) programme, three ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  VBMR Griffon (Batch 1) [Belgium]

  Background Requirements In its Strategic Vision for Defence document published in June 2016, the Belgian MoD outlined its aspirations for equipping five motorised manoeuvre battalions ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bushmaster [Netherlands]

  Background The six Bushmasters ordered by the Royal Netherlands Army will be manufactured in Australia. More than 60 Australian suppliers will be involved in the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Transponders and IFF

  Thales TSX-3500

  Thales TSX 3500 Family includes the TSA & TSB 3520 - Naval IFF Interrogators and Combined Interrogator Transponder, which provide medium and long-range information on ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  SquadNet Soldier Radio

  Thales SquadNet Soldier Radio is compact radio with a simplified screen designed for dismounted troops. It has built-in Bluetooth and GPS functionality, as well as ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  SURFSAT-L

  Produced by Thales, SURFSAT-L is a SATCOM terminal designed for medium to large surface vessels. According to the manufacturer, it is designed to achieve a ...

• Frigates

  SIGMA 115115HN

  Dutch shipbuilder Damen has designed a new multi-mission frigate as part of the Sigma class known as the Sigma 11515. As with all Sigma-class designs, ...

• EO/IR systems

  TALIOS

  The TArgeting Long-range Identification Optronic System (TALIOS) is a targeting pod from Thales.  It is equipped with top-down and bottom-up datalinks and can scan a large area, identify ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  NH90

  As part of the Helisim consortium based in Marignane, Thales has supplied an NH90 simulator for use by French and foreign military forces. Helisim also ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Live Training Solutions

  Thales offers live training solutions for land and combined forces around the world. Thales Combat Training Centres are available for open and urban battlefields, and ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  Searchmaster

  The Searchmaster is an airborne multi-role surveillance radar manufactured by Thales. The Searchmaster is suitable for MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) UAVs, medium-tonnage or heavy-lift ...

• Data links

  Link Y Mk2

  Thales Link Y Mk2 is used to securely exchange tactical data and orders via a self-managing, adaptive radio network between multiple military platforms. Designed for ...

• Land: battle management systems

  SILVER

  Developed by Indra Systemas, SILVER is a land management system designed specifically for vehicular applications. Based on a modular system that can run on COTS ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  NS50

  The NS50 is a four-dimensional surveillance radar produced by Thales. It is designed to provide simultaneous air and surface target detection and tracking, and fire ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  A330 Voyager MRTT Training Services

  Through AirTanker Services, a JV between Thales, Airbus Group, Cobham, Rolls-Royce and Babcock, Thales provides and maintains training services for the RAF’s Future Strategic Tanker ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Captas-4 Compact

  CAPTAS-4 Compact is part of the wider CAPTAS family of Combined Active and Passive Towed Array Sonars. CAPTAS-4 Compact is a reduced-footprint variant of Thales' CAPTAS-4, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Munition Télé-Opérée – Longue Portée (MTO-LP)

  At the Paris Air Show 2025, Thales and Boreal announced they had partnered to develop the Munition Télé-Opérée – Longue Portée (MTO-LP), a long-range loitering ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  Smart-S Mk 2

  The Smart-S Mk2 is a three-dimensional naval air and surface surveillance radar manufactured by Aselsan and Thales. The transmit and receive modules are produced by ...