SOLAR Industries, India’s largest manufacturer of explosives and initiating systems, and EURENCO, the European leader in energetic materials, announced a strategic partnership agreement related to the supply of Explosives, Propellants, Transfer of Technology projects and to a common offer for the Bi-Modular Charge System (BMCS) project in India. The announcement was made during the EUROSATORY 2018 exhibition in Paris-Villepinte, from June 11-15.

SOLAR and EURENCO signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as far back as July 2016 to evaluate various cooperation options, including the BMCS project. The two companies confirm with this strategic partnership their strong will to reinforce their cooperation to address the Indian Army’s needs and future developments including export options. EURENCO is ready to collaborate with SOLAR for the supply of Propellants, Bombs, Ammunition filling and Modular Charges technologies under the ‘Make in India’ policy for the private sector. SOLAR is willing to build dedicated infrastructure facilities with the technical assistance of EURENCO on its explosive and propellant facilities in Nagpur, India. The new facility would include Propellant Plants, one of the key components of Modular Charges, Bombs and Ammunition filling capabilities.

CEO of EURENCO, Dominique Guillet declared that “This partnership agreement is at the heart of our strategy in India which is today one of the key markets that we aim for as part of our global export policy in Asia”.

CEO SOLAR Industries, Manish Nuwal said, “We have built a strong relationship with EURENCO and are working on a collaborative approach to set up infrastructure facilities under the ‘Make in India’ programme of the government of India to fulfil the needs of the Indian Army.”

SOLAR Industries India Ltd. is the largest exporter and manufacturer of explosives and initiating systems in India with a global footprint with plants at 17 locations in India and at four locations abroad. On the other hand, EURENCO is the European leader in Energetic Materials with a full range of Propellants, Explosives, Combustible items and additives for strategic markets such as Defence & Security, Space, Oil & Gas, Fuel Additives.

Thales’ New Thermal Imager Provides Unparalleled Tactical Superiority

Representing the new generation of four-in-one thermal imaging devices for dismounted soldiers, the Sophie Ultima combines tactical binoculars, an infrared target locator, a daytime laser range finder and a teleconverter into a single piece of equipment, significantly reducing size and weight while delivering even higher performance. The new imaging device weighs only 2.5 kg and meets the need to progressively reduce the weight of the equipment deployed by the armed forces.

Making target identification possible over long distances, the Sophia Ultima device provides significant tactical advantages at night. Sophie Ultima can also provide tactical advantages in daytime operations. It combines a high-performance glass day channel with the detection capabilities of infrared imaging. This device can detect body heat signatures at ranges exceeding 1 km. This kind of technology can allow soldiers to de-camouflage potential enemy soldiers who would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

Thales proposes a thermal imager with expanded functionality and augmented performance with the Sophie Ultima. Not only does this enable the device to deliver the benefits of collaborative combat like augmented reality, it also helps soldiers in detecting threats sooner which in turn allows for faster engagement. As a result, strikes are safer, faster, and more precise.

Sophie Ultima is a fully modular system that accounts for future operational requirements and technologies. It does this by employing the new ‘eXtension’ concept with a plethora of plug-and-play accessories for future upgrades.

“The armed forces rely on Thales for its expertise in the connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity technologies that are key to their digital transformation. With Sophie Ultima, the soldier of the future will master the art of collaborative combat day and night,” said Vice President, Optronics, Thales, Jean-Pascal Arrou-Vignod.

Thanks to its common user interfaces and shared maintenance solutions, the Sophie Ultima offers a significantly reduced instruction, training, and support footprint. It also ensures that suitable equipment is available for specific tasks and missions. This new generation of imaging devices will meet the operational needs of all the units, from squadron leaders to the Special Forces. Thales has sold 15,000 Sophie thermal imagers in 55 countries in the recent years.

EURENCO at the Forefront of Modular Charges Capabilities

In the early Nineties, EURENCO created the French modular charges. Since 2007 and the commissioning of the first fully integrated production line in Bergerac, EURENCO designs, develops and manufactures complete bi-modular charge systems with a proven track record of technical successes. Designed to enhance the performances of modern artillery, Modular Charges not only improve range and firing rate without residue but also save logistics costs. EURENCO’s Modular Charges are compatible with any 155mm gun (52, 45 or 39 calibre) such as the Bofors FH-77, Samsung K9 and Nexter CAESAR.

As of now EURENCO offers complete solutions for bi-modular charges including propellants (Single and Multibase), combustible cases, loading, assembling and packing. EURENCO now manufactures more than 450,000 modular charges per year. As part of its global export policy, EURENCO also aims to expand on export strategic markets such as South-East Asia.

With more than 20 years of experience in Modular Charges technologies, EURENCO launched in October 2017 in its Bergerac (France) facility a second production line. With fully robotized capabilities, this second production line enables higher capacity and process capability to support the growth of export sales. EURENCO has now the largest and most modern production capacity in Europe for Modular Charges

HENSOLDT to Deliver IFF Testers to French Armed Forces

HENSOLDT, the leading independent sensor solutions house, will deliver its test equipment used to ensure the correct performance of identification systems onboard aircraft and ships to the French Ministry for the armed forces.

The contract worth several million euros covers the delivery of 130 BTI1000I IFF testers (IFF = Identification-Friend-or-Foe) compatible with the military and civilian Mark XIIAS standard which are essential to make sure that IFF systems are working correctly before a military aircraft or ship is going on a mission. IFF systems, so-called secondary surveillance radars (SSR), precisely identify ships and aircraft by automatically sending interrogation signals which are answered by so-called transponders on-board friendly aircraft or ships. Thus, IFF enables field commanders to quickly distinguish friendly from hostile forces and