Thales to Supply Airbus Defence & Space With Safety Satcom For its A400M

Thales announced a new contract with Airbus Defence & Space to supply its safety satellite communication (satcom) system to the A400M military transport aircraft at the Paris Air Show. This reinforces Thales’s commitment to delivering modern and high-performance connectivity solutions that contribute to ensuring the success of missions and operations. The contract marks a milestone in the integration of Cobham Aerospace Communications, acquired by Thales in April 2024 which specialises in the design of secure communications systems for cockpit connectivity.

Airbus Defence & Space has selected Thales to supply the safety satcom system of the A400M military transport aircraft programme. The A400M is a military airlifter that combines the ability to fly to long distances, carrying loads too heavy or too large for medium airlifters. Extended connectivity is thus critical for ensuring mission success and operational effectiveness.

Thales’s cockpit satcom system, the AVIATOR 700S, is the most high-performance solution on the market for pilot communication systems, providing Viasat’s SB-S services + Inmarsat for military and commercial aviation. Communication via satellite enhances capabilities in communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS). Designed to meet the rigorous demands of military, government, air transport, business, and VIP platforms, this system will deliver critical date related to flight, navigation, and performance, directly to the A400M cockpit. By expanding secure connectivity and reducing pilot workload, the Thales system boosts operational efficiency. Designed to meet the latest cockpit communication standards, Thales's AVIATOR 700S system provides a sustainable solution to meet new requirements.

This new contract significantly broadens Thales’s role in the A400M programme for which Thales already provides avionics equipment (avionics suite, head-up displays and flight control unit), mission system, tactical air navigation (TACAN), as well as the radio management system, passenger address systems, and communication and navigation antennas. This comprehensive shipset combined with training and support reflects the trust placed in Thales’s technology and expertise to meet the evolving needs of military aviation.

The addition of the AVIATOR 700S safety satcom system reinforces Thales’ expertise in delivering cutting-edge connectivity solutions that reinforce mission performance and safety. The AVIATOR 700S also has a data channel outside the cockpit, for example for civilian or military passengers, which can be used to send mission, observation, and operation data.

Vice president for Aerospace Communications, Thales, Nicolas Bonleux said, “Airbus Defence and Space’s and Thales’ engineering teams have worked very closely to develop this satcom system that accurately meets the requirements of this programme. Together, we have come up with a highly efficient system that enables the aircraft to fulfil very demanding missions. This new contract confirms our market leadership in terms of satcom systems for military transport platforms.”