The Eurosatory Exhibition Returns to the Fairgrounds
The Eurosatory exhibition returns from 13 to 17 June at the Parc des expositions of Paris-Nord Villepinte. To date, more than 1,500 exhibitors from 60 countries as well as 33 national pavilions are already registered, and more than 200 official delegations have been invited.
Eurosatory is a true technological showcase offering solutions and equipment covering the entire spectrum of capabilities, from proven equipment to the latest technological innovations. All the latest developments in the field of land and air-land defence and security will be present at the exhibition. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to discover more than 500 new products and many innovations at the stands and in the Eurosatory LAB.
The Eurosatory LAB: Eurosatory visitors will have the opportunity to discover the Eurosatory LAB on a surface of more than 1,000 square metres. Nearly 80 French and international start-ups gathered in the Eurosatory LAB will have the opportunity to present their technological innovations to official delegations and industry professionals throughout the five days of the exhibition.
Among the start-up solutions, many civil innovations are applicable to Defence and Security issues.
High-level conferences will be held in the Agora. The Director of the Defence Innovation Agency will take part in the inaugural keynote, and among our guests, we will have the pleasure to welcome the Founder of the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), the ‘Defence Angels’ network, as well as the Director of the Battle Lab Terre.
Pitching sessions and demonstrations will be held in the LAB, as well as a variety of interactive and convivial activities such as the public vote for the ‘Start-up of the Day’ from June 14 to June 17, or the ‘Cocktail Lab’ which will be organised at lunchtime.
The Start-up Challenge: For the first time, Eurosatory is hosting a start-up challenge in partnership with Agorize. This competition is open to start-ups from all over the world. Participants will have to propose an innovation of a dual nature, likely to effectively transform the daily life of a Defence and Security actor in the exercise of its missions. The winning start-up will receive prizes including a presence at the exhibition where it will play a key role in the development of disruptive technologies.
GENERATE: The start-ups’ Accelerator by GICAT Launched in 2017, the GENERATE programme enables French start-ups to understand and integrate the world of defence and security by providing them with tailor-made services and by allowing them to benefit from the GICAT network.
GENERATE is a start-up accelerator dedicated to defence and security issues in the broad sense. In this sense, this programme goes beyond simple operational support to also bring a strategic vision through the triptych:
- Start-up accelerator for their strategy, visibility, and business development
- Content and reflection creator through several regular publications
- Facilitator of a network of innovation actors.
Thales completes the acquisition of RUAG Simulation & Training
The consolidation will complement Thales’s footprint in the land market meanwhile sustaining its field-proven expertise in helicopters and military aircraft solutions. This acquisition will provide an opportunity to reinforce its local footprint in priority geographies (France, Switzerland, Germany and United Kingdom), while increasing its presence in UAE and Australia.
The company completed the acquisition, including RUAG’s 500 employees and with sales worth approximately 90 million Euros in 2021.
The synergies of Thales and RUAG S&T will create new opportunities to accelerate the deployment of next-generation hybrid solutions, combining world-class live and synthetic expertise. The initiative, which is driven by the digitalization of land forces, is fully in line with the global evolution toward more environmentally friendly solutions, in line with Thales ESG commitments.
With the formal acquisition process completed, the next step will be to initiate the integration of the two companies to create a more efficient business, while ensuring the continuity of activities and operations for the benefit of the armed forces.
Milrem Robotics Will Launch an Autonomous ISR UGV—the THeMIS Observe
Milrem Robotics will launch a newly developed autonomous Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) unmanned ground system ‘THeMIS Observe’ that will be showcased during the fourth iMUGS project demonstration in Belgium.
“A UGV based ISR system significantly increases a tactical unit’s reaction speed on targets as well as the stand-off distance from enemy units,” explained Defence Research Director at Milrem Robotics, Cpt (res) Jüri Pajuste. “Thanks to that the capability and survivability of tactical reconnaissance units will increase considerably,” Pajuste said, adding that this type of capability is usually not available on one platform for light infantry units.
The THeMIS Observe is based on Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS UGV and integrated with ISR equipment from various leaders in their fields. The system includes the Z:Sparrowhawk camera from HENSOLDT, the Squire radar by Thales, Metravib Defence Pearl acoustic shot detection and the ROSY (Rapid Obscuring System) by Rheinmetall. The system can also be equipped with a light remote weapon station.
“The combination of those systems allows units to do multi-sensor identification on one platform and react faster on emerging targets,” Pajuste added.
Additionally, the THeMIS Observe is equipped with Milrem’s Intelligent Functions Kit that enables autonomous functions such as follow-me, waypoint navigation with obstacle detection and avoidance.
The THeMIS Observe will be demonstrated during the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) funded iMUGS project’s fourth demonstration in Belgium in June. The iMUGS project aims to develop a European standardized unmanned ground system (EUGS). During the project, modular and scalable architecture for hybrid manned-unmanned systems will be developed to standardize a European wide ecosystem. The system will be on display at Eurosatory on Milrem Robotics’ stand in Hall 6 K 253.
GRIFFON and JAGUAR Order Under 2019–25 Military Programming Law Awarded to EBMR Consortium
The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has awarded the order for conditional tranche 4 (TC4) of the SCORPION programme to Nexter, Arquus and Thales, operating through the EBMR consortium.
Tranche TC4 corresponds to an additional 88 JAGUAR armoured reconnaissance and fighting vehicles and 302 GRIFFON multi-role armoured vehicles. This new order will bring the number of JAGUAR and GRIFFON vehicles ordered to 150 and 909 respectively, in line with the target laid out in France’s 2019–25 Military Programming Law. This represents half of the French government’s total commitment for JAGUARs and GRIFFONs (excluding the MEPAC variant) to be acquired under the SCORPION programme to renew the medium-tonnage segment of French Army’s armoured vehicle fleet. The TC4 award comes shortly after an order was placed for 54 GRIFFON MEPAC versions, which are equipped with a 120 mm mortar, with deliveries scheduled from 2024.
These two awards were announced by the French Prime Minister during his visit to Nexter’s Roanne site on 19 February. This latest order underscores France’s continuing confidence in the EBMR consortium partners, which have been ensuring on-time deliveries since the beginning of the programme. It provides Nexter, Arquus and Thales, as well as the entire land defence industrial and technological base in France, with better visibility of their industrial activity through to 2025.
France Orders Talios Optronic Pods from Thales
The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has placed an order with Thales for 21 additional TALIOS pods. The new target designation pods will equip Rafale aircraft currently in service with the French Air and Space Force and the French Navy.
As theatres of operations become more complex, maintaining an accurate picture of the tactical situation is becoming increasingly crucial to the ability of pilots and commanders to make timely decisions and achieve a strategic advantage. Shortening the time between gathering intelligence and defeating targets of interest is a key objective for armed forces all over the world.
In an increasingly connected operational environment, the TALIOS pod will enable Rafale F4 standard aircraft to perform both air reconnaissance and ground/ surface attack missions. The pod provides a wide-area search and target identification capability and can then switch instantly into target acquisition and tracking mode. The high-resolution sensors provide a colour picture of the tactical situation to simplify the tasks of Rafale pilots. Thales has also developed a new Vision Permanent mode, which superimposes real-time video on a 3D map of the operational environment, enabling aircrews to observe and understand the tactical situation in a significantly shorter time.
TALIOS will ultimately incorporate artificial intelligence algorithms to provide an unprecedented level of assistance in target detection and recognition and further accelerate the decision-making process, particularly in high-intensity engagements.
This order for 21 additional pods underscores the continuing confidence of the French forces, which have deployed TALIOS multiple times on expeditionary missions since the first pods were delivered in 2019. The new pods will be delivered between 2024 and 2025, straight after fulfilment of the initial order for 46 TALIOS systems.
‘The TALIOS pod’s new reconnaissance modes and automatic target detection and recognition algorithms will provide the French armed forces with an unprecedented level of operational superiority. Rafale pilots will be able to make better decisions with even greater speed at every decisive moment of their missions to detect, classify and safely engage a target and assess the results of a ground or surface strike,’ said executive vice president, land and air systems, Thales, Christophe Salomon.
Nexter and Texelis Deliver the First SERVALs to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces
In accordance with the contract notified in 2018, the temporary business venture comprising Nexter and Texelis has delivered the first SERVALs light multi-role armoured vehicles (VBMR) to the French ministry of the Armed Forces. Seventy vehicles will be delivered by the end of the year, out of a total of 364 SERVALs ordered to date by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA).
Developed in record time, the SERVAL 4×4 armoured vehicle is one of the four vehicles in the SCORPION programme, designed to renew the French Army’s medium-weight armoured vehicles. The SERVAL is going to equip the French national emergency echelon as it is made to intervene in contact zones in the initial phases of an operation. It will also be used in light infantry units such as mountain troops and parachute regiments. The vehicle’s weight and size enable it to be easily deployed in external theatres of operations, since an A400M transport aircraft can carry two SERVALs in combat order. The SERVAL is an essential complement to the GRIFFON armoured personnel carrier and the JAGUAR armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle.
The SERVAL integrates the common equipment to SCORPION vehicles, in particular the vehicle’s vetronics, a remotely operated turret, threat detectors, as well as the combat information system (SICS). With the SICS, the SERVAL is integrated into the SCORPION collaborative combat system, taking advantage of all the information enhanced by the digitization of the battle space. Based on the common base developed by Nexter and Texelis, the SERVAL is available in three main versions (patrol, intelligence and reconnaissance, and communications relay), which are themselves available in many variants. The SERVAL’s highly modular architecture enables it to evolve according to its customers’ needs, offering them different capabilities from a single vehicle, which ensures optimal vehicle availability and maintenance costs for its users.
Thales Awarded US Army Contract for Combat Net Radio Programme
Thales is one of two vendors that the US Army has awarded a USD 6 billion-ceiling Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to deliver advanced tactical radios under the US Army’s Combat Net Radio (CNR) modernisation programme.
The competitive 10-year contract for the Combat Net Radio (CNR) programme includes a five-year base ordering period and an additional five-year optional ordering period. This contract was awarded as part of an effort to retire its outdated Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS).
Under the Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, Thales will deliver a CNR that is based on the AN/PRC-148 Joint Tactical Radio System Enhanced Multiband Inter/ Intra Team Radio (IMBITR)—the latest evolution of a family of battle-proven, tactical voice and data radios.
Thales Strengthens its Partnership with Dassault Aviation Through a Maintenance Agreement
Thales recently announced the expansion of its collaboration with Dassault Aviation through the signature of a maintenance agreement on 1 April 2022, for electrical systems on Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000 Series Fleets.
The successful partnership began with the Falcon family of Business Jets back in the seventies starting with the Falcon 50 followed by the Falcon 200, Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000, and most recently the Falcon 6X. Dassault Aviation and Thales share the same commitment to excellence in design innovation and for reliable and affordable electrical generation and conversion products. More than 2100 Falcon aircraft operate worldwide cumulating over 21,000,000 flight hours in 2021.
Both companies achieved a new stage in their relationship through the partnership agreement in April. Through this agreement, Thales and Dassault Aviation will bring to Falcon operators unprecedented value for Premium Services along with significant reductions in Direct Maintenance Cost (DMC) and a robust incentive campaign for Starter Generators P/N 8060-160 upgrade to a new P/N 8060-170.
This upgrade offer on the Thales Starter Generator improves DMC while providing annual savings for operators thanks to design enhancements that help reduce maintenance operations including brush wear inspections and removals.
Senior Director, Worldwide Falcon Spares at Dassault Aviation, Benoit Lefondré said, “This reinforced partnership between Thales and Dassault now gives us the unique opportunity to offer Dassault Falcon customers the ability to reduce their maintenance costs when selecting a generator under this program. We also have the ability to offer extra benefits for Operators who are part of the Falcon Advantage Programme.”
Frédéric Dé, Vice President, Electrical Business, Thales Aviation Global Services, added, “We are very honoured to partner with Dassault Aviation to offer each Falcon customer the opportunity to experience the excellence brought by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) providing extended services within extremely short lead-times.”
The flexible, software-defined, and secure CNR will empower the US Army to seamlessly replace the legacy R/T1523 fleet of radios. It will continue to be compatible with the existing SINCGARS waveform but allow the Army to add new waveforms and enhanced capabilities to address evolving requirements.
The Thales CNR provides the Army’s unified network with a critical component that delivers robust and secure communications capabilities to the tactical edge of the future battlefield.
“The Combat Net Radio continues Thales’ tradition of being responsive to emerging needs in support of the war fighter,” said Mike Sheehan, CEO, Thales Defense and Security, Inc., “The Thales CNR embraces the non-developmental item approach to delivering capabilities into the Army architecture, ensuring connectivity to the tactical edge. Designed with soldier systems in mind, the Thales CNR is a tailored fit for the Army’s Integrated Tactical Network.”
The CNR contract follows delivery orders the US Army placed in October 2021 for the Thales two-channel AN/PRC-148D Leader Radio and the new single-channel AN/PRC-170 Javelin Radio. Both radios deliver portable voice and data communication to war fighters under the most extreme battlefield conditions.
Europe’s Aviation Industry Vows for a Greener Tomorrow
With its ’Destination 2050’ road map, Europe’s aviation industry has pledged to become climate-neutral by mid-century. From 22 to 26 June, ILA Berlin will be showing how this can be achieved on the exhibition grounds at BER Airport.
The leading trade fair for sustainability, new technologies and innovation is the meeting place and platform for dialogue for the international industry, policy makers, the armed forces, and science. On a total of five live STAGES, the focus will be on forward-looking aerospace technologies and key research topics. Sustainable aviation fuels, aircraft, and propulsion systems, as well as the digital transformation of the industry, will be the main points of discussion.
Destination climate-neutral future: The Future Lab is the key element of the ILA STAGE and is being jointly organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI). Sustainability and achieving climate-neutral aviation by 2050 are key topics at ILA, and the Future Lab will address them directly in the display halls. Featuring prominently at the ILA Future Lab will be today’s pioneers and innovations, who will provide a close-up experience of the green future of aviation. How can we become climate-neutral over the next three decades? What forms of innovation, disruption and support will be necessary to prepare aviation for a climate-neutral future?
Key topics here are new hydrogen propulsion systems, the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and optimising production with lightweight designs, new materials, and aerodynamics, with the aim of minimising CO2 emissions. Experts will also discuss the role of start-ups in achieving sustainable commercial aviation and the use of digital solutions in an aircraft’s life cycle. Another topic for on-stage debate will be electrically powered flight and its role in tomorrow’s urban transport landscape.
High-profile speakers from Germany and abroad are expected to attend, including, Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director, Clean Planet, European Commission; Dr Anna Christmann, Member of German Parliament and federal government coordinator for the German Aerospace Industries Association; Lars Wagner, COO, MTU Aero Engines, and Grazia Vittadini, CTO, Rolls-Royce.
Aerospace of the Future: At ILA Berlin the federal ministry for economic affairs and climate action (BMWK) is organising the Exhibition area at the ILA Future Lab. Graphic exhibits will present the key development programmes of the federal ministry, including its aviation research programme (LuFo climate), the national space programme and the micro launcher competition of the German Aerospace Industries Association (DLR).
Zero-emissions aviation on the horizon: At the ILA Future Lab, visitors can gain an insight into the industry’s innovative efforts. Among the aviation highlights at the exhibition will be a model of a four-seater hydrogen-powered aircraft. It represents an important technology platform for developing and demonstrating CO2-free propulsion systems in aviation and recently set a new altitude record for hydrogen-electric aircraft at over 7,230 feet. The exhibition will show how hydrogen-powered aircraft can be used over short distances in the future. At a demonstration featuring a full-sized door, visitors will be able to clearly see how lightweight design, digitalisation, aerodynamics, and new materials can reduce an aircraft’s CO2 emissions by over 50 per cent. Another highlight will be a demonstration of how on-board electric cabling can be used for data communications. The Power Line Communication concept is designed to minimise cabling and aircraft weight. The many and wide-ranging exhibits at the ILA Future Lab Exhibition will show that by conducting joint research, zero-emissions aviation can be achieved by 2050.
Protecting the climate from space: At the ILA Future Lab the BMWK will also be presenting the latest space development programmes, including the micro launcher competition of the German Aerospace Industries Association (DLR), worth 25 million euros in prize money. The idea is to encourage start-ups to design mini-rockets, so-called micro launchers, with the aim of helping to create low-cost commercial access to space and supporting long-term business models for micro launchers.
Another highlight will be the EnMAP satellite mission. This hyper-spectral satellite has been orbiting Earth since April 2022 and conducts measurements of various spectral bands of visible and infra-red light. This provides scientists with detailed information on the state of water bodies, forests, and glaciers, which can then be used to better understand environmental changes and support climate protection measures.