United Arab Emirates To Upgrade Mirage 2000-9 Fleet

Dassault confirmed that the UAE's armed forces "have announced their intention to sign a contract for the upgrade of their Mirage 2000-9 fleet."
The company declines to provide further information, but says it "welcomes this decision, and is grateful to the UAE authorities for their trust". It also points to the single-engined fighter's "high-quality participation in international coalition operations".
“The Mirage 2000-9 has proven through time it is one of the best aircraft there is in the operational field," the UAE defence ministry tells FlightGlobal. "The upgrade is to fulfill mission needs and requirements, which have changed based on what is going on in the [Middle East] area. It requires new technologies to be able to operate the aircraft.”
Avionics supplier Thales stands to benefit from the prospective contract, having supplied equipment including the Mirage 2000-9's radar, mission computer, electronic warfare systems, cockpit displays and helmet-mounted cueing technology.
The UAE air force has an active fleet of 55 Mirage 2000-9s, including 14 trainers, plus 10 earlier-generation Mirage 2000s. The assets are aged between 13 and 28 years.

Brazil Army to upgrade Esquilo/Fennec helicopter fleet

Brazil will retrofit a total of 36 Esquilo/Fennec helicopters under a contract signed with Thales, that will provide its Integrated Electronic Stand-by Instrument (IESI). Completion is expected in 2018.
The first batch of six helicopters will be completed by 2014.
The upgrade includes new artificial horizon, altimeter and airspeed indicator.
thalesgroup

British Pilots Finally Training On Watchkeeper

With flight clearances in place, British Army pilots are now able to support troop training with the Thales Watchkeeper unmanned aerial system (UAS).
It has been a long time coming. Initially due for entry into service three years ago, Watchkeeper has not had an easy introduction, facing extra scrutiny as the first UAS to be certified by the U.K.’s new military air safety body, the Military Aviation Authority (MAA). Meanwhile, the loss of one of its precursors in Afghanistan, a leased-in Hermes 450, has resulted in a radical change in the configuration of the army’s UAS operations, to those more closely matching that of a typical flying squadron in the Army Air Corps or the Royal Air Force.
In March, the system was given its interim release to service, allowing army crews from the Royal Artillery to begin operations. Until then, army pilots had only been able to fly through the use of a Military Flight Test Permit (MFTP) in conjunction with Thales test pilots.
Once all 54 platforms and 14 ground stations are in service, they will be pooled between two front-line active-duty units, the 32 and 47 Regiments of Royal Artillery, each with five flights using five systems each.
aviationweek

THALES FINALISES DELIVERY OF MARITIME PATROL AIRCRAFT TO TURKEY

Thales announces the delivery of the final standard for the maritime patrol aircraft to Turkey as part of the MELTEM II programme, for which Thales is the prime contractor.
To this day, five of the six aircraft have been delivered to this standard, with the sixth set for delivery before the summer.
This follows the three maritime surveillance aircraft which were sent to the Turkish coastguards last year.
thedailybeast

Poland speeds up missile defense plan amid Ukraine crisis

Poland has decided to speed up its tender for a missile defense system, in a sign of Warsaw's disquiet over the tension between neighboring Ukraine and Russia.
Poland had planned to determine the supplier of its missile defence system in 2015, but the crisis in Ukraine and concerns about Russia's annexation of Crimea have prompted officials to speed up the timetable.
There are four bidders: France's Thales, in a consortium with European group MBDA and the Polish state defence group; the Israeli government; Raytheon of the United States; and the MEADS consortium led by Lockheed Martin.
The decision to accelerate the process is partly caused by Russia's military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.
The first phase of the Polish system is to comprise eight sets of mid-range interceptor rockets, which may later be supplemented by short-range ones. Poland has already passed legislation to secure funding for the shield.
The planned system is separate from elements of a U.S. missile shield to be deployed in Poland by 2018.

THALES’S WATCHKEEPER GIVEN RELEASE TO SERVICE BY UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Watchkeeper, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed by Thales for the British Army, has been given a Release To Service by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD).
Watchkeeper is the first UAS to be awarded a full Release To Service (RTS), and is the only UAS of its type allowed to fly in UK airspace. The RTS follows rigorous safety and airworthiness reviews to ensure the system can be operated safely by the British Army. It will support British Army operations by allowing training on the system in the UK.
thalesgroup

British Army to start Watchkeeper flights in April

The British Army is within weeks of performing its first training flightsWatchkeeper unmanned air system.
The type “should commence flying from Boscombe Down in early March 2014.
The first flights from the MoD/Qinetiq flight test centre will be conducted in association with the Thales UK/Elbit Systems joint venture responsible for developing the tactical UAS.
Once these have been completed an initial release to service is expected to be authorised to allow the first military flights by the army from early April 2014.
The army’s Watchkeeper system will eventually comprise 54 air vehicles, 15 ground control stations and associated equipment.
flightglobal

Indonesia Purchases Air Defense System From Thales

The Indonesian Army has turned to the British arm of Thales to plug a gap in its short-range air defenses with a deal to purchase its Forceshield integrated system of vehicle-mounted missiles and radars.
Under the deal, Thales operations in Britain and France will equip five Indonesian Army batteries with Starstreak missiles, ControlMaster200 radars and weapon coordination systems.
The Indonesians also purchased next-generation light anti-tank weapons developed by Saab for the British and Swedish armies.
The RapidRanger launcher and fire control system equipped with four Starstreak missile tubes will be integrated into the Spanish-designed Vamtac vehicle for the Indonesians. The vehicle is similar in appearance to the Humvee.
A version of the LandRover Defender will be used to mount a lightweight multiple launcher version of Starstreak. The lightweight launcher can also be used dismounted for firing off a man-portable tripod.
It’s the first sale of an integrated turn-key air defense solution by Thales since the company relaunched its offerings in the sector under the ForceShield banner nearly two years ago.
defensenews

French To upgrade Rafale to F3-R Standard

A research and development deal is due soon as part of an announced upgrade of the Rafale fighter to F3-R standard, including a new-generation laser targeting pod.
The DGA signed with Thales at the end of December a contract for derisking work on a new-generation laser targeting pod. The electronics company supplies the Damocles infrared pod that fits on the Rafale and Mirage 2000D.
The government plans a major R&D effort for programs set out in the 2014-19 multiyear budget law.
Those other programs include the Scorpion project for modernizing Army kit, an underwater drone to replace the Navy’s minehunter ships, Musis spy satellite to replace the Helios 2 system, and cooperation on the Italian Cosmo-Skymed and German SAR Lupe satellite programs.
defensenews

UK To Purchase 200 StarStreak Missiles From Thales UK

Britain’s Defense Ministry has signed a deal with Thales UK to purchase a new batch of StarStreak short-range surface-to-air missiles.
The contract for 200 missiles will boost weapon stockpiles available to the regular and reserve units that already use the Mach 3 velocity missile, which can travel at more than 1 kilometer per second.
The British deploy the weapons on tracked vehicles, as well as from lightweight firing posts.
Aside from the British military, the ground-based air defense system has also been purchased by South Africa and most recently Thailand.
A military team from Thailand has been in Northern Ireland recently for training ahead of delivery of the main production consignment, scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.
defensenews

Watchkeeper UAV edges towards UK acceptance

The British Army’s late-running Watchkeeper unmanned air system has cleared a major hurdle on its way to delayed service introduction, with the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA) having approved a statement of type design assurance.
With this MAA approval now in place, Thales/Elbit Systems joint venture UTacS and the army will next seek to secure military type certification for the Watchkeeper before it can be introduced by Royal Artillery batteries.
The MoD in mid-September announced that an interim intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance service being provided by Thales in Afghanistan using Elbit’s Hermes 450 UAS (below) has passed 70,000 flying hours. Operated from Camp Bastion in Helmand province since 2007 under an urgent operational requirement deal, air vehicles are currently organised in five “task lines”. Roughly 1,460 flights per year are currently being conducted with the fleet.
flightglobal

French Navy's Atlantique 2 upgrade contract signed

Dassault Aviation and Thales have been awarder by the French Ministry of Defence of the contract to modernise the French Navy’s fleet of Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft.
The contract calls for the modernisation of the mission systems of fifteen ATL2s.
The aircraft will be equipped to remain in operational service beyond 2030.
The programme will be conducted by Dassault Aviation and Thalesin partnership with DCNS and working with the SIAé.
dassault-aviation

1st upgraded India Air Force's Mirage 2000 Flies

The Indian Air Force's first upgraded Mirage 2000H fighter made its debut flight at the Istres-Le Tubé air base in France. The upgraded Mirage 2000 (effectively now the 'Dash-Five' standard), sporting a brand new avionics suite, self-protection suite, the Thales RDY-2 multimode radar and other systems, is the first of 49 aircraft that will be upgraded over the next seven years.
livefistdefence

Lockheed, Pilatus, Hawker Pacific bid for RAAF basic trainer deal

Lockheed Martin, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific have formally entered the competition for Canberra’s Air 5428 pilot training system requirement.
The offer will be based on the three companies’ existing training of Singapore Air Force pilots under the Basic Wings programme in Perth, which uses the Pilatus PC-21 basic trainer aircraft.
The trio will promote their offering as “Team 21”. They are the second group of companies to formally enter bidding. In September, BAE Systems announced that it would enter the competition with CAE and Beechcraft, with an offering based on the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II.
Since 1992, BAE has operated the Australian Defence Force's Basic Flight Training School (BFTS) at Tamworth, which provides ab intio training and pilot screening for all ADF pilots using a fleet of Pacific Aerospace CT-4B piston trainers.
Boeing, Thales and Raytheon are also expected to announce bids.
Currently, pilots who graduate from the BFTS are then posted to the Royal Australian Air Force's No 2 Flight Training School at RAAF Pearce in Western Australia for advanced training on the Pilatus PC-9/A, after which they are posted to an operational squadron.
Under Air 5428, the respective training aircraft would be replaced by a new integrated training system run by the successful contractor. Australia would also likely acquire the same aircraft for use with the RAAF's Aircraft Research and Development Unit and Forward Air Control Development Unit.
flightglobal

First Thales A400M Full Flight Simulator Ready for Training

The first A400M Full Flight Simulator (FFS) designed and built by Thales for Airbus Military received European Aviation Safety Agency’s qualification for training on the 7 June at Airbus Military International Training Centre in Seville.

defencetalk

Thales Watchkeeper UAS gains French colours

Thales is hoping that its offer of the Watchkeeper tactical unmanned air system could take off with the French army, with the company exhibiting a full-size model of the reconnaissance asset sporting the service's markings.
Developed for the British Army from the Elbit Systems Hermes 450, the Watchkeeper carries an electro-optical/infrared sensor turret and Thales's I-Master synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication payload.
flightglobal

Thales to supply sonobuoy processors to Romanian Navy

Romanian helicopter manufacturer IAR Brasov has chosen Thales to supply TMS 2000 sonobuoy processors to equip IAR-330 Puma helicopters operated by the Romanian Navy.
The processors will give the Romanian Navy a decisive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability to detect submarines in the Black Sea, in particular as part of NATO missions.
thalesgroup

Successful Flight Trials for Thales I-Master on Camcopter S-100

Thales’ I-Master radar system has successfully completed flight trials on-board a Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS (Unmanned Air System).
The flight trials on Camcopter S-100 took place on 7 February 2013 at the Schiebel test facility in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. The flights, each lasting several hours, successfully proved both sensor performance and the stability of data transfer between radar operator and the airborne I-Master.

defencetalk