In the U.S. defense sector, Thales provides products and services for all branches of the U.S. military. From tactical communications to combat management systems for ships, to integrated air defense systems, Thales provides the essentials to keep our world safe.
In the military avionics arena, Thales is a first-tier partner to EADS North America to provide the U.S. Army’s new Light Utility Helicopter. Thales is supplying the UH-72A with its market-leading Meghas® avionics suite which is uniquely adapted to the requirements of today's helicopter missions. By design, Meghas® reduces crew workload and provides increased situational awareness, allowing Army and Army National Guard pilots to appreciate the clean, easy-to-fly avionics for military missions derived from the civilian world.
Thales is also responsible for developing the TopOwl® helmet mounted display, already deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps and under consideration by industry partners and government as an element of a technology solution to the helicopter and fixed wing aircraft “brownout” challenge.
In the area of tactical communications, Thales is a leader in the development of battle-proven, software-defined, tactical radio equipment and solutions. Located in Clarksburg, Maryland, this Thales business has developed the core software-defined radio technology for portable radios and built upon that technology with a complete communication system for the warfighter. Thales currently provides software defined radios for all branches of the U.S. military.
ThalesRaytheonSystems, the defense industry’s first transatlantic joint venture, was formed between Thales and Raytheon in 2001. The business provides battlefield radar solutions for the U.S. Army as well as the Battle Control System (BCS), the primary air defense/battle management system for North American Air Defense (NORAD) and the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM). ThalesRaytheonSystems delivers state-of- the-art air defense radars, battlefield radars, fixed and deployable air C4I and joint & land C4I to the world’s defense forces.For more information on ThalesRaytheonSystems, visit http://www.thalesraytheon.com.
The naval domain, including U.S. Navy and Coast Guard programs, continues to be a top priority for Thales in the U.S. Thales’s expertise in naval prime contract management, systems integration, command information systems, above-water sensors, sonar, electronic warfare, communications and support services are reflected in a customer base that encompasses over 50 navies and more than 400 warships.
Thales is part of the General Dynamics team pursuing the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program, partnering with Northrop Grumman to provide the combat management system for the General Dynamics platform. The fate of the LCS program in coming years will be of great importance to Thales.
Thales formed a joint venture with DRS Technologies in 2007 called DRS Sonar Systems. DRS Sonar Systems leverages global expertise from Thales and DRS Technologies to design sonar systems for ships, submarines and aircraft and deliver these unparalleled sonar solutions to the U.S. market. DRS Sonar Systems is also active in research and development of new underwater systems tailored to U.S. Navy requirements by integrating subsystems from other contractors and Thales's extensive product base.