International Youth Day is about introducing teenage students to the aerospace sector.  Invited to the Thales pavilion for a tour, the students were given a valuable insight into the types of career opportunities within the industry.  Furthermore, as part of the day's activities there was a science and technology fair, featuring Thales, which took place in a dedicated marquee with a range of interactive exhibits.  

In support of the MoD's Grand Challenge, the Thales team has been running a competition to involve the future scientists and engineers in addressing the real problems of today.  Thales itself is taking part in the MoD's challenge and is keen to encourage young people to see the fantastic opportunities that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can bring.

The MoD Grand Challenge sets a huge task to create a system with a high degree of autonomy that can detect, identify, monitor and report a comprehensive range of military threats in an urban environment. School children from across the UK were invited to take part in the Thales Team Schools Challenge and teams from Amersham School, Chilton Trinity College and Woking High School will present their solutions at the final judging at Farnborough Airshow on Saturday 19^th July.

Their entries will be judged and Sir Michael will present the winning team with their trophies and a cheque for £1000 to be split between the school and the team.

This morning the Press Suite was busy, as journalists gathered to be briefed on the launch of Thales's new hostile fire indicator: Elix-IR.  Described as the next generation warning system for military helicopters; it provides early warning and location of incoming hostile fire from guided missiles, machine guns, and ballistic and non-guided weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades, allowing the aircrew to take effective evasive or defensive actions.

Francois Quentin, Senior Vice President of Thales Aerospace, briefed press this lunchtime on how Thales technology contributes to innovative and ‘green' solutions, meeting the challenges of a fast-growing market and environmental concerns. 

There has been a high level of interest in the 787 flat screen trainer on the stand. Thales UK simulators are designed within the IS04001 environment management systems and standards. They use 80% less power than traditional simulators. In addition aircrew can increase their training hours in the simulators, thus reducing time spent in the air. 

Thales has also developed Microwave Landing Systems (MLS) that allows traffic flow to be maintained in congested airports in difficult weather conditions. They have the benefit of reducing the overall delay for all airport users and are now installed and used by British Airways at Heathrow. Aircraft operations have become 20% more fuel-efficient since 1997, partly due to Thales innovative technology.