On Thales’ missile optronics and electronics repair lines, augmented maintenance is becoming a reality

On the repair line for the RECO-NG airborne optronic turret, it’s no longer unusual to see technicians wearing augmented reality headsets. Between their eyes and the components of the turret to be repaired, an augmented tutorial appears on the screen. It enables them to immediately replicate the gestures shown and explained on the object, using not only visual guidance, but also a colleague’s voice-over. While augmented reality is not new in itself, implementing an operational augmented maintenance solution is a completely different matter.

For a year, in close collaboration with the French start-up SHIFT89, the trial conducted on this repair line for Thales’ missile optronics and electronics activities proved to be highly conclusive. It met a crucial need: better capturing expertise from maintenance operations that are less frequent, especially those where technical know-how and physical gestures play a key role, while also making it easier for new team members to ramp up their skills.

Strengthening the transfer of know-how

The selected use case, the repair line for the RECO-NG airborne turret, was chosen for the reliability and high performance demonstrated by the system, which remains fully in service and maintained long-term. “Some of our products have long service lives. When they pass through our repair lines, some items appear only occasionally. A technician who remains in the role for two or three years will likely work on at most three or four items. It is therefore essential to better capture information in order to preserve the transfer of expertise, particularly the gestures” explains Rémi de Besombes, Marketing and Innovation Manager at Thales for missile optronics and electronics activities.

Traditional knowledge capture is mainly done through written documentation. However, for complex products, especially where dense cabling is involved, as is the case with a turret, text documentation has clear limitations. 

“It can be difficult to transcribe the dexterity of a gesture in a written document. Nothing compares to a video and the voice of a technician colleague who masters these actions, in order to reduce the risk of errors and save time” says Romain Lesobre, Innovation Engineering Manager in charge of the project.

Tutorials that are easy to create

The collaboration with SHIFT89 began in early 2025. Once technical and safety concerns had been addressed, several dozen tutorials were filmed. Before each shoot, the training outline and the sequence of the film have to be validated. The technician then films themselves, using the augmented reality headset, takes photos, and provides explanations while speaking. Each step of a tutorial lasts between 30 and 60 seconds. After editing, they must be carefully validated before being rolled out to “learners” on the line.

SHIFT89’s main innovation is the ease with which operational teams can take ownership of the solution. 

“There are other augmented maintenance solutions, but they often require heavy development. Here, our teams can create the tutorials themselves. In the end, internal adoption is much easier” highlights Rémi de Besombes.

Time savings, fewer errors

The assessment conducted after twelve months of trials shows multiple benefits. “The learners who tested the solution particularly appreciated that it leaves their hands free. That allows them to reproduce the gestures while following the tutorial” notes Romain Lesobre. As a result, augmented maintenance enhances the effectiveness of technical gestures, reduces the time spent on certain tasks, and also lowers the risk of breakage caused by incorrect handling or forgetting a step, thereby reducing potential rework.

The solution, tested and approved, can therefore be expanded. The goal is clear: deploy the solution on the other repair lines for Thales’ missile optronics and electronics activities, then extend the model across the MCO (Operational Maintenance in Service) value chain, and ultimately to the customer. It should be noted that the customer has already trialed this approach on airborne platforms and is convinced by it. For the group, the real added value lies not only in the tool, but in the content created: a condensed package of top-tier technical and gesture-based know-how. “We are entering a phase of sharing best practices and scaling up. Ahead of us lies a usage that should grow exponentially” says Romain Lesobre.

A successful alliance between an industrial player and a start-up

This successful trial also reveals another achievement. By partnering with SHIFT89, Thales’ missile optronics and electronics activities demonstrated how collaboration with a start-up can lead to the rapid, high-performance deployment of innovation. 

“We were able to work in a tight feedback loop with their teams. At the first bug, question, or idea, the interaction between our teams was smooth and the start-up proved highly responsive in carrying out updates” says Romain Lesobre.

The fruitful meeting of a start-up’s agility and the cutting-edge expertise of a global industrial leader.