Augmented services for augmented operational availability

How can military forces maintain maximum system availability in high-intensity operations? Thales is redefining maintenance through digital innovation. 

Thales is transforming military maintenance with predictive diagnostics, augmented reality, and AI-driven solutions, ensuring mission success.

Revolutionising Military Maintenance with Digital Technologies

Ensuring Operational Readiness in High-Intensity Environments 

Modern military forces operate in unpredictable, high-threat environments where system downtime is not an option. Whether conducting Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions or preparing for high-precision strikes, maintaining continuous system availability is critical. Any failure can compromise mission success and put forces at risk. 

For Thales, ensuring maximum operational availability begins at the manufacturer level. By incorporating advanced digital technologies, Thales provides proactive maintenance solutions that keep systems running efficiently. These services reduce repair times, optimise system performance, and ensure mission continuity, allowing armed forces to focus on their objectives without worrying about unexpected failures. 

Augmented Reality: Enhancing Maintenance Autonomy 

Ensuring that military personnel can conduct field maintenance and repairs independently is essential for mission sustainability. Traditionally, many complex repairs required returning equipment to manufacturers, causing delays and operational inefficiencies. 

“Each system presents different levels of repair complexity,” says Yann Prat, Digital Service Solutions Manager at Thales. “For our pods, for instance, customers can carry out a number of repairs themselves in their dedicated workshops, but beyond that, they need to send the pod back so that we can address any issue.” 

Augmented Reality (AR) plays a transformative role in military maintenance by providing step-by-step repair guidance, ensuring that personnel can execute complex repairs efficiently. Through AR-powered solutions, technicians receive real-time visual instructions, reducing the risk of human error while increasing the speed of repairs. 

Additionally, AR allows users to connect directly with Thales’ remote assistance center, where experts can assess issues in real time and guide on-site personnel through repairs. 

“This allows customers to save time and costs on repairs that can be carried out on-site,” Yann Prat points out. 

By minimising system downtime and dependency on external technicians, AR strengthens force autonomy and ensures continuous mission readiness. 

Predictive Maintenance: From Reactive to Proactive Readiness 

Traditional military maintenance has relied on fixed schedules, requiring systems to undergo servicing at predefined intervals, regardless of their condition. This approach often leads to unnecessary maintenance on fully functional equipment, while unexpected failures still occur between scheduled inspections. 

Thales is transforming this process by introducing predictive maintenance, which utilises AI-driven diagnostics and real-time data collection to monitor equipment health and predict failures before they happen. 

“The introduction of digital tools collecting and sharing data on each system’s status has transformed maintenance from prescriptive to predictive, thus allowing a leaner organisation of the repair line,” says Yann Prat. 

SmartFleet, Thales’ AI-powered maintenance system, provides both operators and manufacturers with real-time insights into system conditions. This allows military forces to plan maintenance proactively, ensuring that equipment remains operational at critical moments. 

“Now both parties know when a system will need maintenance, meaning that armed forces can plan for their operational availability while we can plan more accurately – and usefully – our maintenance activities,” Yann explains. 

Optimised Repair Strategies for Rapid Response 

When unexpected failures occur, rapid response times are essential. Thales has developed a remote diagnostic system that allows technicians to assess system failures before physical inspection. 

Through this system, Thales experts can run real-time diagnostics to identify faults before dispatching personnel. They determine if on-site repairs are possible or if parts need to be shipped. They ensure that necessary spare parts are pre-ordered and ready before equipment arrives at the repair facility. 

By eliminating unnecessary delays, this approach reduces repair turnaround times and enhances operational efficiency. 

Thales has also established a dedicated repair line at its Châtellerault facility, ensuring that maintenance operations do not disrupt production lines. This ensures that systems are repaired and returned to service as quickly as possible. 

A Digital-Driven Future for Military Maintenance 

By integrating Augmented Reality, predictive maintenance, and AI-powered diagnostics, Thales is reshaping how armed forces manage system availability. These innovations provide real-time visibility into equipment health, accelerate repair processes, and reduce costs, ensuring that military forces remain mission-ready at all times. 

Through a combination of digital tools tailored to customers, such as AR, shared technologies like SmartFleet, and internal AI-powered systems, Thales has successfully streamlined military maintenance and repair activities. 

“This way, our customers can focus on mission success while we orchestrate their maintenance and repair activities for improved and stress-free force readiness,” Yann concludes. 

Ensuring Unmatched Operational Availability with Thales 

With military operations growing increasingly complex, armed forces must be equipped with the most advanced maintenance solutions to ensure continuous system performance. Thales provides AI-powered predictive diagnostics, allowing proactive maintenance planning. Augmented Reality-based repair assistance reduces downtime and human error. Remote and rapid repair strategies ensure fast and cost-effective system restoration. 

By combining cutting-edge digital tools with expert support, Thales is revolutionising military maintenance operations, ensuring that forces remain agile, responsive, and mission-ready in any combat scenario.