Thales announces new naval combat management centre in the uk
Thales is pleased to announce it is opening a UK centre of excellence to develop its globally proven TACTICOS naval combat management system in support of the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigate programme.
As part of the Babcock-led Team 31 Arrowhead proposed ship solution, Thales will be responsible for the delivery of the next generation mission system components, including sensors, countermeasures and communications
To deliver on this commitment, Thales is extending its combat system design and delivery capabilities within the UK. The Type 31 mission system activity customisation will create a significant number of high-tech jobs in the UK and also within a wider supply chain.
The UK Combat System Centre of Excellence will extend technical capabilities at our sites in Bristol and Crawley. This will establish a sovereign UK capability within the TACTICOS product line that will provide direct support to the RN and also the export initiatives for the Type 31 platform.
The UK-led expertise will extend the considerable pedigree that has been led and delivered from Thales at Hengelo in the Netherlands.
TACTICOS is Thales’s naval Combat Management System (CMS) and this sits at the heart of a maritime Combat System. For the last 25 years, TACTICOS has been continuously developed in order to meet present and future military needs.
TACTICOS’s under-pinning open architecture infrastructure is what makes it so adaptable and well-suited to numerous navies with different combat system configurations and operating requirements. With 26 customer navies on all continents, TACTICOS has become the world’s most successful CMS.
Eddie Awang, VP Defence Mission Systems for Thales in the UK:
The build-up of capability in the UK is an exciting opportunity to build on the strength of the Thales Group and best position us to support and grow our business for UK domestic and export customers.
“We are looking forward to continuing the close working relationship we have established with Babcock on delivering this pathfinder programme. The mission suite we are proposing for Type 31 is tried and proven and also offers the capabilities to deliver a truly digital and innovative solution for the Royal Navy.”
John Howie, CEO Marine , Babcock said: “Our Babcock Team 31 partners, Thales are world leaders in Combat Systems Integration. Our proposal to fit the Thales TACTICOS Combat Management System into our Arrowhead-140 design for the Royal Navy will give the UK a world-leading CMS and ensures that we have a platform and mission system capability that will maximise the export potential of Type31e.”
