On the last day of the International Radar Conference 2019 in Toulon (23-27 September), Thales and Naval Group organised a media event at the Shore Integration Facility (SIF) in nearby Saint Mandrier, which is operated by the French defence procurement agency's SESDA air defence systems testing establishment.

The event attracted about a dozen journalists from the trade press (Mer & Marine, Naval News), national news outlets (La Tribune) and international media (Jane’s), as well as the BFM news organisation. It provided an ideal opportunity for Thales to promote its new naval radar and communication solutions, and to demonstrate its ability to meet France's defence requirements by proposing innovative solutions that harness the latest digital technologies to counter new types of threats.

First on the podium at the event was the Sea Fire (1) radar, which will be deployed by France's future FDI frigates (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention).

Naval expert and marketing manager Pierre Krotoff then presented COMTICS (2) and PARTNER-C (3), with demonstrations of the new systems that attracted a lot of interest from our media guests. To meet the French Navy's connectivity requirements now and in the future, these new solutions are designed for a new generation of naval personnel who expect their communication systems to be as simple and as intuitive to use as their smartphones or tablets.

Sea Fire (1)
Sea Fire is the first all-digital fixed-array multi-function radar. It is at least twice as reliable as earlier-generation mechanically scanned radars and meets the needs of multiple types of naval missions.

COMTICS (2)
COMTICS is a new shipboard information distribution system designed to provide secure communications between crew members as well as access to radio systems. COMTICS is fully customisable and offers personnel maximum mobility on board and the same type of services as civil communication systems (video, web access, email and chat).

PARTNER-C (3)
PARTNER-C is a secure, integrated digital management system for naval communications. Launched at Euronaval 2018, PARTNER-C includes automatic set-up functions that allow users to configure all shipboard and external communication systems in record time.

The daylong event was a chance to remind the media about Thales's continuing leadership in advanced naval communications to support real-time decision-making in critical situations. Underpinning the technical excellence and level of maturity achieved by Thales systems today is the widespread adoption of Agile development methods, which rely on regular, structured interactions with users to ensure that new systems meet real-life operational requirements as closely as possible. A total of 53 naval forces rely on Thales equipment and systems, and the Group brings to the table unrivalled expertise and more than 50 years of experience in delivering naval solutions all over the world. This international footprint is another major asset that is expected to open up further opportunities in the near future.