Thales has been subcontracted by Leidos to support Nato’s ballistic missile defence (BMD) architecture on the Integrated Test Bed in Hague, the Netherlands.
The four-year subcontract comes with options for extension and is a follow-on to the Active Layer Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence contract.
Earlier this year, Leidos was selected to serve as prime contractor along with eight teammates from Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, and the US, to support Nato’s BMD programme.
The team will design, develop and test the interfaces with Nato’s and national weapons and sensors.
Under the subcontract, Thales will carry out testing and integration activities required for the verification of the Nato BMD architecture.
Thales vice-president and in charge of Above Water Systems activities John Alfrink said: "We have reached this important milestone together with our partners and see this as an appreciation of our efforts in the field of ballistic missile defence technology for more than a decade."
In 2006, Thales’ modified SMART-L volume search radar was tested on board the Royal Netherlands Navy’s De Zeven Provinciën-class vessel, HNLMS Tromp.
The test demonstrated the radar’s ability to track a ballistic missile immediately after being launched as well as provide a real-time uplink of the missile’s trajectory.
In 2014, Thales received orders to upgrade the four SMART-L radars on board De Zeven Provinciën-class vessels for BMD capabilities.
Image: The Royal Netherlands Navy HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (F802) frigate. Photo: courtesy of Thales Group.
