Thales has won a contract from the Joint Armaments Cooperation Organisation (OCCAr) to upgrade the fire control system for anti-air missiles integrated on the French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
Work under the upgrade contract, awarded on behalf of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), involves the installation of new equipment and will be undertaken as part of the carrier’s planned refit programme in 2018.
Thales will upgrade the SAAM France surface-to-air anti-missile system, which was built and installed in the 1990s and defends the vessel from a range of air threats.
The upgrade, which involves a new open IT architecture, will extend Charles de Gaulle’s service life.
Thales said in a statement: "This contract award is an endorsement of Thales’s research efforts in system and software engineering and its continuing investment in air defence.
"Based on the technology developed for the CONTROLView programme, Thales can offer a mature, de-risked missile fire control solution for naval operations."
Thales will apply the same software developed for its CONTROLView command-and-control system, which performs threat assessments and weapon assignment, in addition to coordinating very-short, short and medium-range engagements.
The system also enables commanders to implement complex, critical decisions more rapidly and with greater accuracy and security.
Image: The French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. Photo: courtesy of Snip.
