Thales UK announced that it has signed a contract worth over £100 million with the Indonesian Ministry of Defence for ForceSHIELD, Thales’ integrated Advanced Air Defence system.In addition to the supply of STARStreak short-range air defence missiles, the system comprises CONTROLMaster200 radar and weapon coordination systems, RAPIDRanger mobile weapon systems and Lightweight Multiple Launchers (LML), as well as associated communications, training and support equipment.

Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales UK, said: “Thales is the only European defence contractor with the in-depth knowledge and range of advanced technologies to deliver a leading-edge integrated air defence solution such as ForceSHIELD. This solution for the Indonesian Army marks a new approach to air defence in that it provides a complete turnkey solution comprising latest-generation ‘sensor to effects’ technologies. I would like to express my gratitude to the Prime Minister for his personal support on this project and the support of the government - it makes a huge difference to industry and our customers.”

For the realisation of this program, Thales will increase its existing industrial cooperation with the Republic of Indonesia, and has signed an agreement with the Indonesian company PT LEN Industri. The Group will continue to develop a long-term partnership with the Indonesian industry on future programs in both the military and civil sectors.

Thales’ ForceSHIELD solution is based on customising and combining a range of product lines such as radars, communications, engagement and fire control systems, launchers and missiles to meet front-line users’ needs. This approach provides highly-effective capabilities for its customers to meet the increasing array of asymmetric and conventional air threats in today’s security environment.

The CONTROLMaster200 comprises the latest generation solid-state radar, capable of detecting and tracking 200 targets simultaneously out to ranges up to 250km. It incorporates the CONTROLView engagement control system that evaluates threats, assigns weapons, and coordinates combat management activity - enabling complex and critical decisions to be made faster and with greater precision and security.

The RAPIDRanger is a unique lightweight vehicle-based launcher and fire control system, which can be integrated into a network-enabled force structure and coordinated with a variety of Command and Control systems. Equipped with the STARStreak high-velocity missile, RAPIDRanger has the ability to defeat a wide variety of air threats, including ground attack aircraft, pop-up Attack Helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles.

The STARStreak missile operates at a speed in excess of Mach 3 to defeat fast-moving threats and those with short unmasking times. The three-dart ‘hittile’ configuration maximizes lethality and the highly-accurate laser beam riding guidance enables engagement of low-signature targets and is immune to all known countermeasures.