As part of the FLORAKO program modernization, armasuisse has awarded Thales a contract to upgrade the Master radars for the Swiss Air Force. This contract, which amounts to 74 million euros, will be the main order within the broader FLORAKO radars life extension project approved by the Swiss government in 2016, is intended to extend the lifespan of the radars and to ensure operational excellence until 2030.
The modernization of all fixed long-range surveillance radars will be carried out at the Thales site in Limours near Paris in cooperation with RUAG Defence, who will act as a Thales subcontractor.
This upgrade will take around 60 months until the last radar test can be completed, including a 24 month development phase leveraging the previous radar technologies. It will optimize the long-term performance support and ensure operational excellence for the full lifespan of the radars within the existing infrastructure.
Engineering teams will develop a new radar signal and data processing and upgrade the antenna system, while, integration teams will carry out testing and qualification phases. The upgraded radars will be delivered to the Swiss Air Force one by one as soon as their performance has been successfully verified.
The Swiss Air Force has an air Defence command and control system that has been fully operational since 2004. Designed by Thales in collaboration with other industrial partners, this system is one of the most complete and high performance air defense command and control systems currently in use in the world. FLORAKO is able to correlate civil and military data in real time, thus improving the quality of the global representation of airspace while reducing decision-making time.
With its unique expertise in air defense systems, airspace management and radar lifetime extension, Thales is able to meet the requirements expressed by the Swiss Air Force.
“We are proud that armasuisse has decided to renew its trust in Thales and award us with the sustainability contract for the Swiss Air Force radars until 2030. Our longstanding partnership, as part of the FLORAKO program, with the armasuisse teams and the Swiss industrial and institutional environment is very important to us. We are fully committed to this partnership and are keen to meet the requirements and expectations of the Swiss armed forces,” said Thomas Got, Thales VP in charge of military air operations and weapon systems.
Thales is the only company in Europe able to deliver a fully integrated air defense capability, from radars and C2 centers through to effectors and their respective fire control systems. For 40 years, Thales has developed, manufactured and supplied high-performance air defense systems. As the leading provider of integrated weapon systems with more than 450 mobile systems serving customers worldwide, Thales is the market leader. Thales has sold nearly 30 radars from the Master family across the world.
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defense and Security markets. With 62,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €14 billion in 2015. With over 22,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its exceptional international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.
Since Thales’ initial presence in Switzerland in the 1940s, the Group has become a leading provider of high-tech solutions and services in the country. Today, the Group employs around 220 people in Switzerland, and is principally active in the Transportation and Defense markets.
