Thales is a member of the Rafale team with Dassault Aviation and Snecma (Safran).
Thales equips the Rafale combat aircraft with systems providing it with a multi-sensor capability, such as the RBE2 AESA, the first European combat radar with active electronic scanning antenna, the Spectra electronic warfare system, optronics, the communication, navigation and identification system, avionics and power generation and conversion systems. These systems represent around 25% of the total value of the Rafale.
“Thales is delighted at this latest success for the Rafale, which reflects the trust our customers place in the industrial know-how and technological leadership of the companies involved in the design of the Rafale omnirole combat aircraft. Thales has been operating in Qatar for 30 years and has supplied a wide range of systems for defence, security, aerospace and ground transportation. Thales would like to thank the Qatar authorities for their continued confidence,” said Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Thales Group.
The Rafale is the first completely omnirole fighter capable of accomplishing all the missions assigned to combat aircraft (air-air, air-ground, air-sea). It first came into active service with the French Navy and the French Air Force in 2004-2006, gradually replacing seven types of aircraft belonging to the preceding generations.
The Rafale was deployed in Afghanistan (2007-2012), Libya (2011), in the Sahel-Saharan strip (since 2013) and in Iraq (since September 2014). It was chosen for the Indian Army’s request for proposal for 126 aircraft. Negotiations surrounding the Rafale are currently underway with several governments.
