Thales Wins French MoD Contract for Laser Research

Released on Thursday, June 07, 2007

The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has selected Thales to lead an ambitious advanced research project (PEA) on new laser sources for military applications.

Effective since January 2007, the contract is worth close to 11 million euros and will last five years.

The procurement agency launched a competitive bidding process in 2006 and this year chose a consortium of Thales research teams, working with the French company Manlight, a technology provider specialising in fibre lasers.

The study will prepare the groundwork for development of laser sources for jamming, target designation/rangefinding and active imaging systems.

The studies will include the following militarised low-energy lasers:

band I laser for detection and jamming of pointed optics, and new band III technologies for land forces applications

target designation/range finding laser for airborne systems

airborne laser system for active imaging

new multifunction laser combining target designation/range finding with active imaging

new active imaging laser for missile seekers.

The study contract for defence applications is a further endorsement of Thales's world-renowned expertise in the design and manufacture of advanced laser systems.