Aero India 2021: Paris based European defence giant Thales will display its latest family of Airmaster C airborne surveillance radars, Talios Pod and Starstreak missiles among other arms and armaments such as counter drone technology at India’s prestigious defence and aerospace exhibition Aero India, said the company, adding that this year the focus will on its Make in India initiatives.
India holds biennial defence and aerospace exhibition at Yelhanka air force station near Bengaluru in southern state of Karnataka.
Thales said visitors would get a chance to witness the latest cutting-edge technologies across civil and defence aerospace as well as land and naval defence, with a special feature the company’s commitment to Make in India which is aimed at boosting indigenous defence production.
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“At Aero India 2021, Thales will showcase its airborne optronic capability the targeting and reconnaissance pod TALIOS that combines targeting and tactical reconnaissance capabilities in a single pod which will be able to embed artificial intelligence in the future, and also a range of rockets for fixed and rotary wing military aircraft,” Thales said in a statement.
Talios pod on Rafale jet.
The premier air-show attracts defence and aerospace companies from across the world with strong participation from general public as well.
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However, this time, the defence exhibition, which will be held in Bengaluru from February 3 to 5, will only have business visitors due to Covid-19 pandemic related restrictions.
This year, Thales will also bring the latest addition to its family of airborne surveillance radars, the AirMaster C, to the prestigious defence exhibition.
With this new product, the European defence and space giant said it would offer an optimised surveillance solution for a broader array of platform to the users to ensure they benefit from the highest levels of mission performance.
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Among other things, Thales will also demonstrate other solutions for the tri-forces such as SYNAPS software defined radios, armaments, small arms, counter-UAV measures and air defence solutions such as STARStreak.
Francois Arpagaus, Product Line Director with Thales AirMaster C Radar.
Thales recently announced partnership with India’s state owned missile manufacturer Bharat Dynamics Limited for integrating the defence PSU in manufacturing of StarStreak missiles.
Some of the other highlights at Aero India this year will include military and civil avionics, Air Traffic Management Systems that support today’s growing domestic and international travel requirements, among others, said the company.
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“Driven by the purpose to build a future everyone can trust, we remain resolute in our commitment to the ‘Make in India’ vision of the Government of India,” said Emmanuel de Roquefeuil, Vice-President and Country Director of Thales India.
Roquefeuil said the company has been supporting the modernisation efforts of the Indian armed forces since the start of its operation in the country to help Indian military to achieve and maintain tactical superiority over any form of threat.
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“Aero India 2021 provides us with an opportunity to present our latest and advanced technologies that serve the needs of the country’s defence forces, and strengthen our local partnerships,” Roquefeuil added.
Emmanuel de Roquefeuil, Country Director, Thales India.
Paris headquartered defence company, which employs over 83,000 people worldwide, has been active in India’s defence market for nearly seven decades.
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According to the company, over 1,800 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India.
The company has two engineering competence centres in India, while Delhi-NCR based centre is focused on digital identity and security business and the other one in Bengaluru is focused on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors for global customers.
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