With more than 40 years’ experience with these systems, Thales is in a position to lead the development of existing and future UAV programmes.
UAVs are becoming increasingly important in defence planning. Such autonomous systems have great potential for saving lives both as pilotless aircraft and by their ability to protect ground troops and precisely locate enemy targets, thereby minimising danger for civilians.
UAVs have the added benefit of offering high, durable and flexible performance. Given that these aircraft can be applied in both military and civil spheres, Thales is supporting international regulatory initiatives aimed at laying the ground for integrating UAVs into civil airspace, where their possible applications are infinite. UAVs may for example be used in fire control, exploration of inaccessible terrain, crowd control and analysis, visual impact assessment for major works or control and monitoring of environmental accidents, among other uses.
UAV technologies and the capabilities of Thales systems have a proven track record in operational scenarios and have shown an ability to manage complex programmes in the field. Thales’s solution covers both tactical UAVs and MALE (medium altitude long endurance) UAVs designed to meet operational needs in identifying, locating and tracking enemy movements.