As the Farnborough International Air Show 2010 draws to an end for Industry this week, Thales have enjoyed yet again another successful year at the show.  Employees have been working hard all week generating new business and finalising current deals.

The air show provided the opportunity to bring together many industry leaders at one location for business meetings and the opportunity to showcase our products and generate new leads and contacts which we are hopeful will lead to new business for our organisation. 

Thales now look forward to the weekend Farnborough where we will be hosting customers and their families, providing a social setting with hospitality and the opportunity to enjoy the air displays from our purpose built terrace.

For further information about Thales please visit www.thalesgroup.com.

ADS, the UK’s Aerospace, Defence and Security trade organisation, has announced that it is opening a new office in Northern Ireland in association with Invest Northern Ireland. David Beatty, head of Thales UK’s Belfast facility, is to take the role of Chairman. 

The new presence for ADS will deliver a programme tailored to identify opportunities aimed at further developing Northern Ireland (NI) aerospace, defence and security companies to reach their full potential, increasing market share and raising awareness of NI manufacturing capability and technological achievements internationally. The office will bring together leaders from the major global aerospace, defence, and security companies with a NI presence, along with successful indigenous companies and academia to collectively decide policy and give direction to the ADS NI team.

Ian Godden, Chairman of ADS, says: “The UK is number one in Europe and second only to the US globally in aerospace and defence, with the sectors that we represent combining to employ 500,000 people and generate over £60 billion per year to the UK economy. The underlying reason for this strength is the diversity of its supply chain from the largest to the smallest companies and Northern Ireland is a perfect illustration of this. There are a great number of opportunities for businesses to enter the supply chain in Northern Ireland as well as for businesses based there who wish to access ADS services to boost their own exposure to UK and international trading opportunities.”

Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland, says: “The launch of ADS Northern Ireland office is recognition of the importance of this sector to both the Northern Ireland and wider UK economies. Through ADS, Northern Ireland member companies of all sizes will be able to access valuable resources to improve their capabilities, supply chain opportunities and new export based growth. This new office and the goals of ADS fit with Invest NI’s aerospace strategy of encouraging Northern Ireland based companies to seek higher value added opportunities within the global aerospace sector.”

David Beatty, Managing Director of Thales UK’s Belfast facility and Chairman of ADS Northern Ireland, says: “It is excellent for Northern Ireland and its economy that the hard work of ADS, Invest Northern Ireland, academia and business has delivered an office that will join all our efforts together to boost the aerospace, defence and security sectors. We have put together a great team to deliver for ADS members in Northern Ireland and we now look forward to getting to work for these leading high-technology companies of all sizes.”

The founding of ADS Northern Ireland and the launch of the Belfast office is the culmination of over 12 months’ work between ADS, the local industry, Invest Northern Ireland and other stakeholders to determine how best to add value to the aerospace, defence and security sectors within NI. From market information and trade missions to supply chain improvement and skills development, ADS represents member companies, and works diligently in promoting the UK’s aerospace and defence sectors. The NI sector now has an excellent opportunity to take similar control of its future through ADS NI. A seamless resource of 100+ ADS staff located in the UK and overseas who have vast experience and knowledge across the entire spectrum of aerospace, defence, security and space will add considerable weight to the talents of the individual NI member companies.

Businesses interested in exploring opportunities in NI with ADS should contact NIreland@adsgroup.org.uk.

Photograph attached below is of (from left to right):

• Ian Watson, Director Scotland & Northern Ireland, ADS;
• David Beatty, Thales UK & Chairman of ADS Northern Ireland;
• Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland;
• Michael Ryan, Vice President and General Manager, Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast; and
• Dr Leslie Orr, Manager, ADS Northern Ireland.

Thales UK has launched its new Vicon XF Intelligent Counter Measure Dispenser System (CMDS) at FIA2010. The new product follows on from the proven and widely used Vicon 78 CMDS, but expands on its capabilities through the provision of a programmable SmartStore Dispenser system which intuitively knows both the specific type of countermeasure and its location within the dispenser unit.

Vicon XF is aimed at both the UK domestic and international Defensive Aids System (DAS) markets for both fixed wing and rotary wing platforms. Vicon XF is fully interchangeable with Vicon 78 providing existing customers a simple upgrade path to an enhanced operational capability with a proven support infrastructure.

The new product has generated substantial interest at the show from visiting delegations, DAS integrators and platform builders and promises to continue Thales UK’s strong heritage in the provision of effective and affordable airborne counter measure systems.

Thales UK and Intellect today announce the launch of the INSTINCT Technology Demonstrator 2 (TD2) project, which seeks to discover, trial and showcase innovative technologies, solutions and ideas that will improve aviation security technologies or processes.

The project invites participation from any person, company or academic institution, regardless of size or location, that has a technology, solution or idea that could improve aviation security at any stage in the air travel process from the point of planning a trip, through to boarding an aircraft.

The INSTINCT TD2 project seeks to support the development of ideas which could be implemented within the aviation security environment, as well as increasing the awareness of these ‘products’ and their capabilities to the airport, airline and security authorities and companies.

A £50 000 prize fund is available, as well as the opportunity to test technologies, solutions or ideas in a real environment that entrants may not normally have access to.

Further information about the project can be found here: TD2

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner flew into Farnborough on the opening day for its first appearance at an International Air show.

Dreamliner, expected to enter into service later this year, is a new generation aircraft that is lighter and more fuel-efficient than conventional aircraft. Thales has contributed to the weight reductions achieved for the B787, by creating lightweight systems such as the TopSeries In-flight Entertainment System. Qatar Airways has confirmed the selection of the Thales TopSeries system for its fleet of 30 787 aircraft. This is a first of kind, next generation system, which will allow every passenger to access current news, sports, social networks and other mobile applications.

The Thales and the Boeing 787 team have successfully achieved another major milestone on the B787 training device programme, with the start of maintenance training at the ANA Training Centre in Tokyo, using a complete real-time simulation on the B787. This is a world first for the B787 programme, and was achieved with Thales equipment being used to deliver the training.

On display in the Simulation Zone of the Thales stand (Chalet no. S1) is the Thales desktop simulator (adaptable for military or civil requirements). Thales is providing the full flight simulators used to support the B787 training of maintenance technicians and flight crew at Boeing training centres globally

Defence secretary Liam Fox visited the Thales pavilion today after giving a speech to contractors at the Farnborough International Air show. 

 Fox managed to fit time into his busy schedule to visit the Thales pavilion to receive a tour hosted by Alex Dorian, Thales UK chief executive and deputy chief executive, Victor Chavez.

During his visit, Fox was shown a variety of Thales products and capabilities, in particular the Lightweight Multi-Role Missile (LMM) pictured above.  The LMM is a low cost, lightweight, precision strike missile which has been designed to be fired from a variety of tactical platforms including fixed or rotary winged Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

With the government currently reviewing its defence budget, The LMM’s low cost is an important factor in its success in the current financial climate.

During his speech at the show, Fox said: “We demand, and the nation expects, that our armed forces are provided with the equipment and support they require to do the jobs that we ask them to do. But in addition we demand, and the nation expects, that we can demonstrate value for money on defence expenditure”  highlighting the importance of these low cost solutions to protect our armed forces.

To find out more about LMM or any of our other products, visit a Thales representative who will be happy to explain more.

The Thales pavilion opened its doors for business today at the 2010 Farnborough International Air show.

With new products, live demonstrations, hospitality and press space, our four-storey stand-alone glass structure is well equipped to successfully entertain all audiences.

This year’s theme: ‘Intelligent Systems Start with Thales’ aims to demonstrate our global capability in state of the art technologies, complex system architectures and the ability to deliver swiftly to customers.

To find out more about our products and capabilities or to view some of our live demonstrations, visit the Thales pavilion at chalet S1.