Officials at the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) needed a professional systems integrator for its Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) program to equip the British army with a family of medium-weight, network-enabled, air-deployable armored vehicles that will fulfill as many as 16 different missions.

MoD officials have named Thales U.K. of London in partnership with the Defence U.K. subsidiary of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis as the preferred bidder for the role of System of Systems Integrator (SOSI) for the FRES program.

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“Thales and our partner Boeing are committed to helping the MoD achieve success in FRES, which is the U.K. Army’s highest-priority equipment program,” Alex Dorrian, CEO of Thales U.K., says. “We are ready to build upon the rapid decision made by the MoD to drive forward with pace to the successful delivery of the program.”

“Underpinning expertise includes capability-based acquisition, commercial innovation, the management of complex supply chains, and world-class systems integration skills,” Dorrian adds. “The team also has excellent domain knowledge of the U.K. defense acquisition process and of the land environment, including armored fighting vehicles.”

For additional information, visit Thales and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems online at www.thalesonline.com and www.boeing.com/ids.