DGA acquires ThalesRaytheonSystems Ground Master radars to boost France’s airspace surveillance

MASSY, France, 12 Dec. 2014. ThalesRaytheonSystems won a contract by French defense procurement agency DGA to supply French armed forces with 12 fixed Ground Master 400 radars and four mobile tactical Ground Master 200 radars. The contract also includes installation and civil engineering work for the 12 Ground Master 400 radars.

The contract falls under the SCCOA program, designed to provide airspace surveillance and control and air operations command capability for French forces. The incremental program is intended to evolve and increase this capability to assure air surveillance, space situational awareness, control of military and government flights, and air operations command and control.

This contract is part of the SCCOA air command and control program for which ThalesRaytheonSystems is the main supplier. France has acquired Ground Master radars for its military bases in Kourou, Nice, and Lyon. The radar in Kourou, the first of its kind to enter operational service in France, was inaugurated on 27 November 2014, officials explain.

The new radars will be coupled with the NATO ACCS. They will provide airspace monitoring, a high-priority mission under the country's Permanent Security Posture (PSP), and ground-based air defense detection.

The Ground Master 400 and Ground Master 200 belong to the family of 3D air defense radars built by Thales. The Ground Master range of fully digital, multi-role air defense radars is dedicated to airspace surveillance and the protection of key assets and expeditionary forces. These systems are specifically designed to deliver high detection performance, high operational availability, excellent mobility and simplified maintenance. They are able to detect a vast array of modern threats, such as UAVs from very low to very high altitude. More than 80 Ground Master radars have been sold around the world.

The Air Command and Control System (ACCS), for which ThalesRaytheonSystems is prime contractor, is designed to adapt to evolving NATO operations, with continued advancements to AirC2 or additional ballistic missile defense capabilities. ACCS will provide the solid command and control foundation needed for future Alliance missions. ACCS is a smart defense system in that it provides all NATO nations with a common basis for training, standard procedures and centralized maintenance, significantly reducing support costs and increasing staffing flexibility.

ThalesRaytheonSystems is an international company specializing in air defense systems, air command and control systems, 3D air defense radars, battlefield and counterbattery radars.