The
Thales Group is a French
electronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
company delivering
information systemsInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and services for the
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, defense, transportation and
securitySecurity is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
markets. The headquarters are in
Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
(in the suburbs of
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), and its stock is listed on the
Euronext ParisEuronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV, which is the second largest exchange in Europe behind the UK's London Stock Exchange...
.
The company changed its name to Thales from
Thomson-CSFThomson-CSF was a major electronics and defence contractor. In December 2000 it was renamed Thales Group.-History:In 1879 Elihu Thomson and Edwin Houston formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in the United States....
in December 2000 shortly after the £1,300 million acquisition of
Racal Electronics plcRacal Electronics plc was once the third-largest British electronics firm. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, Racal was a diversified company, offering products including: as voice and data recorders; point of sale terminals; laboratory instruments;...
, a UK defence electronics group. It is now partially state-owned by the
French StateThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and has operations in more than 50 countries. It has 68,000 employees and generated €13.1 billion in revenues in 2010. The Group is ranked as the 475th largest company by
FortuneFortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
500 Global, is the 11th largest defence contractor in the world and 60% of its total sales are military sales.
Significant changes have occurred since the largest private shareholder,
AlcatelAlcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
, sold its stake in Thales to Dassault. The CEO for many years, Denis Ranque, was replaced by Luc Vigneron (formerly of the much smaller state-controlled armoured vehicle manufacturer Nexter) who has initiated an extensive re-organisation.
The Thales Group is named after the Greek philosopher
ThalesThales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
. The company is pronounced taˈlɛs.
History
Thales' predecessor, Thomson-CSF, evolved from
Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (CFTH), which was established in 1893. However Thomson-CSF itself was established in 1968 when
Thomson-BrandtTechnicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...
(the renamed CFTH) merged its electronics arm with that of
Compagnie Générale de Télégraphie Sans Fil (CSF).
Thales formed a joint venture with
RaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
in June, 2001 to combine their radar and communications systems divisions. Named
ThalesRaytheonSystemsThalesRaytheonSystems is a joint venture between Raytheon of the United States and Thales Group of France. ThalesRaytheon was formed in June, 2001, for the purpose of combining the radar and Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence or C4I systems efforts of the two firms....
, the firm is 50% owned by both parent companies.
In 2002 Thales set up the joint venture company Armaris with the French shipbuilder DCN to offer a total "bottom up" shipbuilding capability.
In 2002, Thales Broadcast Multimedia, a former subsidiary of Thales, provided
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with standard short-wave radio-broadcasting equipment designed for general public radio-broadcasting. Although the contract was not at all for the purpose of jamming foreign radio stations broadcasting to China, it now appears that this is what the ALLISS
antennaAn antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
s are being used for.
In 2003 Thales UK's design won the competition for the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Future Carrier (CVF)The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are a two-ship class of aircraft carrier being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2020. HMS Queen Elizabeth will not be built to a CATOBAR configuration, but the second ship HMS...
and the company now participates in an alliance company with
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
and the UK
Ministry of DefenceThe Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. This Thales design may form the basis of the
Future French aircraft carrierPA2 is a planned new aircraft carrier developed for the French Navy by Thales Naval France and DCNS from the Thales UK/BMT design for the future British Queen Elizabeth class....
which the company has agreed to build with DCN.
In 2006 Thales acquired
Australian Defence IndustriesThales Australia is a primary defence contractor for the Australian Defence Force. Thales Australia is best known for its naval ship repair operations, and currently leases the Captain Cook graving dock at Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, New South Wales and also leases and occupies many of the...
, a major manufacturer of military equipment such as smokeless gunpowder and the
Bushmaster IMVThe Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle or Infantry Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built wheeled armoured vehicle. It was originally designed by Irish company Timoney Technology Ltd under a licence agreement with Perry Engineering in Adelaide; that licence was sold, with permission granted by...
.
Alcatel deal
In April, 2006, Thales announced it would be acquiring
AlcatelAlcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
's space business (67% of Alcatel Alenia Space and 33% of
TelespazioTelespazio is a space systems services company, based in Rome, Italy. Telespazio was founded in 1961; however the company as it exists today was formed on July 1 2005 with the merger of the original Telespazio with the space services division of Alcatel...
), and Alcatel's Rail Signalling Solutions division in a deal which also raised Alcatel's ownership of Thales to 21.66 percent. The French government would also decrease its ownership in Thales to 27.1 percent from 31.3 percent as part of the acquisition. According to an Alcatel Press Room Web page of April 5, 2006, the deal would also include the Systems Integration activities (those not dedicated to telecoms operators, and covering mainly the transport and energy sectors). In December 2008, Alcatel agreed to sell a 20.8% stake in French engineering group Thales SA to Dassault Aviation SA for €1.57 billion ($2.27 billion).
Areas of business
Thales Group has made many electronic devices and equipment used by the French Armed Forces from its past as Thomson-CSF, including the
SPECTRA helmetThe SPECTRA helmet or CGF Gallet Combat Helmet is the ballistic helmet currently in use in the French military, as well as in the armies of several other countries. Built by CGF Gallet , it weighs , is available in two sizes, and is made from Spectra fibers, produced under license from Honeywell...
for the army and the
gendarmerie. It has worked with
Dassault AviationDassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...
on the Rafale and made its
SPECTRAThe Thales SPECTRA is an integrated defensive aids suite developed by Thales Group for the Dassault Rafale series of fighter aircraft.All elements of the Thales SPECTRA system are built into the airframe, and have high levels of automation and system...
defensive aids. Thales often worked with DCNS and designed the electronics used on French ships, and it is involved in the construction of both the
HorizonThe Horizon Common New Generation Frigate is a multi-national collaboration to produce a new generation of anti-air warfare frigates. Originally an alliance of Britain, France and Italy, the project is now a French/Italian effort following the withdrawal of Britain due to differing requirements...
and
FREMMThe FREMM Multipurpose Frigate is a ship designed by DCNS/Armaris and Fincantieri to operate in anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, and be capable of carrying out deep strikes against land targets.The French Navy plans to operate eleven FREMM frigates, and the Marina...
programs. Thales, as Thomson-CSF, was involved in the Taiwan frigates scandal, relating to the sale of
La Fayette classThe La Fayette class units are light multi-mission frigates built by DCN and operated by French Marine Nationale...
frigates to Taiwan. It is also present in
EurosamEurosam GIE is a European manufacturer of anti-air missiles.Eurosam was established in June 1989 for the development of the Famille de missiles Sol-Air Futurs . Eurosam was initially a joint venture between Aérospatiale, Alenia and Thomson-CSF...
as Thomson-CSF was a founder of the consortium along
AérospatialeAérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
and
Alenia AeronauticaAlenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, is a European aerospace company from Italy. Its subsidiaries include Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali...
. In February 2004, Thales was awarded a contract for a new command and control system for the French Navy, the SIC 21, that will be fitted on the Charles de Gaulle, many vessels and shore locations. Additionally, the
Future French aircraft carrierPA2 is a planned new aircraft carrier developed for the French Navy by Thales Naval France and DCNS from the Thales UK/BMT design for the future British Queen Elizabeth class....
involves Thales as the main designer of the ship. Thales is also working on
X-rayX-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
imaging, finances, energy and operating commercial satellites.
Thales international
Thales' international subsidiaries generated 52% of the company's revenue in 2008, with Thales UK being the largest of these accounting for 13% of group revenue. Its large presence in the UK (largely as a result of the
RacalRacal Electronics plc was once the third-largest British electronics firm. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, Racal was a diversified company, offering products including: as voice and data recorders; point of sale terminals; laboratory instruments;...
acquisition) has resulted in several high profile contracts.
Defence
The company's design won the competition for the Royal Navy
Future Carrier (CVF)The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are a two-ship class of aircraft carrier being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2020. HMS Queen Elizabeth will not be built to a CATOBAR configuration, but the second ship HMS...
. It is part of the AirTanker consortium, the winning bid for the RAF's
Future Strategic Tanker AircraftFuture Strategic Tanker Aircraft is a British project to procure aerial refuelling and air transport for the Royal Air Force to replace VC10 and Lockheed TriStars then in service. After evaluation of bids the RAF selected the AirTanker consortium who had offered the Airbus A330 MRTT. AirTanker...
. Thales UK won the contract for the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
UAVAn unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
programme,
WatchkeeperWatchkeeper WK450 is a £800 million contract awarded in July 2005 to Thales to provide the British Army with an unmanned aerial vehicle for all weather, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance use....
. It also produces the
SWARMThe SWARM Remote Weapon System is a fully armored remote weapon system designed and built by the Thales Group in Glasgow, Scotland. The SWARM system consists of two main assemblies: the Gun Processing and Interface Unit , which is operated inside the vehicle, and the external Weapon and Sensor...
remote weapon stationA remote weapon station, also known as a remote weapon system, is a weaponized system for light and medium caliber weapons which can be installed on ground combat vehicle or sea and air-based combat platforms. Such equipment is used on modern military vehicles, as it allows a gunner to remain in...
.
Thales Air DefenceThales Air Defence Limited, formerly Shorts Missile Systems, is a defence contractor based in Belfast, Northern Ireland producing short-range or close air defence missiles. The company has a turnover of approximately £70m and pre-tax profits of £7m....
produces a range of short-range missile systems such as the
StarstreakStarstreak is a British short range surface-to-air missile manufactured by Thales Air Defence , in Belfast. It is also known as Starstreak HVM where HVM stands for "High Velocity Missile". After launch the missile accelerates to approximately Mach 3.5, at which point it launches three laser beam...
surface-to-air missile.
Civil
Thales has major involvement in the UK rail industry as a result of the Racal merger and the 2006 acquisition of Alcatel's Rail Signalling Solutions division and transport business. Thales holds contracts worth £480 million for providing new signalling for the
London UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
Search and Rescue
Thales, as part of the
Soteria SARSoteria Search and Rescue is a British based consortium which, from February 2010 to February 2011 was the preferred bidder for the contract to run all UK civilian search and rescue helicopter services from 2012 onwards.-History:...
consortium have been selected as the
Preferred Bidder for the 25-year contract to provide civilian
Search and RescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
throughout the United Kingdom.
Other
Thales is also a major manufacturer of
in-flight entertainmentIn-flight entertainment refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. In 1936, the airship Hindenburg offered passengers a piano, lounge, dining room, smoking room, and bar during the 2½ day flight between Europe and America...
systems on board airliners. Thales' primary competitors in this area of business include
Panasonic Avionics CorporationPanasonic Avionics Corporation is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation and is headquartered in Lake Forest, California with major business functions also shared with the former headquarters located in Bothell, WA.Established in 1980, the product engineering and development departments are...
,
Rockwell CollinsRockwell Collins, Inc. is a large United States-based international company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, primarily providing aviation and information technology systems and services to governmental agencies and aircraft manufacturers.- History :...
, and
LiveTVLiveTV is a major provider of airline in-flight entertainment systems. Originally a joint venture of Harris Corporation and BE Aerospace , it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways Corporation...
(originally owned by Thales, now owned by JetBlue).
Thales Navigation, a division that produced GPS units, was sold to private equity group Shah Capital Partners and renamed
MagellanMagellan Navigation, Inc. is a producer of consumer and professional grade global positioning system receivers. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with European sales and engineering centers in Nantes, France and Moscow, Russia, Magellan also produces aftermarket automotive GPS units,...
.
Financial information
Thales' major shareholders are the
French stateThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(27.0%) and
Dassault AviationDassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...
(25.9%).
Allegations of corruption
Michel Josserand alleged that Thales had a centralized slush fund that it used to bribe officials.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/12/21/afx2406475.html
Schabir ShaikSchabir Shaik is a South African businessman from the Berea, Durban, who rose to prominence due to his close association with South African President Jacob Zuma during his time as Deputy President...
, the financial advisor to the president of the
African National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
party
Jacob ZumaJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
, was also found
guiltyThe Schabir Shaik trial was one of the most important court trials in post-apartheid South Africa. The case, tried in Durban High Court before Judge Hilary Squires, proved the fraudulent and corrupt relationship between Durban-based businessman Schabir Shaik and South African politician and...
of organising a bribe on behalf of Thales.
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=553&fArticleId=2950644
Products
- Watchkeeper WK450
- Eurocat (transport)
- Search Master and Ocean Master radars
Components
- Thales Air Defence Limited
- Thales Underwater Systems
Thales Underwater Systems , formerly known as Thomson Marconi Sonar, is an international defence manufacturer specialising in sonar systems for submarines, surface warships, and aircraft as well as communications masts and systems for submarines. TUS is a subsidiary of Thales Naval, part of the...
- Thales Nederland
Thales Nederland B.V. is a subsidiary of Thales Group involved primarily in naval defence systems...
- Thales Optronics
Thales Optronics is a major unit of Thales Group and has three main subsidiaries, Thales Optronics Ltd. , Thales Optronique SA and Thales Optronics B.V....
- Thales Rail Signalling Solutions
THALES Rail Signalling Solutions Inc. is a subsidiary of THALES Group. TAS supplies transportation automation solutions for railway from its head office in Paris and railway business divisional center in Stuttgart, Germany, Vienna, Austria, and mass transit business divisional center in Toronto,...
- Thales Information System Belgium
External links