Thales and the drones of the future

(To drafting)
15/09/16

The Thales Group renews its commitment to the evolution of the drone world and is one of the leading global innovators in the sector.

The drones, undoubtedly, play a more important role every day in our globalized society.

Thanks to the flexibility that characterizes them, they are suitable for their military, paramilitary and civil applications. They contribute to the fight against terrorism and to the maintenance of peace, the protection of borders, the surveillance of civilian casualties, illegal activities or even critical infrastructures such as, for example, oil pipelines. They also allow the Major States to better appreciate the situation and thus make better decisions, with shorter response times.

Driven at a distance by pilots on the ground, these autonomous systems keep the man away from the battlefield. They provide the forces on the ground with critical support in terms of both information and protection.

From the height of its more than forty years of experience in surveillance systems, by pilot or non-pilot aircraft, Thales, one of the main European players in identification, communication and mission systems, is at the forefront of the drone innovation. Regarding the elaboration of the future capabilities of drones in the world there is no doubt that Thales plays a leading role, being able to boast more than 100.000 hours of operational flight experience.

The Thales Group, a pioneer in the use of drones for non-military purposes, works in favor of the emergence of a civil market and supports initiatives aimed at international regulation aimed at favoring the integration of drones in civil air space, where their potential applications are innumerable.

The 30 September 2015, the drone watchkeeper (photo) of Thales, for the first time in British aviation history, flew in controlled civil airspace, alongside pilot aircraft.

Thales is a dominant player in the rapidly growing market for drones. On the world market it covers a wide range in terms of size, capacity and functionality of the platforms. Leaning on its in-depth experience of drone-based services and systems, the Group offers advice, experts and solutions based on the use of drones, tailored to the users' needs to achieve the required capabilities.

Among the latest news, in September 2015 the market launch of the Watchkeeper X, in November of the same year the ultralight portable drone Spy'Ranger (video below) and, lastly, at the 2016 Farnborough show the Fulmar X, the latest addition to the Thales family.

(images: Thales)