The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £180 million contract to deliver cutting-edge threat-detection technology for the British Army’s new Boxer vehicles which it says will protect more than 700 jobs at French-owned Thales UK’s Glasgow site. It added that the 10-year remote weapon stations (RWS) contract would also support 30 apprenticeships.
The technology uses a high definition long range cameras attached to the outside of the vehicle to scan for enemy threats, even when the vehicle is moving at speed.
The Remote Weapon Station (RWS) then alerts soldiers inside the armoured Boxer through a digital display – so they can keep a permanent watch outside while remaining safely inside the vehicle.
Steven Lockley, managing director of Thales UK’s vehicle integration business in Glasgow, said: “Thales’s sub-contract is a great step forward after months of hard work. Working with our strategic partners, Thales is bringing new skills and technologies into the programme, our facilities in Scotland and the UK supply chain.”
Minister of State for Defence Baroness Goldie said: “This £180m contract with Thales UK will deliver pioneering surveillance and protection for our front line soldiers and our new Boxer fleet…This order will secure 700 Scottish jobs.
“Our troops face a myriad of new and emerging threats so it is imperative we invest in critical detect and destroy technology such as this.”
The UK rejoined the Boxer programme in 2018 and has committed £2.8 billion to deliver more than 500 vehicles to the British Army. The first vehicles are scheduled to be ready for service in 2023.
2021 is going to see Thales’s Vehicle Integration centre in Scotland busier than ever with the award of a new contract.
Minister of State for Defence, Baroness Goldie said:
“This £180m contract with Thales in the UK will deliver pioneering surveillance and protection for our front line soldiers and our new Boxer fleet. We depend on skills and technology from across the United Kingdom and this order will secure 700 Scottish jobs.”
“Our troops face a myriad of new and emerging threats so it is imperative we invest in critical detect and destroy technology such as this.”
As part of the contract Thales, as a strategic partner to Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, will fully assemble and integrate around 500 RWS and deliver and integrate circa 500 Thales Acusonic® systems onto the Boxer vehicles over the next 10 years, as part of the UK MOD’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) programme.
Not only will Thales integrate Kongsberg’s RWS onto these new armoured vehicles but as an additional bonus Thales also supplies several of the components used in the PROTECTOR RS4 creating a double win for Thales. The Catherine EZ Thermal Imaging Module as well as the CELT3 Laser Range Finder, both products that are made at the Glasgow site and form crucial elements for the completed RWS, giving them their cutting edge ‘situational awareness’ capability.
Another Thales product, Acusonic, was first supplied in 2018 to the British Army’s AJAX Armoured Vehicle Programme and now, under this contract, will be fitted to Boxer as well. Designed to accurately sense and report the direction of incoming enemy fire, the Acusonic system gives the vehicle’s crew the critical situational awareness to react to the threat.
Its innovative sensing system is based on Thales’s world class sonar technology that provides the ‘ears’ for ships and submarines around the world.
Steven Lockley, Managing Director of Thales in the UK’s vehicle integration business in Glasgow, said:
“Thales’ sub-contract is a great step forward after months of hard work. Working with our strategic partners, Thales is bringing new skills and technologies into the programme, our facilities in Scotland and the UK supply chain.”
Thales helps to equip almost every major land platform in service or in development with the UK armed forces. The work for Boxer will be completed at Thales’s facility in Glasgow, which employs 700 skilled engineers and technicians. As a major contributor to the Scottish economy, this contract will support further growth and protect key manufacturing skills in the UK, including 30 apprentices currently receiving training in Glasgow.
Minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart said:
“We look forward to working with Thales in the UK on the delivery of these Remote Weapons Stations, knowing this contract will not only contribute to the safety of British military personnel on the front line, but also support industry growth here in Scotland.
“Protecting hundreds of jobs and supporting 30 apprenticeships, this £180 million UK Government investment further demonstrates our commitment to supporting the defence sector in Scotland and underscores the many opportunities available within the United Kingdom economy.”