Thales wins contract for MARTHA stage 2
15 June 2001
The French defence procurement agency (Delegation Generale pour l’Armement) has awarded Thales the development and production contract for stage two of the Martha system. This major contract, worth about one billion French francs, covers the supply of the whole Martha system and associated resources for operational support over a period of seven or so years.
Coordination, command and control of assets operating in battlefield airspace are a major concern for any modern army. Martha is designed to give the French Army the capability to coordinate battlespace forces—in other words air defence artillery, field artillery, helicopters and UAVs—and to command and control fire from air defence artillery units.Martha is the first system of its kind in the world designed to simultaneously control short-, very-short and medium-range defence systems.
The system comprises two independent functional chains:
- a coordination chain controlling air defence fire in real time and all land forces. This chain is connected to Air Force command and control systems (ACCS) and is interoperable with the other main command systems of the French Army and allied forces;- a command chain which prepares and controls manoeuvres of air defence units.The core of Martha computes and disseminates a local tactical air picture, fusing data from a range of radars of the system with the general air situation provided by the Air Force.A key advantage of Martha is its modularity.
It can thus be rapidly configured to suit operational requirements.
It offers excellent flexibility and can be deployed to support large-scale force projection operations overseas, or to ensure effective protection of high-value assets.
Martha centres are integrated inside vehicle-borne shelters that provide full NBC and electromagnetic protection and are air transportable.The number of centres deployed depends on the category of mission and type and quantity of weapon systems involved. They adapt rapidly to force manoeuvres without interrupting operational service.This new order follows the contract to supply the coordination centres for MARTHA stage one (first-level coordination (NC1) of Roland and Mistral weapon systems) awarded to Thales in 1999.Martha stage two is designed to coordinate NC1 centres through a higher-level coordination centre (NC2) and to ensure interoperability between Air Force and Army systems. This will be achieved in two successive phases:* Phase one will implement the complete system including the NC2/3 coordination centres, command chain centres and the upgrading of NC1 Roland and Mistral centres for connection to NC2/3.This phase will also deliver baseline, training and system training platforms.* Phase two will finalise connections to the Air Force ACCS (air command and control system) and coordination with medium-range weapon systems (SAMP/T).With Martha, the French Army is acquiring a key air defence system capable of controlling battlefield airspace. This choice confirms Thales as a leading prime contractor in this sector.Press contacts
Thales
Caroline Harvey-Gutierrez
Tel. : 33 (0)1 53 77 86 26
Thales Air Defence
Isabelle Saviane
Tel. : 33 (0) 1 40 84 52 15
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