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Thales to build SCIPIO, the French Army's joint forces combat simulator

17 June 2002

The French procurement agency (DGA) has awarded Thales Communications a contract worth 15 million euros covering the realisation of a major simulation system for the French Army, SCIPIO (Simulation de Combat Interarmes pour la Préparation Interactive des Opérations - Joint forces combat simulation for interactive preparation of operations).

The SCIPIO system will be the Army's most adequate tool to train command posts (CPs) at brigade and division levels. It will be installed at Camp Mailly (Champagne-Ardennes, North-east of France). With its advanced simulation technology, it will make it possible to reduce the number of personnel required for headquarters exercises, while making them still more realistic.

SCIPIO will be highly interoperable with the French Army's Forces command information system (SICF) and the Regiment information system (SIR). In the future, it could be made interoperable with European information and command systems integrating the MIP standard (Multinational Interoperability Program). It will thus be possible to organise multinational exercises with digitised brigades from different countries.

For this contract, Thales adopted an innovative process through a collaboration with MASA, a start-up company stemmed from a data processing research lab of the French Ecole Normale Supérieure. This company developed a new technology for adaptive agents simulation, with an industrial process already implemented in video games and professional training.

This contract enables Thales to enrich its offering in the field of Operational Information Systems with a highly innovative and efficient tool for headquarters training.

Designer, prime contractor and integrator of systems and provider of value-added services, Thales Communications is the global architect of information and communication systems that fulfil the operational requirements of air forces, armies, and navies. Present in 14 countries, Thales Communications achieves a turnover of about 1.5 billion euros and employs 9000 persons over the world.

Press contacts:
Matt Pothecary - Tel: + 33 (0) 1 53 77 86 26
Elsa Delacroix - Thales Communications - Tel: 33 (0)1 41 30 35 82