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The Inauguration of the New Detection and Control Center in Mont-de-Marsan

09 December 2005

France can now boast one of the best systems in the world in terms of power, reliability and functionality. Working in close collaboration with the Air Force and the DGA, ThalesRaytheonSystems was able to ensure the successful renovation of this center.

This renovation falls under a more general effort to optimize the STRIDA system(*). The reliability and capacities of these operational centers will henceforth be largely improved. In Mont-de-Marsan, ThalesRaytheonSystems implemented technical and functional improvements that will be replicated in other centers including, the improvement of the system reliability for processing information, a new training function for controllers, a renovation of visualization techniques, and an augmentation of the processing capacity. The center's architecture was reworked, eliminating the old mainframes and replacing them with a more flexible, powerful and high-performance system.

In order to ensure the high quality of its aircraft control and surveillance missions, the Detection and Control Center at the air base in Mont-de-Marsan performs the following responsibilities: synthesizing the information received by sensors and by adjacent centers and transmitting them, in real time, to the authorities; intercepting any suspect aircraft; controlling military air traffic; participating in training for controllers; and conducting SAR (Search and Rescue) operations. The center allows France to strengthen its Permanent Posture of Security (PPS).

ThalesRaytheonSystems is an equally owned joint venture between Raytheon Company and Thales Group. ThalesRaytheonSystems is a worldwide supplier of air defense command and control centers and ground-based battlefield radars. The company's annual revenue is $700 million and it employs 1,500 people.

* STRIDA: Système de Traitement et de Représentation des Informations de Défense Aérienne. System for the Treatment and Representation of Air Defense information.