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Thales appointed mission system design authority for Talisman

08 September 2009

Thales UK today announces the signing of a contract valued at around £25m with the UK Ministry of Defence (UK MoD) to undertake the role of mission system design authority (MSDA) for the Talisman urgent operational requirement (UoR) programme.

This programme will deliver a route proving and clearance capability that will be used by the UK Armed Forces to help enhance the safety and security of British soldiers.

The MSDA role includes the management of the design, procurement, installation, test and acceptance of Talisman-specific equipment into the Mastiff 2 and Buffalo vehicles, which will be provided by the MoD. The equipment to be installed includes sensors, weapon stations and a suite of UK theatre-entry protection and communications equipment.

The MSDA will also provide support services, including warehousing and training, for the complete Talisman system for an initial period of one year following entry into service.

Alex Cresswell, Managing Director of Thales UK’s land & joint systems business, says: “As mission system design authority for Talisman, Thales UK is committed to supporting the MoD in its delivery of this key capability. By applying advanced technologies we believe that Talisman offers a significant enhancement to the safety of those travelling though dangerous areas. The project demonstrates the value added by system-of-systems level thinking and broadens the Thales UK force protection offer.”

“Talisman is a complex and challenging project that will make a significant contribution in support of current operations,” says Group Captain Paul Ridge, Manoeuvre Support Team Leader, DE&S. “The missions systems design authority has a key role to play in ensuring that we deliver a coherent integrated capability from which the user can obtain maximum benefit.”

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Notes to editors

About Thales and Thales UK

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008 the company generated revenues of £10.2 billion, with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.

Thales UK employs 8,500 staff based at more than 40 locations. In 2008 Thales UK's revenues were over £1.4 bn.