Thales has successfully initiated continuous series production for its Ground Fire radar, a cornerstone of the new SAMP/T NG air defence system. This milestone follows rigorous factory acceptance tests at Thales’ Limours site near Paris, ensuring the radar meets the highest performance standards for European air defence.
The Ground Fire radar is a technological leap, utilizing fully digital, multiple beamforming Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology in the S-band. This advanced system provides exceptional capabilities for the detection, tracking, and classification of a wide array of threats, from stealthy drones to high-speed ballistic missiles. It achieves a remarkable one-second refresh rate and boasts a 400 km surveillance range. With complete 360° azimuth coverage and 90° elevation coverage, it delivers a full, recognised air picture, allowing forces to monitor all fronts effectively, even in challenging environments like mountainous terrain or crowded airspace.
A key advantage of the Ground Fire radar is its strategic autonomy and open architecture, which ensures seamless integration and interoperability with other European defence systems. Designed for high mobility, the radar has compact dimensions equivalent to an ISO container, enabling rapid deployment and transport. It will serve as the new fire control unit for the SAMP/T NG system, replacing the Arabel radar and maximizing the capabilities of the next-generation ASTER 30 missile. This positions France and its partners at the forefront of medium- and long-range air and missile defence.
Supervised by OCCAR for the French Armed Forces Ministry, with Eurosam as the prime contractor, the programme is accelerating. Thales has tripled its production capacity at the Limours factory since 2022, strengthening the supply chain to ensure swift, on-time delivery and contribute to a robust European air defence system.
