Thales Air Defence

Aerospace defence contractor

Thales Air Defence Limited

Company type| Private
Industry| Defence
Headquarters| Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Products| Missiles

Number of employees

| 492 (2017)
Parent| Thales Group

Thales Air Defence Limited (TADL), formerly Shorts Missile Systems (SMS), is a defence contractor based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, producing short range air defence missiles.

Shorts Missile Systems was established as a joint venture between Shorts' owners Bombardier and Thomson-CSF in 1993. In 2000 Thomson-CSF became the sole owner. In the same year Thomson-CSF was renamed Thales Group and in 2001 Shorts Missile Systems was renamed Thales Air Defence Limited.

TADL products have been deployed by 56 armed forces around the world. The company employs around 492 people in Northern Ireland.[1] The company also operates a remote facility in rural County Down, between Ballynahinch and Downpatrick, where missiles are tested and stored.[2]

## History[edit]

Short Brothers' missile division was formed in 1952.[3][4] In 1993, this became Shorts Missile Systems (SMS) a joint venture between Shorts' owners Bombardier and Thomson-CSF.[5] In 2000 Thomson-CSF bought Bombardier's 50% share to become the sole owner.[6] In the same year Thomson-CSF was renamed Thales Group;[7] consequently in 2001 Shorts Missile Systems was renamed Thales Air Defence Limited.[8]

The then Shorts Missile Systems was a partner in Raytheon Company's Future Medium Range Air-Air Missile (FMRAAM) project, which was to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile used by European air forces. In May 2000 the UK selected the MBDA Meteor to fulfil the requirement.

## Products[edit]

* NLAW

The NLAW is a lightweight anti-tank guided missile system that is assembled by Thales.[9]

* Javelin

Javelin is a man-portable surface-to-air missile and is being replaced by Starstreak.

* Starstreak

A High Velocity Missile (HVM) used in the air defence role. Used in many roles with man-portable, attack helicopter and vehicle mounted variants.

* Hellfire

Built by Thales under licence from the United States for the Ministry of Defence. Hellfire is designed to defeat tanks and other individual targets while minimizing the exposure of the launch vehicle to enemy fire.

* Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) -

Ordered by the MoD as the FASGW(L) missile on 5 April 2011 to be operated by the Royal Navy's new Lynx Wildcat helicopter.[10]

### Historical[edit]

* Blowpipe
* Starburst

## See also[edit]

* Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Economic Impact of Thales in Northern Ireland" (PDF). www.thalesgroup.com. July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
2. ^ Stinson, James (23 September 2011). "Defence firm's pre-tax losses up". The Irish News.
3. ^ Simpson, John (4 July 2008). "How the defence specialist is finding new markets". belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
4. ^ Donne, Michael (16 December 1986). "Short in £225m Missile Deal". The Financial Times.
5. ^ Bellamy, Christopher (2 March 1993). "Short joins French on missile". The Independent.
6. ^ "BBC News | NORTHERN IRELAND | French takeover at NI missile firm". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
7. ^ "Thomson-CSF changes name to Thales". www.aerospaceonline.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
8. ^ "Our UK locations". Thales Group. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
9. ^ "£229m deal for anti-tank weapons to safeguard Thales jobs in east Belfast". Retrieved 14 December 2022.
10. ^ "First production contract for Thales's Lightweight Multi-role Missile announced". Thales. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011. Thales

* v
* t
* e

Thales Group

Divisions and
subsidiaries|

* Thales Air Defence
* Thales Australia
* Thales Communications
* Thales Nederland
* Thales Optronics
* Thales Rail Signalling Solutions
* Thales Training & Simulation
* Thales Underwater Systems

Joint ventures|

* Eurosam (33%)
* Naval Group (25%)
* OEMServices (25%)
* Telespazio (33%)
* Thales Alenia Space (67%)
* ThalesRaytheonSystems (50%)

Products|

* AN/PRC-148
* ASTAC
* Blowpipe
* Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle
* Hawkei
* Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod
* Eurocat
* Goalkeeper CIWS
* Javelin
* Martlet
* MW08
* Protector RWS
* S1850M
* SelTrac
* SMART-L
* Sonar 2076
* Sonar 2087
* Starstreak
* SWARM
* Watchkeeper WK450

Predecessors|

* Racal
* Thomson-CSF
* Thomson Marconi Sonar
* LiveTV

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

* Economy of the United Kingdom
* Manufacturing in the United Kingdom

Companies|

| Current|

* AD Aerospace
* AgustaWestland
* Airbus UK
* Astrium Satellites
* Surrey Satellite Technology
* BAE Systems
* Military Air Solutions
* Eurofighter GmbH (33%)
* MBDA (37.5% as MBDA UK)
* BBA Aviation
* Boeing Defence UK
* British Airways Engineering
* Britten-Norman
* Chemring Group
* Cobham
* Technical Services
* Dunlop Aircraft Tyres
* Euravia
* General Dynamics UK
* GE Aviation Systems
* GFS Projects
* GKN
* Hants and Sussex Aviation
* Hybrid Air Vehicles
* IRVIN-GQ
* Lockheed Martin UK
* Marshall Aerospace
* Martin-Baker
* Meggitt
* Messier-Bugatti-Dowty
* Skyrora
* Qinetiq
* Reaction Engines
* Rolls-Royce
* Selex ES
* Short Brothers
* Telespazio VEGA
* Thales Air Defence
* Thales Optronics
* Ultra Electronics

|

Defunct|

* ADC Aircraft
* Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes
* ABC Motors
* Air Navigation and Engineering Company
* Airco
* The Airscrew Company
* Airship Industries
* Airspeed
* Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
* Arrow Aircraft
* Auster
* Austin Motor Company
* Aviation Traders
* Avro
* Beagle Aircraft
* William Beardmore and Company
* Blackburn Aircraft
* Boulton & Paul
* Boulton Paul Aircraft
* Bristol Aeroplane Company
* British Aerial Transport
* British Aerospace
* British Aircraft Company
* British Aircraft Corporation
* British Aircraft Manufacturing
* BTR Aerospace
* Central Aircraft Company
* Chilton Aircraft
* Chrislea Aircraft
* Clayton & Shuttleworth
* Comper Aircraft Company
* Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft
* Dart Aircraft
* de Havilland
* Aeronautical Technical School
* Propellers
* Desoutter Aircraft Company
* Dowty Group
* Rotol
* Dunlop Standard Aerospace
* ED Abbott
* Edgar Percival Aircraft
* Elliotts of Newbury
* English Electric
* Fairey Aviation Company
* Fane Aircraft Company
* Ferranti
* Folland Aircraft
* Foster, Wikner Aircraft
* Garland Aircraft Company
* General Aircraft
* General Electric Company
* Gloster Aircraft Company
* Grahame-White
* Handley Page
* Hawker Aircraft
* Hawker Siddeley
* Heston Aircraft Company
* Hewlett & Blondeau
* Hordern-Richmond
* Hunting Aircraft
* Kingsbury Aviation
* Lakes Flying Company
* Lindstrand Technologies
* Luton Aircraft
* M. B. Arpin & Co.
* Marconi Company
* Electronic Systems
* Martinsyde
* Matra Marconi Space
* Miles Aircraft
* Moss Brothers Aircraft
* D. Napier & Son
* Nash & Thompson
* National Aircraft Factory No. 2
* Nieuport & General Aircraft
* Norman Thompson Flight Company
* Parnall
* Parnall & Sons
* Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot
* Lang Propellers
* Reid and Sigrist
* Rollason Aircraft and Engines
* Royal Aircraft Establishment
* Saunders-Roe
* Scottish Aviation
* Seaplane Experimental Station
* SELEX Galileo
* SELEX Sistemi Integrati
* Siddeley-Deasy
* Sopwith Aviation Company
* Spartan Aircraft
* Supermarine
* Vickers
* Vickers-Armstrongs
* Westland Aircraft
* Westland Helicopters
* J. Samuel White

Government and
regulatory bodies|

* Civil Aviation Authority
* Defence Electronics and Components Agency
* Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
* European Aviation Safety Agency

Related topics|

* ADS Group
* Farnborough Airshow
* NATS Holdings
* NDI UK
* ParcAberporth
* Royal Aeronautical Society
* Society of British Aerospace Companies

Category

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Other|

* IdRef

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template