A world leader in mission-critical information systems with operations in 50 countries and 68,000 employees, Thales provides systems for the aerospace, defence and security markets. Building on proven capabilities in large and complex software systems, Thales steps up to the security challenges of its customers in an increasingly interconnected, technology-driven world.

Civil and military systems benefit from many of the same technologies and innovations. Developing these dual technologies has been a long tradition for Thales, with its global network of 22,000 high-level researchers. Leveraging a global presence and spanning the entire value chain, from prime contracting to equipment, Thales plays a pivotal role in making the world a safer place.

Thales in Belfast is the Prime Contractor for Very Short Range Air Defence systems in the UK and within the Thales group, is the centre of excellence for missile design, development and production. Operating from the headquarters in Belfast, with over 575 personnel, activities are broad ranging and serve to meet the requirements of customers seeking Design, Manufacture, Assembly and Test of complete integrated systems, products or components.

Today Starstreak represents the nucleus of our business operations – a revolutionary multi-purpose missile system that pushes the boundaries of missile design to their limits with devastating capabilities in the ground to air role. This product is currently in service with the British Army and likely to remain at the forefront of its air defence capability for at least 20 years. The experience gained in this programme, together with our extensive activities in other missile programmes, makes us a natural partner in many of the international collaborative programmes which now dominate the defence sector, e.g. Hellfire, VT1 and Next Generation Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW).

In recent years however our activities have extended beyond the air defence domain with increasing emphasis on multi-role missiles, weapon system design, manufacture and integration and novel solutions. We aim to develop a recognised centre of excellence in weapon systems integration and through life support for tactical platforms such as vehicles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), thereby growing our business significantly in the future.