FEINDEF 2021: Thales and Indra to develop new tactical radio system

Thales and Indra signed an agreement at the International Defence and Security Fair (FEINDEF) held in Madrid from 3 to 5 November, to jointly develop a multipurpose tactical radio system for the French and Spanish armed forces as part of the collaboration agreement they inked in September 2020.

Announcing the agreement following a signing ceremony on 4 November, the two companies said they would develop “new hi-tech products in Spain based on Thales' SYNAPS radio range and a next-generation SDR [software-defined radio] system to be developed jointly with Indra”. This will take place under the umbrella of the existing bilateral co-operation agreement between the countries' armament directorates general, France's DGA, and Spain's DGAM, with work set to start at the beginning of 2022.

“The industrial plan linked with the new development includes its commercialisation in the export market and it is designed to ensure the sovereignty and autonomy of Spain, as well as promoting the specialisation of national companies in added value activities and international competitiveness,” they said.

“This new development will consolidate the co-operation agreement between both companies, reinforcing the solutions portfolio and the industrial footprint of Indra and Thales in the Spanish defence sector.”

The companies said they had begun the process of certifying the system with Spain's Centro Criptológico Nacional (National Cryptological Centre) and France's Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (National Cybersecurity Agency).