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Aerospace defence contractor
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
]
- The NLAW is a lightweight anti-tank guided missile system that is assembled by Thales.
[9]
- Javelin is a man-portable surface-to-air missile and is being replaced by 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.
- 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.
- 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
]
See also
[
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]
References
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]
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