Thales: Supporting India’s big ambitions

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has extraordinary potential across sectors – providing plenty of opportunities for business partnerships and growth. The country has the potential to emerge as a global platform for the defence sector in the research, manufacturing and supply chain ecosystems. Being one of the world’s largest defence spenders with an estimated spend of over two percent share of its GDP, the country is increasing its efforts to boost indigenous research, development and manufacturing along with facilitating global defence players to invest in India.

The government aims to grow the defence base of the country and the “Make in India” initiative is a step in the right direction. The policy is expected to boost the Indian industry across sectors including defence, thereby positioning India as a global manufacturing hub. It will not only help Indian industries become globally competitive but will also allow companies like Thales to further support the country's modernisation needs.  As an active contributor towards the development of the Indian defence sector since 1953, we remain committed to the country.

Since 1953, Thales has been helping India achieve its big ambitions. Being a long-standing partner for over 65 years, the company has contributed in rebuilding the nation and solidifying its foundations by sharing its niche technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport and Aerospace markets.

Thales has built up a reputation of being a trusted partner to all three branches of the Indian armed forces by providing them with its flagship solutions ranging from solutions for combat aircraft, air defence systems, sensors (ground, ship-borne and airborne), tactical communication and military avionics, among others. 

For instance, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has relied on Thales for enhancing the technical-operational capabilities of its Mirage 2000 fleet. In July 2011, Thales and Dassault Aviation signed a contract for the upgrade of this fleet. The teams from Thales and Dassault Aviation have been supporting Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in upgrading the Mirage 2000 fleet as per the contract. Another milestone for Thales is the selection of the Rafale by the IAF as it provides a number of state-of-the-art equipment and systems on-board the omnirole combat aircraft. 

Thales touches the lives of billions of Indians each day by sharing its technological expertise with indigenous partners. The organisation’s local partnerships and joint ventures (JVs) reinforce the company’s commitment to the country.

We have been working closely with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for over five decades. We have successful Joint Ventures (JVs) with Bharat Electronics Ltd, Samtel, L&T Technology Services and formed one recently with Reliance Aerostructure. We have also signed an MoU with Bharat Dynamics Limited to explore the transfer of technology of the STARStreak missile capability to India.

India is rich in engineering, human talents and certainly a source of competitiveness for our Group to grow. We have strong workforce of over 1,500 people working both directly with us as well as indirectly through the supply chain partnerships built with Indian companies. Our plan is to triple this number in the next two-three years as we are looking forward to developing capabilities for local engineering, procuring from India and strengthening our local partnerships. 

Our objective is to make in India as well as export from India. We will continue to support the Indian defence sector including the Indian Air Force to realise the "Make in India" initiative and its aim of self-reliance.