Thales has been awarded a contract by the Netherlands' Ministry of Defence for the delivery of 242 LION uncooled handheld thermal imagers and accessories plus a package of spare parts for Royal Netherlands Army, Air Force and Navy (Marines) related applications. The LION cameras will be delivered in the coming months from LION's series production line at the Thales manufacturing facility in the Hague, Netherlands. This facility is the European leader for the production of uncooled handheld thermal imagers.

With some 1,500 units sold worldwide, the LION thermal imager is field-proven and a market leader in its segment. It is widely used in surveillance, peacekeeping, security and combat missions. Non-detectable thanks to its thermal infrared operation, it can be used to observe targets, both day and night, under all weather conditions. Its lightweight design and ease of operation make it ideal for use by infantry soldiers, border guards, marines and special forces. Operating in the 8-12 micron spectral band, its operation is unaffected by obscurants such as fog, smoke and fire, making it suitable for battlefield environments and law enforcement missions. The LION thermal imager has been designed to meet demanding military specifications.

The development of LION has been a joint initiative of the Netherlands Ministries of Defence and Economic Affairs, and Thales. Thales is continuously expanding its line of uncooled LION thermal imagers for its worldwide customers.

Commenting on the award of the LION contract, Gerrit Jan B. Vinke, General Manager of Thales' optronics activities in the Netherlands said: "LION offers high performance situational awareness at short to medium ranges at an affordable price, which is essential for today's military environment. This contract for the LION system for the Netherlands Armed Forces is an important milestone towards winning further orders in export markets. It also allows Thales to invest in bringing new generations of LION uncooled thermal imagers to the market place in the coming years".