Thales has been awarded a contract by Land Systems Hägglunds AB and by SAAB AB for the delivery of optronic mission equipment for the Dutch CV9035 Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) is one of the successors of the Dutch YPR* vehicle, for which Thales supplied the gunner's sight.

The present contract comprises the MT-DNGS* commander's sight fitted with the CLAIRE thermal camera and the production of the SAAB UTAAS fire control system, which includes the Thales CATHERINE XP thermal camera, for all 184 vehicles. The equipment will be delivered during the period 2006-2010 by the optronics facility of Thales situated in The Hague (Netherlands)

CLAIRE and CATHERINE XP are unique third generation long-range thermal imagers designed for day/night aiming and observation operations, including during conditions of poor visibility. The CLAIRE is a family of mid-wave (3 - 5 µm) cameras for land applications. The CATHERINE is a family of long-wave (8 - 12 µm) cameras for land-applications.

The cameras incorporate a microscan circuit to provide superior performance. They have been designed in accordance with demanding military specifications for battlefield, security and peacekeeping operations. Both imagers have advanced third generation focal plane array detectors of different types that are cooled-down by a long-life cryogenic cooler.

Commenting on the award of the contracts, Chris Gane, Vice President Defence Optronics said: "We have been successful by listening carefully to our customer and by understanding his needs have delivered a professional and competitive solution. This is an excellent example of the Thales multi-domestic policy in action and also confirms the role of Thales as a reliable partner in direct offset"

Thales is European market-leader in thermal cameras and is continuously expanding its line of products for its worldwide customers. The development of advanced mid-wave thermal imagers (CLAIRE family) has been a joint initiative between the Netherlands Ministries of Defence and Economic Affairs and Thales.

YPR* is a personnel carrier vehicle

MT-DNGS* is a turret day night aiming and observation sight

About Thales
Thales is a world leader in professional electronics and systems in aerospace, defence, services and security markets. The Group employs 61500 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.4 billion euros in 2004.