Thales AI-Powered Defence System: Thales Group has introduced a new air and missile defence system called SkyDefender. The company says this system is made to stop many types of threats that come through the air. These threats can include small drones, missiles and even very fast hypersonic weapons.
SkyDefender brings different defence technologies together in one system. It uses sensors to watch the sky, control systems to guide the response and artificial intelligence to react quickly to threats across land, sea and space.
Thales said modern air attacks are changing very fast. Some threats are small and low flying while others are extremely fast and powerful. Because of this, countries now need defence systems that can deal with many different dangers at the same time.
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How the System Protects Against Different Threats?
SkyDefender works in several defence layers. Each layer is made to stop a different kind of threat depending on how far away the danger is.
For close range protection, the system uses ForceShield. This part protects soldiers, important buildings and sensitive locations. It is mainly built to stop smaller dangers such as drones or other short range flying systems.
For threats that are farther away, SkyDefender uses the SAMP-T NG system. This system was created by Eurosam which is a partnership between Thales and MBDA. The system can attack targets up to 150 kilometres away. It also uses the Ground Fire radar which can detect objects as far as 350 kilometres.
The last layer protects against threats that come from very long distances. SkyDefender uses powerful radar systems such as SMART-L MM and UHF radars. These radars can spot possible threats from distances of up to 5,000 kilometres.
Space also plays an important role in this defence system. Thales Alenia Space helps provide satellites that watch for missile launches. These satellites use infrared sensors to detect the heat from a missile launch. They can see the launch and identify its location even before ground radar systems notice it.
Command System
All parts of SkyDefender are controlled by a command system called SkyView. This system connects all the sensors and weapons so they can work together quickly. The SkyView Alliance feature also helps the system work with NATO and other allied defence platforms.
Thales explained that SkyDefender can connect with equipment made by many different companies. Because of this, countries can add the system to their current air defence networks without replacing everything they already have. It also means the system can adapt when new threats appear in the future.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence also plays a big role in SkyDefender. The company uses its cortAIx AI accelerator to help the system analyse data faster and improve awareness of what is happening in the air. Cybersecurity tools are also included so the system can stay safe from cyber attacks.
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Hervé Dammann, Executive Vice-President for Land and Air Systems at Thales, spoke about the goal behind the system. He said, “Thales is proud to contribute to the sovereignty of our nations with SkyDefender, the global air and missile defence dome based on our latest advanced technologies, from counter-drone protection to early warning capacities.”
He also said the system was designed to be ready quickly and work with current defence networks. “With SkyDefender Thales provides a combat-proven system, easy-to-integrate and available today, confirming our position as a long-term trusted partner for the armed forces.”
