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In a great example of cross-Thales cooperation Thales in the UK has won the contract to supply its latest armoured vehicle sight to the German Army. 

Thales in Germany recently signed a contract with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the delivery of four Panoramic Above Armour Gimbal (PAAG), designed and built by Thales in Glasgow, to the German Armed Forces to equip the BOXER 8x8 armoured vehicle. 

The stabilized PAAG is an electronic surveillance system that is remotely controlled from inside an armoured vehicle and gives multiple users a fully stabilised long-range ‘Detection, Recognition, Identification’ (DRI) and far target location capability, on the move during day and night conditions. This state-of-the-art observation and surveillance system will be installed with a new Joint Fire Support Team (JFST) mission module. 

Building on over sixty years of exceptional optronic solutions for armoured vehicles Thales can now add the PAAG, its first contract for this system, to the over 50 National Land Forces currently equipped by Thales with cutting edge vehicle sight solutions. 

Stephen McCann, Managing Director of Thales in the UK’s vehicle integration business in Glasgow, said:

I am so proud of our team here in Glasgow who won this export contract against stiff competition. PAAG is our newest armoured vehicle sight but it builds on sixty years of exceptional optronic solutions for armoured vehicles from this factory. Delivering Multi-Sensor capability in a digital, above armour package, this incredibly powerful sight is a worthy addition to our long line of innovative solutions. This success will bring continued investment and employment to Thales Scotland for years to come. 

The system with thermal imaging device and high-resolution daylight colour camera enables targets to be identified in the range of up to four kilometres, depending on their size. In continuous operation, the entire hemisphere around the vehicle can be covered. A laser rangefinder offers measuring distances of up to ten kilometres. It can also be raised above the vehicle roof to allow the monitoring of targets from behind a ridgeline without putting the user in a direct line of sight, which greatly reduces operational risk.

Automatic Video Tracking (AVT) and Assisted Target Detection (ATD) enhances the User Experience by reducing the manual workload and highlighting threats invisible to the human eye. Combined with an artillery command and control system PAAG will contribute significantly to the capability being fielded. 

PAAG’s easy swap out sensor pack contains a host of sensors including a Thermal Imaging camera, a SWIR, 3 HD TV cameras, a laser rangefinder, a laser target designator and a laser pointer. This compact combination of sensors gives the operator the 24/7 stabilised full 360° situational awareness and target location input required by the JFST. 

Oliver Dörre, CEO and Country Director Thales in Germany, said; "We are delighted that the German Armed Forces and our long-standing partner Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have chosen most advanced optronics from Thales for its BOXER JFST. This means that the German Armed Forces are now one of the 50 armies worldwide that rely on our trusted solutions for their vehicle optronic." 

The BOXER Programme, managed by the European armament’s agency OCCAR, provides the German, Netherland, Lithuanian and the British Armies, with a new generation of all terrain armoured utility vehicles on the basis of balanced capabilities of transport capacity, mobility, protection, survivability, growth potential and efficient life cycle costs.

The JFST programme in Germany will see the delivery of two prototype JFST-heavy vehicles based on the BOXER 8x8 Armoured Vehicle coupled with a new JFST Mission Module integrating Thales PAAG. The Boxer vehicle is also enhanced with Protector RS4, the worlds most fielded Remote Weapons System supplied by Kongsberg. Read more here. 

The BOXER is an 8x8 all-terrain heavily armoured utility vehicle with a unique modular concept of a common drive module and an exchangeable mission module, making it a flexible military vehicle, thus ensuring maximum strategic and tactical mobility in a wide range of operational scenarios.