Ministry of Defense invests in Thales to increase radar capacity

The Ministry of Defense is once again investing in the defense company Thales in Hengelo to ensure the availability of advanced radar systems. Thanks to this investment, the company expects to expand its radar production capacity by 60 percent within three years. These radar systems play a crucial role in detecting, among other things, hostile ships in the North Sea and drones that could pose a threat to national security.

This move comes at a time when demand for defense equipment in Europe is at an all-time high. Thales currently has more than 50 billion euros in orders on its books, a record for the company. With this expansion, the Ministry of Defense aims to prevent the Dutch armed forces from being left behind in the queue for the delivery of critical systems.

New test environments

The investment will be used to expand production, development, and test facilities at the Hengelo site. Among other things, this includes investment in new test environments for high-performance radar systems. One of the facilities will be specially designed to block external interference, ensuring that systems can be developed and tested under optimal conditions.

European defense capabilities

According to State Secretary for Defense Derk Boswijk, expanding this collaboration will help accelerate the strengthening of European defense capabilities. By extending the collaboration to include the scaling up of test and integration facilities, the Dutch armed forces will be able to contribute more quickly to the crucial protection of our allies in Europe.

Air defense system

In addition to radars, Thales is also working on new European defense projects, including an air defense system intended to serve as an alternative to the American Patriot missiles and initiatives for an independent European space industry.