• As per the contract, the Indian Army and Air Force’s multi-role attack helicopters (18 Advanced Light Helicopters and 15 Light Combat Helicopters) will each be equipped with four 2.75-inch (70-mm) 12-tube rocket launchers.
• Thales’s rocket launcher was tested and qualified for the Light Combat Helicopter in India in 2018.
• Thales and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have a partnership going back more than 50 years.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, seeking to boost the tactical capabilities of the Indian armed forces, has awarded Thales a contract to supply 135 2.75-inch (70-mm) rocket launchers. Thales’s fully certified, field-proven, competitive rocket launchers are suitable for use on both light and combat helicopters. As a key differentiator for state-of-the-art helicopters and combat aircraft, they provide an excellent fit with the requirements of the Indian armed forces.

The Indian armed forces are involved in a wide range of deployments in remote theatres, conducting operations beyond the scope of traditional homeland defence. For this reason, they need to round out their available resources with a view to boosting their tactical capability.

Thales’s 2.75-inch (70-mm) rocket launchers are produced using composite material, making them an average of 50% lighter than metal launchers, and eliminating corrosion issues. They offer best-in-class precision and reliability, providing crews with optimum support during missions. The solution to be supplied by Thales includes four 2.75-inch (70-mm) 12-tube rocket launchers, plus fire control capability and the T100 sighting system, as supplied under previous orders (more than 80 Advanced Light Helicopters have already been equipped with the solution). The huge range of 2.75-inch (70-mm) munitions available for use with the launchers, from conventional rockets to Thales’s laser-guided variant, encompasses a broad spectrum of the missions facing today’s armed forces.

“This new collaboration between Thales and HAL in the field of air-launched weaponry opens up new opportunities for the supply of equipment to the Indian armed forces, and consolidates Thales’s position in the Indian market. With this, helicopter crews will see a significant improvement in their tactical capabilities during missions,” said Emmanuel de Roquefeuil, VP and Country Director, Thales in India.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Thales: a 50-year partnership

The excellent level of cooperation between Thales and HAL has enabled the first upgraded Mirage 2000 to be supplied on time and in line with performance targets.

Thales has provided avionics equipment for platforms designed by HAL.

We remain open to all relevant opportunities for supporting the enhancement of key defence programmes and the military preparedness of the country (for example, the Indian LCA programme, including AESA and EWS requirements).

About Thales

The people we all rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales. Our customers come to us with big ambitions: to make life better, to keep us safer. Combining a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, our architects design and deliver extraordinary high-technology solutions. Solutions that make tomorrow possible, today. From the bottom of the oceans to the depths of space and cyberspace, we help our customers think smarter and act faster – mastering ever-greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way. With 65,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €15.8 billion in 2017.

About Thales in India

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in New Delhi and has other operational offices and sites spread across Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai, among others. Over 600 employees work for Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the very beginning, Thales has played an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in the defence, transport, aerospace and security markets. 

Contact

Pawandeep Kaur

+91 11 66510430 Pawandeep.kaur@thalesgroup.com

Anne-Sophie Malot, Defence Aerospace

+33 (0) 1 57 77 89 52 anne-sophie.malot@thalesgroup.com

Anuradha Chawla, Chase India

+91 98 999 65 560 Anuradha@chase-india.com