This radar is unique only because it can accurately distinguish the difference between a bird or small drone. That's likely due to software, not the hardware. The reason it's desired is that it can match more expensive radars due to the price point, not due to capability. Software is not married to the hardware at all.
It's a result of President Emmanuel Macron's pressure to boost defense production in response to the war in Ukraine and the need to upgrade Europe's militaries after years of neglect, as well as from rising demand across the world.
Thales — a company jointly controlled by the French state and fighter jet maker Dassault Aviation — is Europe’s radar leader and third in the world behind Lockheed Martin and Raytheon of the U.S.
With more than 1,100 employees, the Limours factory tests the radars' antennas in blue-walled rooms designed to muffle echoes, before assembling them in a large area with a French flag and pictures of Ground Masters in action.
"We need a perfect synchronization of arrivals of equipment to avoid waste and wait," said Eric Marceau, the vice president of strategy for the radar business.
Thales' GM systems, which are mobile and usually mounted on trucks, have fully digital long-range radar able to identify targets ranging from very high to very low altitudes.
Thales’ air surveillance radars are also a key element of France’s recent push to deepen defense ties with countries previously under Russia’s grip.
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