Thales appointed mission system design authority for TALISMAN

Thales UK today announces the signing of a contract valued at around £25m with the UK Ministry of Defence (UK MoD) to undertake the role of Mission System Design Authority (MSDA) for the TALISMAN Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) programme.

This programme will deliver a route proving and clearance capability that will be used by the UK Armed Forces to help enhance the safety and security of British soldiers.

The MSDA role includes the management of the design, procurement, installation,
test and acceptance of TALISMAN-specific equipment into the Mastiff 2 and Buffalo vehicles, which will be provided by the MoD. The equipment to be installed includes sensors, weapon stations and a suite of UK theatre-entry protection and communications equipment.

The MSDA will also provide support services, including warehousing and training, for the complete TALISMAN system for an initial period of one year following entry into service.

Alex Cresswell, Managing Director, Thales UK’s Land & Joint systems Division, says: “As mission system design authority for TALISMAN, Thales is committed to supporting the MoD in its delivery of this key capability. By applying advanced technologies we believe that TALISMAN offers a significant enhancement to the safety of those travelling though dangerous areas.”

Paul Ridge, Manoeuvre Support Team Leader for the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support agency, says: “TALISMAN is a large and challenging project that will make a significant contribution in support of current operations. The missions systems design authority is a key role in ensuring that we deliver a coherent capability from which the user can obtain maximum benefit.”