Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialised in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Cybersecurity & Digital Identity with close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive. The Group invests in digital and “deep tech” innovations through Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G.
Thales established its presence in Singapore in 1973 to support the expansion of aerospace-related activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the years, the company has expanded and today is involved in the main sectors of Aerospace (including Air Traffic Management), Defence & Security and Cybersecurity & Digital Identity. Thales also has an established Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) footprint in Singapore, housing a Research and Technology team (one of five for the Thales Group worldwide), an Innovation Hub and the Digital Factory in Asia. In Aerospace, the largest avionics manufacturing site for the Thales Group is located in Singapore. Thales employs over 2000 people of over thirty nationalities in Singapore, across three locations in Singapore.
Thales has built strong industrial capability in avionics production and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) to support the aerospace industry and regional airlines from Singapore. Thales continues to be a strong contributor and solutions provider to the Singaporean Defence and Security ecosystem. In the area of Digital Identity & Security (DIS), Thales has an unrivalled portfolio of solutions based on technologies such as biometrics, data protection and cybersecurity that support global banks, telecommunications providers, and government and enterprise customers. Among these are GovTech and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), who have respectively leveraged Thales’ authentication solutions for Singpass, and biometric passports and systems. With a strong commitment to research and technology, Singapore houses Centres of Excellence (CoE) in radars, naval drones and space, an Engineering Competence Centre for DIS, as well as the regional Innovation Hub and Digital Factory, which engage customers and partners in user-centered innovation.
As a major global actor in the aviation community, Thales is bringing to the drone ecosystem its unique combination of domain expertise to transform the future of unmanned aviation and urban air mobility (UAM). From flight avionics to UAV system design & operations, wireless communications systems, digital identity and cybersecurity, positioning and navigation enabling satellite systems, Thales is redefining what is possible in this UAS sector. With three out of every four commercial aircraft taking off and landing with our Air Traffic Management solutions, we are also leading the way in unified Airspace Traffic Management including small drones, long-range drones and VTOL passenger aircraft that route them around restricted airspace.
With the massive increase in the volume of air traffic including UAVs, creating a seamless sky for all users, manned and unmanned, has become urgent necessity. ANSPs, airports, cities, the police and drone users need to easily and efficiently manage the safe presence of drones.
Thales has introduced TopSky UAS, addressing the challenges of UAS integration into the airspace. The collaborative digital cloud-based platform faciliates interoperability with ATC systems and proposes a suite of services which enable coordination and a fast decision-making process.
While UAS applications are growing exponentially, together with their autonomous capabilities, customers require an adapted airspace management solution for get fast access to the airspace and executing missions in the most efficient way, managing UAS operations and maintaining a safe and secured airspace and coordinating operations and decisions with other stakeholders.
Thales’ customers already rely on TopSky UAS as a high-performance, high-availability, scalable and modular system to ensure safe and efficient operations into the sky.
As drone technology continues to advance, Singapore has begun to explore potential urban air mobility use cases and their potential to transform the way we work, play, and live.
Ms Jasmine YAU
AVS APAC Industrial Center Director
