Thales Unveils Mini Electronic Warfare Payload for Drones

Thales has launched a lightweight, remotely controlled electronic warfare payload for deployment by small drones to detect and locate radio signals. The new system represents a breakthrough in terms of access to electromagnetic intelligence, offering front-line units an unprecedented operational intelligence capability for that is readily accessible, agile and discreet and can be adapted for use by land or naval forces

Paris / New Delhi: At the Paris Air Show (16-22 June 2025), Thales is presenting a new electronic warfare solution to meet the need for more closely integrated electromagnetic dominance operations across all military units.

Traditionally only conducted by highly specialised units, electromagnetic dominance operations are now needed by all tactical formations as a pre-requisite for battlefield superiority.

ads

With the growing intensity of electronic warfare operations, this new Thales solution is designed to provide all deployed forces, including non-specialised units, with an initial, autonomous detection, location and analysis capability. The development of this innovative solution follows a proof-of-concept (PoC) awarded to Thales by France’s Defence Innovation Agency (AID) after a European competitive procurement process. During the PoC phase, multiple users successfully tested the solution in a range of different use cases.

“The current geopolitical context and the emergence of new threats have underscored the expanding role of electronic warfare in the theatre of operations and demonstrated a growing need for all combat units to have direct access to these crucial capabilities. Today we are able to offer a unique new solution that is discreet and easy to use by non-specialised units to enable deployed forces to gain and maintain information superiority in the field. The new solution demonstrates Thales’s capacity for innovation and the ability of our development teams to respond extremely quickly to new operational requirements,” said Christophe Groshenry, Vice President, Radio Communications Products, Thales.

Weighing less than 5 kg and with a power requirement of under 40 W, the new payload is optimised for deployment by light drones. It can be installed on free-flying or autonomous drones, or on tethered drones powered and connected to the ground by a cable, to detect radio sources tens of kilometres away with no active emissions, which is a major advantage in contested environments.

More like this

ELVO Turns Decades-Old Military Vehicles into Modern Combat Assets for the Greek Army 

Thessaloniki, Greece: ELVO - Hellenic Vehicle Industries, Greece’s foremost manufacturer...

Airbus Starts Development of IRIS² Satellites on Behalf of Eutelsat

Paris, France. Airbus Defence and Space has signed the...

EDGE Delivers HT-100 NAVAL to Angola Following Successful Trials

Abu Dhabi, UAE: EDGE Group has announced the successful...

MBDA and Safran Receive Approval to Supply France’s New Long-Range Land Strike Capability

Paris: Announcing the notification by the French Defence Procurement Agency...

ICEYE and Arianespace Partner to Strengthen Europe’s Sovereign Access to Space  

Paris, France: ICEYE, the European leader in sovereign intelligence from...

Russia Targets India’s Regional Skies

NEW DELHI. Russia is seeking a larger role in India’s...

ESA, ISRO Eye Wider Space Ties

PARIS. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space...

When Centurions Made a Graveyard of Pattons

On September 1, the 1 Armoured Division commemorated the...
Indian Navy Special Edition 2025spot_img