Turkish, French defense firms sign a further cooperation deal

Turkey’s leading defense company, ASELSAN, and France’s giant defense contractor, Thales, signed a further cooperation agreement during the International Defense Exhibition & Conference, or IDEX,  2015 in Abdu Dhabi.

Both companies agreed to jointly develop and co-market shipborne launcher systems for Thales’s Lightweight Multirole Missile, or LMM, low-collateral precision weapon.

The two companies said in a joint statement released on Thursday, February 26 that they agreed to install Thales-made LMM  on Turkish ASELSAN's launch pad. The agreement also covers a lightweight four-round LMM Missile Launching System and a larger eight-cell variant.

The cooperation between the two companies was initiated in 2010, and they have completed a long period of trials for the missiles and the launcher.

To address surface-to-surface applications for LMM in the maritime market, ASELSAN and Thales have been working on the joint development of two LMM Missile Launching System variants.

In a separate statement, the global technology leader in the Aerospace, Transportation and Defense & Security markets, Thales,  said, “The agreement covers further firing demonstrations, initially in the naval domain and allows for further cooperation in other areas, where both Thales and ASELSAN are well experienced.”

Thales’s LMM is a lightweight precision strike-missile that has been designed to be fired from a variety of tactical platforms including helicopters, fixed or rotary winged UAVs, wheeled or tracked vehicles or naval platforms. The target set includes surface threats such as static installations, armored personnel carriers, asymmetric threats, fast in-shore attack crafts and UAVs.

Turkish ASELSAN’s Missile Launcher System is a customized, compact and lightweight solution for naval platforms, such as fast patrol boats and larger ships, providing defense for critical infrastructure such as oil rigs, seaports and naval bases against a variety of surface and air threats.

“The LMM Launcher System can be used either autonomously or fully integrated within a combat management system,” the statement said.

The agreement opens the way for more cooperation between the two companies, said the statement.

ASELSAN is known for its products in military communications and weapons systems. Turkey’s leading defense company holds a well-established reputation focusing on in-house critical capabilities, state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable research & development.

Thales is one of the largest defense electronics contractors in the world with its revenue exceeding $16 billion in 2014.

 ASELSAN and Thales last year performed tracking trials in the Istanbul area to prove the stabilisation and tracking performance of the electro optical sensor suite.