French company Thales will provide three Deployable-Instrument Landing Systems (D-ILS) for the US Air Force (USAF).
The USAF’s latest order is part of the D-ILS contract announcement that was made in August last year.
The mobile systems serve as a crucial element in military airfield environments.
The ability to set-up, activate, break-down and re-locate precision guidance capability for aircraft on final approach, especially during low visibility in these environments is important.
Thales D-ILS can offer maintainability and supportability over deployable precision approach radar systems.
The systems provide the equivalent of fixed-based instrument landing system capability at tactical airfields and fixed bases.
Other diverse applications are areas of natural disaster or humanitarian relief efforts.
As part of the order, Thales will also establish a production line at its facility located in Clarksburg, Maryland.
The company plans to modify its Clarksburg manufacturing facility to manufacture up to one system a month, beginning next year.
Thales designs and supplies Navigation and Surveillance systems and provides air traffic management solutions to the US Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Defense, as well as Air Navigation Service Providers and airports across the globe.
More than 7,000 Thales navigation aids are deployed worldwide.
