Thales Optronics is a
optronics
Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiatio ...
manufacturer and a
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of the French defence corporation
Thales Group
Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris' ...
. It is headquartered in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The company has three main subsidiaries: Thales Optronique SA in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Thales Optronics Limited in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and Thales Optronics B.V in the
Netherlands
)
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
History
France
United Kingdom
Thales' optronics businesses in the UK trace their origins to Pilkington Optronics, which was formed by
Pilkington
Pilkington is a Japanese-owned glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, United Kingdom. In the UK it includes several legal entities and is a subsidiary of Japanese company NSG Group.
Prior to its acquisition by NSG i ...
plc in 1988 to take control of the company's optronics businesses: Pilkington PE located in North Wales (formed in 1966) and
Barr and Stroud
Barr & Stroud Limited was a pioneering Glasgow optical engineering firm. They played a leading role in the development of modern optics, including rangefinders, for the Royal Navy and for other branches of British Armed Forces during the 20th ce ...
, which was based in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Pilkington PE later became Thales Optics Ltd., which was divested from Thales in December 2005 as Qioptiq Ltd.
In 1991 Thomson-CSF acquired 50% of Pilkington Optronics. In 1995 Pilkington Optronics acquired
Thorn EMI
Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to:
Botany
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants
* ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species
Comics and literature
* Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Comic ...
Electro Optics which was renamed Pilkington Thorn Optronics. Three years later, Thomson-CSF purchased another 40% of Pilkington Optronics from Pilkington and the remainder in 2000 to make it a wholly owned subsidiary. In 2000 Thomson-CSF was renamed Thales and Pilkington Optronics Ltd. became Thales Optronics Ltd. Soon after, Thomson-CSF acquired
W Vinten Ltd, a British reconnaissance equipment manufacturer, including the
Joint Reconnaissance Pod.
In November 2006 Thales Optronics Limited announced the closure of its manufacturing facility in Taunton, Somerset, with the loss of 180 jobs. In June 2007 Thales sold the beryllium mirrors and structures business of Thales Optronics Limited to GSI Group Inc. for an undisclosed amount.
Thales Optronics Limited was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in June 2011.
Netherlands
Operations
France
United Kingdom
Thales Optronics Limited has its headquarters and main production facility in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, where it employs around 630 people.
Its principal activity is the design, development and manufacture of infra-red cameras, laser range-finders, and cameras for use in airborne reconnaissance systems, armoured vehicle sighting systems, submarine periscopes and target locators.
[
In 2011 Thales Optronics Limited generated total revenues of £229 million (2010 – £212 million) and profits of £24.4 million (2010 – £14 million).][
]
Netherlands
Products
*Search and track
**PIRATE
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
(Passive Infra Red Airborne Tracking Equipment) for Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...
**Rafale FSO/OSF IRST systems
*IRST
An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters.
IR ...
systems
*Self protection systems
** Laser Warning Receivers
** Laser countermeasures
*Laser range finders
*Sighting systems
*Reconnaissance systems
** Joint Reconnaissance Pod
*Submarine Sensor Systems including the latest non-hull penetrating Optronics Mast
A photonics mast (or ''optronics mast''BBC News Scotland, A vision of evolving technologies' 30 August 2007, 13:06 GMT) is a sensor on a submarine which functions similarly to a periscope without requiring a periscope tube, thus freeing design sp ...
s systems, which replace conventional periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position.
In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
s in some of the most modern submarine classes.
*Electro-optic aircraft reconnaissance pods and image exploitation stations
*AFV Fire Control and Navigation systems
See also
*Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
The aerospace industry of the United Kingdom is the second-largest national aerospace industry in the world (after the United States) and the largest in Europe by turnover, with a global market share of 17% in 2019. In 2020, the industry employed ...
References
{{Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
Defence companies of France
Defence companies of the United Kingdom
Optics manufacturing companies
Armoured fighting vehicle vision and sighting equipment
Thales Group divisions and subsidiaries